My sourdough starter got way too active after a trip to the coast

I took my starter with me to a cabin in Astoria last month, and the sea air seemed to supercharge it. Back home, I used it for my usual overnight loaf and it overproofed in just four hours, turning into a flat, sticky mess. I learned that a big change in environment can really throw off your timing, even with a routine you know well. Has anyone else had a starter act totally different after a move or a trip?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileynguyen19d ago

Yeah, that's how it goes with anything alive. You can have a system down perfect, then one small thing changes and the whole rhythm is off. I see it with the plants on my balcony every year. Same soil, same water, but if we get a weirdly hot spring or a cold snap, they either bolt or just sit there. Makes you realize how much we're all just working with conditions, not a fixed plan. Your starter just found a new normal with that sea air.

the_robin19d ago

My basil did that last August when we had three days over 100 degrees. Went straight to flower and turned bitter. You're right about conditions over plans. I've got a sourdough starter from my sister in Nebraska that acts completely different in my kitchen. It's all about what's floating in the air at the time.