Appreciation post: My 3 year old sourdough starter finally gave me a perfect loaf last month

I'd been getting dense bricks for ages, but last month I switched to feeding it with rye flour from the local co-op and the oven spring was insane. Do you think a starter's personality is all about the flour, or is it more about the routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

wells.karen2d ago

Ever wonder if the water makes a difference? I moved last year and my starter freaked out for a solid month in the new place. It was the same flour, same schedule, but the tap water here is way harder. I had to start using bottled water to get it back to normal. It's like gavin692 said about the flour setting the potential, but man, the environment can totally mess with that routine. My starter basically went on strike until I figured out the water thing.

gavin6922d ago

That's a huge win, congrats on the perfect loaf. From my own messing around, the flour is a massive part of the starter's character, but the routine locks it in. Switching to rye is like giving it a superfood boost, way more active stuff to eat. But if your feeding time or ratio is all over the place, even the best flour won't give you steady results. It's like the flour sets the potential and the daily habit decides if you reach it.

emery1992d ago

That's exactly it. I had the same brick problem for nearly a year. My starter was alive but just lazy. I finally got serious about a strict feeding schedule, same time every day, and that made a bigger difference than any flour switch for me. Gavin692 is right about the routine locking it in. The flour choice, like your rye, is the final push that gets you over the top, but you need that steady daily habit as a foundation first. It's all about building a strong, predictable base for the starter to work from.