Finally saw a real difference in my sourdough starter after 3 weeks of feeding it daily

I've been trying to get my starter going for like 2 months in my kitchen in Portland, and it just kept smelling like acetone and barely bubbling. Then I switched to using bottled spring water instead of tap and fed it exactly at 8am every day. After 21 days straight of that, it finally doubled in size within 4 hours and smells like actual yogurt now. Has anyone else had their starter get picky about water temperature or timing?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindaw121mo ago

Wait, you had to switch to bottled spring water? I've been using straight tap water here in Portland for 6 months and my starter is a zombie. Maybe that's my problem too.

aaron_wilson171mo ago

A buddy of mine out in Aurora had the exact same problem with his starter, @lindaw12. He was using Denver tap water and his starter would barely bubble after a week. He switched to Poland Spring and within two feedings it was doubling in size. He said the chlorine or whatever they use up there was just killing the yeast dead.