My sourdough starter straight up died after 8 years and I had to start from scratch

It happened last month, right after I moved to a new apartment in Denver. I think the altitude change and the weird tap water here just killed it. One day it was bubbling fine, the next it smelled like nail polish remover and had a gray liquid on top. I tried feeding it twice a day with bottled water for a week, but it was gone. That starter was from my first baking job in 2016, so it felt like losing a pet. I had to beg a pinch from a baker friend downtown and now I'm back to square one, building it up again. It's a huge pain. Has anyone else had a starter just give up on life after a move, and how long did it take you to get a new one strong enough for good oven spring?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_taylor1523d ago

Man that gray liquid is actually HOOTCH, it's a sign of boozy stress but not always death. Your starter was just really hungry from the move and change. That smell and liquid mean it made too much acid. You can often save it by pouring off the liquid and feeding it a big meal of flour with bottled water. Mine did that once and came back after two big feedings. Still, starting fresh is sometimes easier on the nerves.

marybutler23d ago

Yeah, my buddy's starter did that after a road trip.

sean_barnes2423d ago

I mean, it's wild how much our daily routines are just a bunch of tiny, fragile systems. You don't notice until something like a move breaks one, and then your bread or your sleep or whatever just falls apart. It feels like a small lesson in how little control we actually have.