My sourdough starter completely changed after I switched from tap water to bottled spring water

For years I kept my starter alive with regular tap water from my kitchen in Portland. It was fine, but the rise was slow and the flavor was just okay. Last month I ran out and used a bottle of spring water instead. The next feeding, it doubled in size in 4 hours and the smell went from just sour to really complex, like fruit. I think the chlorine in our tap water was holding it back. Has anyone else seen a huge jump just from changing the water?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anthony4d ago

My buddy in Seattle had the exact same thing happen! His starter was always a bit lazy until his filter broke and he used some leftover distilled water from his humidifier. The thing went crazy overnight, like a totally different animal. He said the difference in smell alone was wild, way more sweet and less like plain vinegar. It makes total sense that the chemicals in city water would mess with the little yeast guys. He won't use anything but filtered or bottled water for his starter now.

tylerw924d ago

Chlorine in tap water is basically starter poison, makes total sense.