Just realized my sourdough starter was dead for a month because of my tap water

I kept feeding it and getting zero rise, thinking my kitchen was just too cold. Turns out the chlorine in our city water here in Tacoma was killing it. It took me four weeks and a failed batch of bagels to finally try bottled spring water, and it came back to life in two days. Anyone else have to switch their water source for their starter?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie_taylor1d ago

My buddy in Portland had the exact same problem. He was convinced his starter was just lazy, even gave it a name and everything. After three weeks of flat, sad pancakes, he finally caved and used some filtered water from his fridge. The thing doubled in size overnight, like it was making up for lost time. He felt so dumb for not trying it sooner.

eric_thompson1d ago

Ever try to make beer with chlorinated water? Same sad story, total yeast murder.