Three years of failed sourdough finally turned around after one bakery visit

I kept getting dense bricks from my starter no matter what I tried. Watched the baker at a shop in Portland feed her starter with whole rye flour instead of white and it changed everything for me. Has anyone else had a single tip flip their whole baking routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaiharris2d ago

@umathompson, that's a good point about temperature and feeding being potential causes, but did you ever try switching flours yourself to see if it made a difference for your friend's starter?

umathompson3d ago

Oh wow, that's wild! My friend had the same problem with her starter until someone told her to stop rinsing her jars with soap.

hernandez.finley3d ago

Wait, is it really that big of a deal if you use soap on a jar? @umathompson I've been using soap on my jars for years and never had a problem. I mean, sure, you gotta rinse it real good, but a little soap ain't gonna kill your starter. People get so worked up over these tiny things, like if you look at the jar wrong it'll explode. Maybe your friend's starter had other issues, like being too cold or not getting fed enough. I just don't buy that soap is the root of all evil in sourdough.