Feeding a sourdough starter on schedule won’t help much if something in the water is slowing down the yeast and bacteria you are trying to keep active. When a starter stays flat or takes too long to rise despite regular feedings, the problem could be coming straight from the tap.
Chlorine is one thing to check. Hannah Dela Cruz, founder of Make It Dough and author of “Sourdough Every Day,” says tap water works for maintaining a sourdough starter in most areas, but high chlorine levels can affect its health. If you can smell chlorine in your tap water, there may be enough present to interfere with starter activity.
That doesn’t mean bottled water needs to become part of every sourdough routine. An activated-carbon filter rated to reduce chlorine can help when chlorine is the issue, while filtered water is another option when you’re unsure whether your household water is contributing to a sluggish starter.
Your Starter Still Needs Minerals in Its Water
Switching away from chlorinated tap water doesn’t mean reaching for distilled water instead. Some mineral content can benefit a sourdough starter, while distilled and reverse-osmosis water may contain too few minerals to be the best choice for maintaining one.
Water at the opposite extreme can create another problem. Very hard water contains high mineral levels that may interfere with the microbes responsible for fermentation, so a starter fed with very hard, distilled, or reverse-osmosis water may benefit from a different source, such as non-chlorinated tap water or bottled water containing minerals.
Soft water doesn’t automatically guarantee better bread, either. Although water composition can affect fermentation and dough development, Dela Cruz notes that a baker’s technique has a much larger role in the results often attributed to particular regional water supplies.
Water Temperature Changes How Fast Your Starter Ferments
Even water with a suitable mineral balance can cause trouble when its temperature is wrong. Cooler water slows microbial activity and fermentation, while warmer water speeds the process, which means changing the water temperature can also change how quickly a starter becomes active after feeding.
Hot water is the temperature to avoid because enough heat can damage the yeast and bacteria the starter depends on. Water around 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit gives you a useful range for routine feedings without exposing the culture to excessive heat.
Before changing flour, feeding ratios, or starting a new culture because your sourdough refuses to rise, check the water going into the jar. Chlorine levels, mineral content, and temperature can each affect fermentation, and changing the water may be a much simpler test than rebuilding your starter from scratch.
What type of water do you use to feed your sourdough starter?
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