My sourdough starter disaster cost me a whole weekend and $40

So I got really into the idea of making my own sourdough from scratch... I followed a guide online that said to use organic rye flour and bottled water for the best results. I bought a big bag of the fancy flour and a whole case of water, thinking it was an investment. After feeding it for 5 days straight, it just smelled like old gym socks and never bubbled up. I realized my kitchen was probably too cold, sitting at like 65 degrees, which just stalled the whole thing. All that time checking on it and all that money on supplies just went down the drain. I feel so silly for not checking the temperature first. Has anyone else had a starter just refuse to come alive? What's the warmest spot in your house that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.mark6d ago

I used to think like charlesb42, that the temperature thing was a bunch of fuss. Then I tried to start one in my old apartment in the winter. The counter was maybe 62 degrees and after a week it just sat there like sad pancake batter. I stuck the jar on top of the fridge, where the warm air from the motor vents out, and it was like night and day. Bubbles in two days. My advice is find that little warm spot, like near a router or on a cable box. It doesn't need to be hot, just not cold.

charlesb426d ago

Honestly that whole "check the temperature first" thing is overblown... my kitchen is like 60 degrees and my starter took off just fine with cheap all purpose flour and tap water. Sometimes a batch just doesn't work, it's not always about being fancy or warm. You probably just got some bad flour or something, it happens. I'd try again with normal stuff before turning your house into a sauna.