Hot take: It took me 11 tries to nail a simple sourdough starter. Is it really worth the hype?

I kept failing at getting a sourdough starter going. Day 3 it looked good, day 5 it smelled like vomit. I tried different flours, different water temps, even left it in the garage. Finally on batch 11 it actually rose right and smelled like yogurt. Took like 4 weeks total. My friend says it's not worth the effort and just uses store bought yeast. For me it was satisfying but man that was a grind. Anyone else spend way too long on something that seemed simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan5221mo ago

Yeah, I feel you on that. I spent like a month trying to get my starter right, and honestly I think my neighbor's cat kept messing with it at night (he's always on my porch, no clue why). Eventually I just bought a dried one online and it worked first try, go figure.

thea_carter1mo ago

Actually used to think the whole sourdough thing was overhyped and people just liked posting blurry photos of bread. Figured anyone could make a starter if they just followed directions. But then I tried it myself and yeah, no. That stuff is picky. Killed two batches before giving up and doing exactly what you did, bought a dried one. Worked perfect from day one. Definitely changed my mind on how much skill versus luck is involved.