Mahati

From a blog there were tips about fermentation in cooler environments.

Check the blog for more tips, here’s an excerpt

To create a warm environment one can do the following:

• Wrap a blanket around the container and keep it in a place in your house where it is warm. Even if you get a tiny bit of sunlight it is fine. I do not like this only because if it overflows it spoils the blanket.
• Keep the container in the oven, with the oven light on for 2-3 hours. It is not needed for the oven light to be on for the whole time or for hours. It is simply a waste of resources according to me. Once it is on for 2-3 hours, it creates a warm environment sufficient enough to ferment the batter. The below batter is fermented with oven light on for just 2-3 hours.
• If you have done any baking at all in the oven, your oven would be hot on that day. So one of the best uses of the remaining energy. Let it cool down a bit, so that it does not scorch the batter. Once it is warm, keep the batter inside.
• Warm the oven slightly (you should just be able to feel it warm and not hot) switch off and keep the batter inside it. The warmth generated is sufficient to ferment the batter.
• For the last 1 month, I have been following another trick. I keep the batter near one of my heater radiators. In this way, I am not wasting any resources and I am happy with the fermentation.
• Mind you I have tiles in my kitchen and my kitchen is cold.
• I used to add salt earlier but now I just add ¼ of the required quantity before fermentation. Adding salt helps in the fermentation process, especially in cold countries. If you are in a hot environment skip adding salt earlier. Add it only after the batter ferments. This helps the batter stay good for long.
• Time required will be around 16-24 hours in colder countries. It will not ferment just overnight or 6-8 hours. So be patient.
• If you are keeping it in an Oven, do not open the oven door. All the heat generated will be escaped.
• Do not close the container tightly, just a loose lid on top.
• Try to use a steel or a glass container for the batter.
• Lastly do not forget to keep a plate or a tray at the bottom. If the batter overflows you would be in a mess.
• A few of my readers told me that they put a hot water-filled bottle in the batter and it helps in fermenting. I have not tried it yet