Unexplained sourdough starter failure

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Mjps on 30 May 2025 at 17:20
  • After a few years of success creating and maintaing starters they are suddenly failing. Mixed 50g slightly warmed water with 50g KA AP flour . Added the.same on second day and always started growing on third day .
  • Suddenly this has proven unsuccessful . I’ll get a quick reaction third day but afterwards nothing .
  • Can't imagine what is going wrong on several attempts .
  • Any help much appreciated!
  • Mike

Sometimes the water supply changes its properties and that can cause problems for starters. 

I can't tell if you are talking about feeding an existing starter or creating a new one.  If you mean creating a new one, all kinds of things can have changed.  That includes what microbes arrive with the flour.  Getting a working starter in three days is unusual, if you haven't acidified it first with, for example, pineapple juice or some other fruit juice. The common progression for new starter creation is a period of activity early on, then inactivity, and then finally when the mixture gets acidic enough, dormant yeast comes to life and in another day or so you will have a viable starter.

If you are creating a new starter and see activity on day 2 or 3 then nothing, that doesn't mean nothing is happening.  Most likely, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are busy making the mixture more acidic. Give it a feeding, stir it up once or twice a day, and just be patient. If you don't see anything visibly happening, it's possible you should feed it again. Usually it takes people 6 - 7 days to get a new starter to take off. It can take longer. Using an acidic liquid (not vinegar, supposedly) can cut that down to 2 - 3 days.

TomP

Tomorrow ,  Thanks for your response . In the regard to the water changing. , my wife and I noticed a stronger taste of flouride in our drinking water- though our provider claims no increase !  It sure as hell tastes different. And what was a simple task to get an active starter ain’t so simple anymore .

By the way it was a fresh starter I’m doing . My starter is now 4 days old, soupy and none of that nice yeasty smell . But I will continue with the advice I get here .

Thanks, Mike

If everything is the same - it should be the same - at least pretty close. What's changed is up to you to find - which shouldn't be hard. Enjoy!