Learning to make sourdough starter can be tricky. Make sourdough, they say. It’s easy they say. You add equal parts in weight of flour and water and basically keep adding equal amounts for about a week until you get the wild yeasts captured and a happy sourdough starter. Sounds so easy, right?

Well….I’m not having any luck. I’m now on my fourth attempt. I keep getting black specks, green mold and funky rotten smells. After much research, they said it is either the water, unsanitary conditions, or the flour.

So to narrow down what it could be I first did what anyone with OCD would do, I scrubbed compulsively. For days. Two containers were brand new and sterilized, cleaned with boiling water, other items sanitized. This doesn’t seem to be fixing the issue.

Now I am with two attempted starters. One with new flour and tap water. The second with the original flour and bottled water. Can I just tell you I’m hoping it’s the flour? I can’t believe I’m hoping my flour is contaminated. That is until you think about the expense of your water quality. We already have the entire house filtered. What else could I do?

Now we wait. Wish the little guys luck! Boy sourdough starter can be tricky for sure!