My sourdough starter turned into a science project gone wrong

Okay, so I know everyone online says you have to feed your starter every single day, no excuses. I followed that rule for a whole month, and it was fine. But last Tuesday, I got busy and skipped one feeding, just one. I came back to it on Wednesday and it looked totally dead, like gray water on top. I panicked and threw it out, thinking I killed it. I started a new one, but this time I only feed it every other day, and it's actually way more active and smells better. I think the daily feeding was making it weak, like it never got hungry enough to really work. It's been a week now and my bread from the new starter rose higher than any of my old loaves. Has anyone else found that less feeding works better for them, or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_jackson27d ago

Yeah, I heard that less feeding can make it stronger.

spencer4127d ago

Reminds me of my neighbor's tomato plants last year. He got this idea to underwater them, said it stressed the roots and made the fruit taste better. Ended up with the saddest, driest plants I've ever seen, maybe three cherry tomatoes total. There's a line between stressing something and just starving it.

the_julia17d ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard. I did the exact same thing, followed the daily rule like it was law. My starter was always kind of sluggish and smelled a bit like old gym socks. Then I went on a long weekend trip and came back to what looked like a total loss. I was so mad at myself. But I scraped off the gray stuff and fed the bit underneath, and it bounced back crazy fast. Now I only feed it when the jar looks empty and hungry, maybe every two or three days. It's way more bubbly and has a nice tangy smell, not that sour milk smell. It just seems happier when it gets a real break between meals.