Took me three days to figure out why my sourdough starter kept dying

I moved to a new apartment in Phoenix and my starter just would not get active, no matter what I fed it. I tried different flours, water temps, everything. Turns out the tap water here is so heavily chlorinated it was killing the culture. I switched to filtered water and it bounced back in about 36 hours. Anyone else in a city with bad water have a fix they like?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_craig21d ago

Wouldn't buying jugs of spring water like @barbaraw16 mentioned actually be way more expensive over time than just getting a cheap filter pitcher though? I mean, I get the plastic waste thing but a couple of glass jugs you refill at the store seem simpler than installing some whole house filter.

barbaraw161mo ago

My friend in Vegas had the same issue and just buys jugs of spring water now.

masonm851mo ago

But is that really solving the problem? Buying all that plastic just moves the waste somewhere else. It's still a ton of bottles to deal with, and you're paying a company for water you could filter yourself. A good filter on your tap fixes the taste for good without the constant cost and trash.