Amazing what the human mind can do when given the opportunity. I thought I'd share with anyone interested.

After spending approximately 17 days creating a sourdough starter and ending up with a bubbly active starter that smelled of brandy and doubled in 4 hours, I decided to try some sourdough waffles. I planned on building it up so I would have 1 cup of starter and a bit left to continue feeding. I was very excited!

I normally fed the starter by Tbsp, and now I needed to use a measuring cup. I used 2 T starter, a bit more than  1/4 C water, and a little more than 1 C flour to reach the correct consistency of thick paste. (At this point I am feeding by about 67 % hydration, 1:2:3 for maintenance) I know these measurements were off but I was winging it.

I had a lot of this new mixture in my jar and at the rate it rose to almost triple the day before, I thought, "Oh I hope I left enough room for it to rise in there."

It was not becoming active like before at all and I thought maybe because it wasn't happy with the change in feeding. I went to bed that night in hopes that the yeast would begin to devour all that flour and be ready for waffles in the morning. Then, in my drifting off to sleep moments...... I didn't get a new bottle of water out of the garage to be at room temp. Then it dawned on me, I fed the starter with tap water! OH NO!!!!! I am so used to filling the measuring cup with the tap it didn't even dawn on me what I was doing! Can you say senior moment!

It eventually doubled in about 24 hours and I went ahead and made waffles with the discard, I got compliments on the richness. I didn't like the wheat taste in them though. So, I am back to babying the starter again, adding a bit of rye and waiting for the peak and sink before feeding. This now takes 20 hours, but the brandy smell is back so I guess I didn't destroy it after all.

That was a close one!! I must be destined to fail hahahaha.