Honestly, my sourdough starter was a brick for months until I read a tip about water temp.

I found a blog post from a baker in Seattle that said if your kitchen is below 70 degrees, you should use 90 degree water to feed it. Tried it last week and my starter doubled in 4 hours for the first time ever. Has anyone else had to tweak the water temp to get things going?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_cooper28d ago

Wait, 90 degree water? That seems crazy hot to me, I always thought you were supposed to use lukewarm stuff. My tap water gets pretty warm but I'd have to use a thermometer to hit 90. I guess it makes sense if your kitchen is cold, mine is always around 68 in the winter. Maybe my starter has been starving in the cold this whole time and I just blamed my flour.

lunam9127d ago

My friend Mark had the same problem with his starter last winter. He started using a heating pad under the jar set to low, and it doubled in size within a day. The temperature really does make a huge difference.

simon_sanchez5821h ago

Yeah that "starving in the cold" thing Blake said is so real lol. I got a cheap little digital thermometer and it was a game changer, my kitchen was way colder than I thought. Now I just aim for water that feels like a warm bath, and my starter is way more active. It's wild how such a small change can fix everything.