Rant: My sourdough starter peaked at day 5 then flopped on day 10

I fed this thing religiously. Day 5 it doubled in size. Beautiful bubbles. Baked my first loaf and it was decent. Then day 10 hit and it just... stopped. No rise. Smelled like nail polish remover. Did I somehow kill it by overfeeding? Or was it a weak starter from the beginning? Anyone else have a starter that gave up after looking perfect?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandralee1mo ago

A rancid nail polish smell usually means it's too hungry and the bacteria took over. You might have let it go a few hours too long between feedings once it got active, or the temperature changed on you. A starter hitting its stride around day 5 then crashing is pretty normal actually, the yeast colony hasn't stabilized yet. Just keep feeding it on a strict schedule and give it another week before you write it off completely.

juliaa251mo ago

Day 5 crash is just the sourdough starter equivalent of a dramatic teenager.

ross.river3d ago

Ha! That's exactly what it is. I actually read this article from a food science blog that explained the whole thing. They said the initial microbe balance is super chaotic, different bacteria and yeasts fighting for dominance. Day 5 is usually when the bad bacteria die off and the good ones start to win. So yeah, it crashes but it's literally part of the process. Just keep feeding it and it'll settle down.