Sour dough starter after 2 weeks vs 6 months - huge difference

I keep seeing people say your starter is ready after 7-10 days but that's just not true in my experience. Mine was flat and barely rose at day 10. By week 4 it started showing some life but still made dense loaves. It wasn't until month 6 that I got that nice open crumb and deep sour taste. The change came from feeding it twice a day with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. Has anyone else noticed their bread got way better after waiting months instead of weeks?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_fiona1mo ago

Honestly that tracks with how most good things work, not just bread. Like learning to play guitar or even getting good at a video game, everyone says you'll get it in a week but the real magic happens months later when you stop thinking so hard about it. Tbh my starter was a total dud for almost two months until I switched to rye flour and started paying attention to temperature instead of just following some online guide by the numbers. Ngl our whole culture is obsessed with instant results, but stuff like fermentation or relationships or even cooking just needs that slow time to build depth.

thompson.robin1mo ago

Did you try feeding it at specific times based on the room temp? That's what finally clicked for me, my starter was just too cold at night.

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calebw501mo ago

Gotta say I feel you on this one. My first starter was like three months of me just staring at a jar of flour paste wondering if I was wasting my time. It really does take way longer than people let on.