TIL my sourdough starter works better with filtered water from the fridge

I had to pick between using tap water straight from the sink or the filtered stuff I keep cold, and my last two loaves with the filtered water rose way higher. Has anyone else seen a big change from just switching their water source?

4 comments

4 Comments

cole5492mo ago

Chlorine in tap water can kill the yeast.

reese_hayes712mo ago

Honestly that's way overblown. Most tap water has such a tiny amount of chlorine it doesn't matter at all. People have been using straight tap water for baking and brewing forever with no problems. Letting it sit out for a bit gets rid of any trace chlorine anyway. The yeast is a lot stronger than folks give it credit for.

green.reese2mo ago

Actually, it's ruined a batch of mine before.

phoenix5731mo ago

Yeah it's funny how that works, I mean I've noticed the same kind of thing with other stuff too. Like how my coffee tastes way better with filtered water versus straight from the tap, or even how my houseplants seem perkier when I use the fridge water instead of the hose. It's like we don't really think about how much the little things stack up until we actually try swapping one thing and see a difference. Maybe it's just me but I feel like once you start paying attention to stuff like that you see it everywhere, not just in baking. Even the way I wash my car, the spots are way worse if I don't use the filtered setup. So yeah, I totally buy that your starter is responding to the water quality, it's just one of those hidden variables that sneaks up on you.