The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Overly Stinky Starter?

Newtothisbreadthing's picture
Newtothisbreadthing

Overly Stinky Starter?

I just wanted to get some feedback on a very stinky starter.

Now I have never made a sourdough starter, but I have home brewed many times and know fermentation can have a wide range of smells but this starter is horribly rancid smelling. This is so bad you can smell it from feet away and makes even the most hardened stomach turn. 

It is only 3 days old and has been fed daily equal parts water and flour (50% organic rye and 50% unbleached organic flour) and stored at room temp. I have removed roughly 2/3'rd each day and fed again. There is good action and great rise already and color looks correct (like wet rye flour but no color other than that). The dough is getting good peanut sized air pockets and looks very healthy, except for the exceptionally rancid smell. 

Is this something I should wait out and it will level out or is this a scrap it and start again type thing? 

phaz's picture
phaz

Don't toss it, keep going. This is not unusual for a new starter.