My Starter (Culture) smells like paint thinner! HELP!
Hi there! I am trying to start a starter, and I desperately need some help and encouragement. I will give you a little history.
I started this with a recipe from a site other than this and I don't want to give a link cuz after smelling the starter after 4 days I was disgusted! Any way I started with 50 grams WW flour and 50 grams bottled water. Within 24 hours, it rose and bubbled so I thought I might have something going (from reading Sourdough Lady's Blog I now know it was not yeast yet). I fed it the same amounts flour and water, and waited, nothing, just goop. That went on for 4 days or so, and nothing, just smelly goop.
So I looked for some info on this site (great site by the way!) and found some advice that bwraith or Bill gave so I took 2 Tbsp starter and mixed in 2 Tbsp water, 3 Tbsp unbleached organic white (Bob's Red Mill) and a pinch of whole Rye (Bob's Red Mill Organic Dark Rye). It began to become less smelly, almost yeasty maybe, had bubbles in it, but never rose. I am on day 10 from beginning the whole mess and it has never risen, has bubbles but smells like I could strip some paint off a door with it.
By the way, it's at room temperature now, 72 - 75 degrees, I tried the oven light trick but the culture became a very warm 88 degrees and I thought that would be too hot.
I am about to throw it out and start again, using Sourdough Lady's recipe but thought I'd ask you all if you know what the heck. I read that the acetone smell is common if the yeast are starving but I have a hard time believing that since it hasn't risen since day 1. Any advice is very much appreciated and Thanks!
Lisa