That chat with a random barista about sourdough starter

I was at this coffee shop in Austin last Tuesday waiting for my latte and this barista noticed I was reading a book on bread baking. She asked if I had a starter going and I said yeah but it kept dying on me after like a week. She laughed and said her mom had the same problem for years before someone told her to feed it with pineapple juice instead of water for the first few days to lower the pH. I tried it that night and my starter actually survived past day 5 for the first time ever. It's been two weeks now and it's bubbling like crazy. Has anyone else tried weird tricks like that for keeping a starter healthy?

2 comments

2 Comments

reeselewis29d ago

Oh man, that's wild because I did something kinda similar with my first starter but with kombucha instead. I had this jar of leftover unpasteurized kombucha from a friend and I added like a tablespoon to my flour and water mix on day two. Figured the live cultures might help jumpstart things and honestly it worked way too well. My kitchen counter looked like a science experiment gone wrong with foam spilling everywhere. But yeah that pineapple juice trick is legit for sure, my neighbor does it with her rye starter and it has that tangy smell you just can't fake.

elizabethf8529d ago

Ha, I always thought that pineapple juice thing was just a gimmick but I guess I was totally wrong.