That $40 'artisan' sourdough starter from Etsy was a total scam - my own tap water and flour worked better

3 comments

3 Comments

My first batch of sourdough starter took 3 tries before it finally worked. I followed all those complicated instructions about specific flours and fancy water and it just turned into a moldy mess. Finally I just dumped some tap water and all-purpose flour in a jar, left it on the counter, and it was bubbly and ready in about 5 days. That Etsy starter was $40 for something that cost me maybe 30 cents in flour and a couple minutes of stirring.

karen_carter5d ago

Read somewhere that sourdough starter is literally just capturing wild yeast from the air around you. So all that stuff about special flour or filtered water is mostly just internet hype from people who overthink everything. I saw a video where a guy made it with just tap water and generic bread flour from the dollar store, worked perfectly in like 4 days. Your experience just proves that, honestly. People get so caught up in the "right" method they forget bread has been made for centuries with basic stuff. The $40 starter thing is just wild, it's like paying for something nature gives you for free.

eva_moore6d ago

Ngl I can't believe people actually pay $40 for a sourdough starter when you can literally make it for free with stuff from your kitchen. That's honestly wild.