Sour dough - a warm place?

[SaturdaySpread]

I really want to have a go at sour dough but the instructions are to leave the starter to develop in a warm place.

I don't have an airing cupboard or an aga, we have a combi boiler, so it's only on when someone's running a tap at this time of year. The rest of my house is a fairly even standard room temperature, 19-20 degrees unless it's a very hot day.

Is that "warm" enough?

This guide says the ideal temperature is 22-24C

www.dovesfarm.co.uk/hints-tips/bread-making/guide-to-sourdough-making

In my experience, 19-20 isn't warm enough. My starter was fine last summer on an east facing windowsill, but by September it was no longer making a decent loaf. Disappointing, but true I'm afraid.

September isn't great tbh unless it's a warm day and you have a south facing window.
I'd wait till you have the heating on in October, I leave mine on a side table near to a radiator and it's perfect.

I find on top of a router is a nice warm spot.

I've baked sourdough for 18 months now. It's adaptable for all climates. Use 90f water. Keep it on top of the fridge or warm your microwave up and put it in there. Beside my lava lamp has it nicely at 74f. I'm in Northern Ireland so not exactly warm 😂

Just go for it

I left mine in the oven, turned off but with the light on. The light gives just enough heat, worked great. The router also sounds like a good idea.

Mine lives in the microwave with the door ajar. Every so often it comes out something gets heated up, it goes back and benefits from the residual heat.

My oven has a “defrost” setting (30 degrees), if it is cold I put that on briefly then use it to prove.

Look up cold proving. We prove overnight in the fridge.

We only have a combi, in the summer I just leave mine on the kitchen side, in the winter near a radiator, you will get to know your starter, all the info on sourdough can be mind boggling but it’s really easy, it’s all about developing your own routine. Good luck, haven’t bought shop bread ever since I started 18 months ago, made a rod for my own back though as family won’t eat anything else!

I proved bread in my still warm tumble drier once. Worked a treat!

I have a sort of storage room/cupboard with a freezer in it. The freezer keeps it warm in there. I put my starter in there overnight to wake it up after feeding.

I am lucky to also have a prove setting on my oven. We bought it about 10 years ago but I knew I wanted that setting to make sourdough. I have made it for a long time but sometimes lose interest for awhile and pick it up months later. My starter always wakes right up.