miasanchez•14h agoProlific Poster

That time my sourdough starter got a funny smell and I almost tossed it

I keep my starter in the fridge during the week because I only bake on weekends. Last Saturday I pulled it out and it smelled like acetone, really sharp and chemical. I was ready to dump the whole jar and start over since I've had this starter for about 8 months now. But I remembered a tip from an old baker I met at a farmers market in Portland. He said that smell means the starter is hungry and needs a good feeding. So I fed it twice that day with equal parts flour and water and by Sunday morning it was back to normal with that nice fruity tang. I used it for my usual weekend batch of 6 loaves and they turned out perfect. Has anyone else had their starter smell weird and thought it was ruined when it was just hungry?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_brian10h ago

Question whether it's really that serious. I've had the same starter going for three years and it gets weird smells all the time, especially after sitting in the fridge for a week. Half the time I just stir it up and let it sit out for an hour and it's fine by the time I bake with it. Sounds like you did the right thing feeding it, but honestly I think people overreact to every little change in their starter.

olivia_white939h ago

My grandma's starter smelled like nail polish remover once and she still made biscuits with it.

the_eric7h ago

Oh man, I had a similar scare with my kombucha SCOBY last year. It developed this weird film on top and smelled kinda like old socks mixed with vinegar and I was ready to just pitch the whole jar into the compost bin. My buddy who brews beer told me that's just the good bacteria fighting off the bad stuff and to let it ride. I left it alone for three more days and it cleared right up, made some of the best fizzy tea I've ever had. Funny how these living things just get moody sometimes and we jump to conclusions too fast lol.