My sourdough starter was flat for months because of my tap water

I live in Phoenix and our water is super hard. My starter never bubbled up right, always stayed like pancake batter. A baker friend told me to try bottled spring water instead. Switched to Arrowhead brand and it doubled in size in two days. Anyone else have to change their water source for baking?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarcooper2d ago

Check your water's chlorine levels too, not just hardness. I had to let my tap water sit out overnight so the chlorine evaporates before using it for my starter. The chlorine can kill the wild yeast just as easily as hard water minerals mess with it.

richard_shah2d ago

Interesting point about chlorine, but my experience was totally different. Hard water minerals were the real problem for me, not chlorine at all. I tried the sitting-out method for weeks with no change. The spring water switch was an instant fix, so for some of us it's definitely about the minerals. Maybe it depends on what's actually in your local water supply.

abby_king221d ago

Right? My tap water is SO hard it might as well be liquid rock. Letting it sit did nothing for me either, the starter just stayed flat and sad. I switched to the cheap store brand spring water and it was like night and day, bubbles in just a few hours. It's totally about what's in the pipes where you live.