Switched to a damp proofing bag for my sourdough starter and saw a huge difference in 3 days

I kept fighting with a dry crust on top of my starter even with a tight lid, so I tried using a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag instead of just a cloth cover. After 3 days in my San Francisco kitchen, the starter was bubbling way more consistently and smelled sweeter without that dry layer. Has anyone else tried a different humidity trick that changed their starter maintenance?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery_young1316h ago

Man, that reminds me of something that happened to a buddy of mine. He lived in this super dry apartment in Denver and his starter kept getting this weird hard crust on top no matter what he did. He tried everything - wet towels, loose lids, even spritzing it with water every few hours. Finally he just put the jar in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel and left it on top of his fridge where it was a bit warmer. Within like two days he said the thing was going crazy, bubbles everywhere and that crusty layer was gone. He swore by it after that and even started doing it with his backup starter too. It's funny how something so simple can make such a big difference.

martin.felix14h ago

I've actually had the opposite experience with that ziplock bag trick. Tried it once with my starter in a humid Chicago summer and ended up with mold growing on the damp paper towel after about four days. The starter itself was fine, but I had to toss the whole setup and start over on the humidity control. My buddy out in Arizona swears by a different method - he just uses a tighter lid like a screw top jar and leaves a tiny crack open. Works way better for him than any bag or towel trick ever did. I think the dry air thing is real, but the bag solution feels like it could backfire if you're not watching it like a hawk.