That time I doubted sourdough starter and it bit me back

I was so skeptical when my friend kept talking about her 'mother' like it was a pet. She gave me a jar of her starter last year and I stuck it in the fridge for 3 months before even trying it. Finally fed it and waited like the recipe said, but nothing happened after 12 hours so I almost dumped it. Then I remembered she said my kitchen might be too cold so I moved it near the stove while I was cooking. Next morning that thing had doubled in size and smelled like sour apples and yeast. First loaf came out dense and flat but the second one had those little bubbles and a crust that cracked when I cut it. Now I feed it every week and name all my loaves after people I'm mad at. Has anyone else had a starter come back from what you thought was a dead stage?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.brooke1mo ago

Naming loaves after people you're mad at is the most unhinged and perfect thing I've ever heard. I'm honestly impressed you stuck with it after that first flat brick loaf.

ellis.rose1mo ago

Starts making me think about how we all have these weird little coping mechanisms we don't even realize are coping mechanisms. Like my mom, she'll angrily reorganize the entire spice cabinet whenever she's frustrated with my dad. It's like we're all just channeling our rage into the most random tasks. Sourdough starter is just a really high maintenance punching bag that sometimes gives you good bread. Honestly, anyone who's ever kept a starter alive for months knows there's a special kind of stubbornness involved. That flat brick loaf was probably the best motivation to prove yourself wrong.