My sourdough starter finally doubled after I stopped using tap water

For months my loaves were flat and dense, no matter how long I proofed them. I was using warm tap water from my kitchen sink in Phoenix. My friend asked if our water was hard, and it clicked. I switched to bottled spring water last Tuesday, and my starter bubbled up like crazy in just four hours. Has anyone else had this happen with their city water?

3 comments

3 Comments

violatorres16d ago

Oh wow, that's such a good point. It's wild how much our basic utilities, like water, can mess with stuff we're trying to do at home (like baking or even just keeping plants alive). I've had the same kind of lightbulb moment with my houseplants turning brown from tap water. It feels like we're all just out here doing chemistry experiments with whatever comes out of the pipes, and we have to solve the mystery ourselves. Makes you wonder what else is affected that we don't even realize.

baker.eva16d ago

My peace lilies used to get those crispy brown tips no matter what I did. I started filling up a big plastic jug from the tap and letting it sit out for a full 24 hours before watering. It lets some of the chlorine gas off, I guess. The difference was huge, the new leaves came in totally green. I still do it, it's just part of my routine now.

ryanh567d ago

Totally makes sense, @violatorres is right about it being a chemistry experiment. My old apartment had such hard water it killed a kombucha scoby I was trying to grow. Switching to filtered water fixed it immediately. It's crazy what's in the pipes.