My starter has been staying alive in the fridge, but it wasn't strong enough to cook with right away. The author of the recipe I wanted to make had other articles on her website with detailed instructions on how to recharge sourdough/check if yours is ready to cook with. I tried two different methods of regrowing mine. One was to make a levain, which is a mix of starter, flour, water, and sugar. And the other was to make a 1:1:1 ratio mix with starter, flour, and water (that ratio can make it grow faster).
The levain won out, so that's what I used to make the sourdough cinnamon rolls. I used the other starter to make these dinner rolls. The yeast likes 78-80 degrees to rise... Our house is normally between 63-65. One suggestion was to put them in the oven with the oven light on. That worked great! Eventually I needed the oven, so I tested out the next suggestion from the website...
Yes, you are seeing that correctly; it is a heating pad (my sister gave me one for Christmas; the inaugural use!). They also suggested making a 'greenhouse' with a tub. I used a clear one so I could see what was happening without lifting the lid. We had a spare house thermostat, so I stuck that inside to easily see what temp it was. With the heat mat on high, it got in the high 80s! Medium was mid 80s, and low was high 70s. Worked like a charm.
The finished products. Not super light and fluffy, but definitely delicious! I had to tweak the rise times a bit to fit our weekend schedule, so I'm sure they will turn out even better next time!
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