A barista's 30 second tip turned my 3 year old sourdough starter around

Back in March I was at a coffee shop in Portland and this barista noticed me staring at their starter jar. She asked if I bake and I said yeah but mine keeps falling flat after the rise. She said to try feeding it 1 part starter to 5 parts flour and water instead of the usual 50/50. I laughed it off but tried it that night. Within 3 days my loaves had that tall open crumb I'd been chasing since 2021. Has anyone else gotten a random food hack from a stranger that actually worked better than any recipe site?

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gavin_hill2717d ago

Last summer I was at a farmers market in Austin and this older guy selling honey told me to add a tablespoon of rye flour to my starter even though my base was all white flour. I figured why not try it and holy crap, it woke my starter up completely. I was on the verge of tossing the whole jar after six months of dense bricks, and now it doubles in like five hours. He said the rye has more of the wild yeast that white flour lacks and honestly I think he was right because nothing else I read online ever mentioned it.