My sourdough starter went from flat to fantastic in just four days

I've been keeping a starter for years, but this one batch I began last Tuesday was a real dud. For the first three days, it just sat there, barely bubbling, smelling a bit off. I was ready to toss it. Then, I remembered a tip from a baker in Portland about water temperature. I switched from using cold tap water to water that was just warm to the touch, about 85 degrees. The change was immediate. By the next morning, it had doubled in size and had that perfect, sweet, yeasty smell. I baked a loaf yesterday, and the crumb was the most open and airy I've ever gotten. Has anyone else found that one small change, like water temp, completely saved a project?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wendy3d ago

Read that tip in an old bread book.

jenny473d ago

Yeah it's wild how much good stuff gets lost in old books. @the_wendy finds the best tips lol. Feels like the internet just recycles the same five ideas now.

dakota4152d ago

Totally agree, it's like digging for gold in a landfill now. You find one good idea and then see it copied a hundred times with worse writing. Those old books had to be useful to even get printed, you know? Now anyone can post anything, so the signal to noise ratio is awful. I miss when finding a good tip felt special instead of just another listicle.