My sourdough starter from a Portland bakery versus the one I grew from scratch

I got a fancy starter from a bakery up in Portland last month, thinking it would be a cheat code. My own starter, which I've had for about six months, looked sad next to it. The bakery one made a decent loaf, but my own starter made bread that tasted way better, with a real tang to it. I guess the local yeast just likes my kitchen more... Anyone else have a starter that just works better than a 'pro' one?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_schmidt972mo ago

Totally makes sense. That fancy starter was living its best life in a bakery, then you moved it to a whole new house. Your own starter grew up in your kitchen, eating your flour and drinking your water. It's built for your conditions. Why wouldn't it make bread that tastes more like home?

torres.pat2mo ago

My grandma's starter came from her neighbor in 1978, and it only ever got fed tap water and cheap all purpose flour. That bread had a sour, almost funky taste you couldn't buy. I tried using fancy bottled water and organic rye once and the loaf came out flat and sad, like it missed its old home.

oliver_mitchell24d ago

My grandmother had a starter she kept going for over forty years, and it always made this incredibly tangy bread that nothing else could match. I remember her telling me that starter is like a pet, it gets used to its own little world. Your story about the Portland starter just proves her right, that fancy one probably felt like a stranger in your kitchen. There is something special about the yeast and bacteria that settle into your own home over time. I am glad your scratch starter won out in the end, that must have felt good.