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Baking · by Sara Ahmed · 2026-11-04

First proper cold week and my sourdough just... stopped rising. Winter starter tips?

My kitchen dropped to about 17°C this week and my starter went from doubling in 5 hours to barely moving in 10. Yesterday's loaf came out dense and sour enough to strip paint. I know the answer is 'warmer spot', but I don't have a proofing box and the oven light trick makes it way too hot in mine. What's your winter setup for keeping starter and bulk ferment happy without buying more gear?

20 sparks · 4 comments

Comments

Mara Fischer · 4 likes

use warmer water when you feed (like 30ish°C) and just accept bulk takes longer in winter. long cold ferment is honestly where flavor comes from anyway

Tola Ibrahim · 3 likes

Microwave with a mug of boiling water next to the jar. Swap the water every couple hours. Cheap and it works

Grace Parker · 0 likes

top of the fridge is the classic, it's always a few degrees warmer up there

Lotte Jansen · 0 likes

mine is an ancient fridge and the top is basically a sauna, this is the answer