Just realized my sourdough starter in Seattle acts totally different than it did in Denver

I moved from Denver to Seattle last year and brought my 3 year old starter with me. In Denver it would double in 4 hours flat with that dry air and high altitude. Here in Seattle it takes 8 hours minimum and the texture is way more slack. Some bakers say the local microbes adapt and change the flavor over time, while others think it's just the humidity affecting fermentation speed. Has anyone else moved locations and noticed their starter behave completely differently?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige8708d ago

Oh man, this is so real! My friend brought her starter from Phoenix to Portland and she said it basically went into a coma for two weeks. In Phoenix it was this super bubbly, fast-rising beast that doubled in like 3 hours. Then in the Pacific Northwest it turned into this lazy, wet blob that barely budged and even started smelling different, kind of fruity instead of sour. She was so frustrated she almost tossed it, but after a month it settled into a new rhythm and now it's totally fine, just way slower. Have you noticed any change in the flavor of your bread since the move?

alex_coleman7d ago

Wait, it actually started smelling fruity instead of sour? That's wild, I've never heard of a starter completely changing its scent profile like that. Honestly I figured it was just the temperature and humidity slowing things down, but a full on flavor shift sounds like something else is going on with the local yeast population. Ngl it makes me wonder if my starter here in Seattle is picking up new microbes from the air that are totally different from the Denver ones. Tbh I bet the PNW starters end up tasting more complex but it's still crazy to think about how different the same culture can become.