Hot take: I tried two different ways to make a sourdough starter from scratch.

The first time I used tap water and all-purpose flour, and it just sat there for a week doing nothing. The second time I used bottled water and whole wheat rye flour, and it was bubbling in just 3 days. Is the water or the flour type the bigger deal for getting it going?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_grant3d ago

My friend Sarah in Phoenix had the exact same problem with her starter. She used regular tap water and white flour for ten days with zero activity. I told her to switch to the cheap bottled water from the grocery store and some whole wheat flour. She sent me a picture two days later and it was already bubbling like crazy. I'm convinced the chlorine in tap water is the real killer for those good microbes you need. The whole grain flour helps a lot too, but the water change seems to make the biggest difference right away.

emerydixon3d agoTop Commenter

Letting tap water sit out overnight works too.