Sourdough Day 19: Did I Kill Willy and Nilly?

Sourdough Day 19 is here and I have to be honest with you — it has been a stressful one. Willy and Nilly did not rise at all overnight, and I spent a lot of hours consulting every source I could find trying to figure out what went wrong. The good news is that they both still have bubbles, which means they are alive. I did not kill them. But they are sluggish, a little overfed, and we need to make some adjustments. We are not giving up — not even a little bit. I am way too attached to these little boogers now!

After switching to the aggressive 1:4:4 feeding schedule, I think I overcorrected. Going from underfeeding to overfeeding is apparently a very easy thing to do, and Willy and Nilly are showing all the signs — no rise, sluggish activity, but thankfully still some bubbles. Bubbles mean life, and life means we keep going.

After doing a lot of research, I landed on a few key things that I think have been working against us. First, temperature is a much bigger deal than I realized. My kitchen stays around 73°F, and for a sourdough starter that is just not warm enough to get a really strong, active rise. Second, the 1:4:4 ratio was probably too aggressive for where Willy and Nilly are in their development. We jumped ahead a little too fast.

So here is the reset plan. I discarded both Willy and Nilly back down to 20 grams and switched them back to a 1:3:3 ratio — 20g starter, 60g water, 60g flour — feeding every 12 hours. I also gave both of them whole wheat flour, because the stronger yeast in wheat flour should help them get their strength back. And most importantly, I moved them into the oven with just the oven light on to give them a warmer, more stable environment.

Stephanie is not giving up on Willy and Nilly. Once you name something, it becomes a living named thing and you simply cannot quit on it. That is just the rule. We will see you on Day 20 and hopefully we will have some good news to report!

More From the Sourdough Journey

• Sourdough Starter Maintenance — Feed and Fridge — How I keep a starter alive and happy with a busy family schedule.
• Day 21 — Goodbye Willy & Nilly, Hello Free Willy 2 — The dramatic turn Willy and Nilly’s story eventually takes.
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe — The loaf this whole journey is building toward, with a full printable recipe card.

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Sourdough Day 19 — About the Sourdough Journey

The Sourdough Journey is Stephanie’s series documenting her very first attempt at making sourdough bread from scratch. What started as one whole wheat starter named Willynilly became two — Willy and Nilly — before the journey took a dramatic turn. Now a whole new chapter of baking is underway with Pearl and Free Willy 2. Start at Day 1 and follow the whole story at stephaniecooksforacrowd.com!