My sourdough starter went from a sad puddle to a bubbly beast after I switched water sources.

For a solid two months, my starter was a total fail. It would barely rise, smelled like old gym socks, and made flat, dense bricks. I was using filtered tap water from my fridge. Then my friend in Seattle, who bakes professionally, told me to ditch the filtered water and try bottled spring water. I bought a gallon of Crystal Geyser, fed it once, and within 24 hours it doubled in size and smelled sweet and yeasty. The difference was night and day. My first loaf with the new starter had an ear and an open crumb I'd only seen in pictures. Is it really that simple, or did I just get lucky? Has anyone else found that their local water just kills their starter?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.alex22d ago

Filtered water can still have chlorine, which is the real problem. It kills the microbes your starter needs. Letting tap water sit out overnight lets the chlorine gas off, which works just as well as bottled water and saves you a trip to the store.

aaron_mitchell22d ago

Yeah, and if your city uses chloramine, letting it sit won't work at all.

hayden_ramirez22d ago

True about chloramine not gassing off. Craig.alex's point about filtered water still having chlorine reminds me of when my sourdough starter straight up died and I couldn't figure out why for weeks.