First sourdough loaf came out like a hockey puck

I was in my tiny apartment kitchen in Portland last winter trying to impress my girlfriend with homemade bread. Forgot to feed my starter for 3 days and the thing was basically dead. The loaf barely rose at all and I had to use a bread knife just to chip off a slice. Has anyone else had a starter die on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

alexw751mo ago

Totally killed my starter last winter too. Felt awful.

holly_sanchez7513d ago

Made that mistake with my first sourdough too, left it on the counter for three days during a warm spell and the whole thing grew fuzzy green mold. Felt like I'd killed a pet or something, honestly cried a little bit over a jar of flour and water. Now I keep my starter in the fridge with a strict feeding schedule written on a sticky note, learned my lesson the hard way.

adam_lewis1mo ago

Felt awful" is putting it lightly. I remember my first failed starter, left it in the fridge too long and it basically turned into a science experiment gone wrong. The liquid on top was brown and smelled like a wet sock that had been left in a gym bag for a month. I tried to salvage it by feeding it for a week straight but it never bubbled again. Ended up tossing the whole thing and starting over with a new batch of flour and water. Lesson learned - starters are finicky little beasts that need constant attention or they'll let you down.