A simple kitchen timer saved my sourdough starter from the trash bin

I spent 3 months watching my starter go flat and lifeless. Tried different flours, filtered water, warmer spots in the house. Nothing worked. Then a baker at a farmers market told me to stop guessing and just set a timer for exactly 12 hours between feedings. Not 11, not 13. Twelve on the dot. After 4 days of strict timing, my starter finally doubled in size. Now I keep a cheap digital timer right next to the jar. Has anyone else found that tiny changes in timing made a huge difference in their baking?

2 comments

2 Comments

patb869d ago

You mean I spent three months acting like my starter was some picky houseplant that needed perfect conditions and all it really wanted was a cheap plastic timer? That's hilarious and also kind of insulting honestly. I bet the timer is laughing at me from the counter right now. But hey if it works it works, I'm just mad I didn't figure it out sooner instead of acting like I was doing some kind of advanced science experiment. Glad you got yours going too, it's amazing how stubborn these little yeast colonies can be when they want to be.

gonzalez.rowan9d ago

Oh man, this is exactly what happened to me. I was about to toss my starter after six weeks of dense, sad loaves. A friend who bakes professionally told me the same thing, feed it at 7am and 7pm without fail. I used to just feed it whenever I remembered, sometimes 8 hours apart, sometimes 16. That tiny shift to a rigid schedule was like flipping a switch. My starter got bubbly and doubled in volume within a week. Now I have three timers set on my phone and the little one on the counter never leaves its spot. It feels ridiculous that a 12 hour window made that big of a difference, but it absolutely did.