Spent $80 on a 'professional' sourdough starter kit and got mold

I saw an ad for a fancy starter kit with special flour and a jar. It cost me eighty bucks. I followed the instructions exactly, feeding it for a week. The whole thing just grew pink mold instead of bubbling. That's a lot of money for a science experiment that failed. Has anyone had luck just making a starter with regular flour and water from scratch?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby9431mo ago

My friend had the same pink mold thing happen with a store-bought rye starter. She tossed it and just mixed a cup of whole wheat flour with warm water in a clean mayo jar. It took about ten days, but it finally got going and she bakes with it every week now.

zara5721mo ago

Oh man, that's wild! My cousin tried to grow a starter in her cold kitchen and it just stayed soup for like three weeks straight lol.

rowan_roberts491mo ago

I always thought you needed a fancy starter, but @abby943's friend proved it's that simple.