My neighbor's comment about my sourdough starter made my whole week

I was walking my dog past her porch yesterday morning (you know, with my jar of starter in my other hand like a weirdo) and she just smiled and said, 'That's the happiest little yeast I've ever seen.' I'd been stressing for a month that it wasn't bubbly enough, but her saying that made me realize it was actually doing great. It was just a small thing, but it totally flipped my view on my own baking progress. Has a simple comment from someone ever made you feel way better about a project you were doubting?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_angela1mo ago

Actually, that's a lactobacillus culture making most of the bubbles, not the yeast. The yeast does the rising, but the bacteria is what gives sourdough its sour taste and a lot of the bubbles you see. It's a common mix-up. A happy starter is a good sign no matter what you call it, though. Her comment was still really nice and got you to see your progress.

oliver_wilson491mo ago

My old starter from Portland had way more yeast activity, but the flavor was always milder. Different strains just do their own thing.

julia_carter7018d ago

Oh honey, I've been there. The best thing you can do is just keep feeding it consistently and see what happens over a few weeks. Sometimes a starter just needs time to settle into its new flour and water routine before the flavor really develops.