My sourdough starter took 23 days to actually work, not 7
Honestly, every guide online says a starter is ready in a week, but mine sat there looking dead for over three weeks. I followed the exact same flour and water ratio every morning and night, but nothing happened until day 18 when I finally saw a few real bubbles. Turns out my tap water in Columbus has too much chlorine, so switching to filtered water was the fix. That should have been the first thing listed on any recipe page, not buried in the comments. I wasted a full bag of organic rye before I figured it out. For anyone struggling, check your water source before you blame your flour or the temperature. Has anyone else spent way longer than the recipe promises just because of basic water quality?