My sourdough starter took 5 weeks to actually get active, not the 7 days every blog promises

I kept reading these posts online saying you can have a bubbly starter in a week. Mine just sat there looking like watery paste for almost a month. I tried feeding it twice a day, keeping it warm on top of the fridge, even adding pineapple juice once (which smelled weird). It finally doubled in size on day 34 and I almost cried. Anyone else have a starter that took way longer than the internet said it would?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia1mo agoTop Commenter

The "adding pineapple juice once" part is exactly what got me. I did the same thing and my kitchen smelled like a failed science experiment for days. Mine took about six weeks before it finally did anything noticeable. The blogs are lying to us.

jason_robinson1mo ago

The pineapple juice trick is such a common one you see everywhere and it never works right. It just makes things worse in my experience because it throws off the balance. That failed science experiment smell is exactly right, it takes days for the vinegar smell to fade back to normal. It sounds like your starter just needed extra time to find its rhythm, maybe the wild yeast in your area is just slower or the temperature isn't ideal. Once it finally takes off, it's like having a pet that finally decided to wake up and be useful.