Appreciation post: my mom's old sourdough starter finally clicked for me

Talking to my neighbor Linda last week after I complained about my bread being flat for the tenth time. She asked if I ever let the starter sit out for a full 12 hours after feeding it instead of the 4 I was doing. I tried it that night and my loaf came out with actual oven spring for the first time. My mom passed that starter down to me 6 years ago and I feel like I finally get what she meant by "treat it gentle." Anyone else have a recipe that took way too long to figure out?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.dylan2mo agoMost Upvoted

Six years is CRAZY dedication. I killed three starters before my grandma's finally took.

beth_butler752mo ago

@foster.dylan made me laugh with that "killed three starters" bit. What went wrong with yours before grandma's finally stuck?

emma3491mo ago

Oh man, that stings. I've been there too. Took me four tries before I got one that actually doubled right. The worst was the one that just smelled like nail polish remover and never bubbled. And the one that got moldy on day three, that was really disheartening. But hey, when it finally works it feels like a miracle, right?