My sourdough starter never rises right || I've been trying to make a sourdough starter for weeks now. I feed it regularly with equal parts flour and water but it never gets that bubbly, active rise I see in videos. It smells a bit sour and has some bubbles, but it's never doubled in size. My kitchen is a bit cool, maybe that's the problem? I'm starting to think I'm just cursed with bread.
Yep temp is the bottleneck keep it warm around 75 to 78 F or 24 to 26 C and feed every 12 hours using equal weights flour and water until it reliably doubles
Use filtered water so chlorine wont slow it and bread flour can help with rise watch for real bubbles and a true doubling not just a few pockets
If you still struggle after a week try refreshing with a larger feed and keeping a steady warm temp or borrow a starter from a friend to seed it