Overheard a young baker say sourdough starter is like a pet and it got me thinking

I was at a community bake sale in Austin last Saturday and this kid talked about feeding his starter like it was a dog. Made me remember when my grandma kept hers in a crock and never named it, just used it for 30 years straight. Do you name your starter or treat it like a tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia9d ago

People really out here naming their dough and acting like it's a family member. It's just flour and water with some bacteria doing its thing. Grandma had the right idea keeping it in a crock and treating it like a kitchen tool. All this naming and emotional attachment seems like overkill for something you're gonna bake into bread anyway. Maybe I'm just old school but I don't get the hype.

morgan_butler9d ago

Minor correction - it's yeast doing the heavy lifting in sourdough, not bacteria. The bacteria show up later to make it sour but the yeast is what makes it rise. But yeah, naming them is weird.