ben436•1mo ago

Took me 6 tries to get my sourdough starter to actually work

I don't know what I was doing wrong. Kept getting this weird layer of liquid on top and it smelled like nail polish remover. Watched about 15 YouTube videos. Finally figured out my tap water had too much chlorine in it. Switched to bottled water and it doubled in size after 3 days. Has anyone else had issues with their local water killing their starter?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige8701mo ago

Tap water killing your starter sounds like something from a horror movie.

ryan_carr591mo ago

Wait, have you actually tested this yourself or are you just going off what other people say? @paige870, I've been using straight tap water for years and my starter is going strong. The chlorine in most city water is super low, and if you let the water sit out for an hour it evaporates anyway. Plus if you're feeding the starter regularly the yeast and bacteria build up so much that a little chlorine isn't going to stop them. I think people over complicate this whole thing and blame the water when it's more likely their feeding schedule or temperature. Unless you have well water with heavy metals or something, tap water is fine.