Sourdough starter smells like acetone

If you're wondering if you can use a sourdough starter that smells like acetone, then you first need to make sure you're looking for an active starter. Your sourdough starter goes through many changes throughout its life, what with the wild yeast and bacteria taking over. Sometimes it emits pleasant aromas, while other times the smells are a bit fishy. When this happens, one can only think that maybe my sourdough starter is dead! If your sourdough starter smells like acetone, alcohol, socks, vomit, or something else unpleasant, then here's what to do.

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What should a sourdough starter smell like?

Your beginner should smell pleasantly tart with a touch of yeast. It should not smell unusual or bad at all.

If the sourdough starter makes you wrinkle your nose in disgust, then skip it.

Unpleasant smells of sourdough

Why does my starter smell like acetone?

Your primer may create an acetone or nail polish remover smell. Don't worry as this is completely normal, your starter is just hungry so you need to feed it!

Your starter may smell like this if it is in a warm environment. If your starter wants to be fed more than twice a day, then consider increasing his feeding ratio to 1:2:2. To prevent your starter from eating all of its food too quickly, just use some cold water to slow it down a bit.

Why does my starter smell like old gym socks?

During the first few weeks, as the bacteria and yeast slowly build up, your starter may start to smell really bad. You may find it smells like old gym socks or vomiting.

This is completely normal and your newbie should settle down once they get the good bacteria.

Why does my starter smell like vinegar?

Your newbie will give off a variety of scents throughout its life, especially the smell of vinegar. If yours initial smell like vinegar, then this is a clear indication that your beginner is very hungry. The easiest way to handle this would be to feed your starter fresh flour and water.

What should a sourdough starter look like?

A healthy, well-placed sourdough starter will resemble a thick pancake batter and look nice and bubbly after being fed.

It should come out of your container, but it shouldn't fall freely.

Unpleasant sourdough appearances

Why Does My Starter Form a Skin?

Sometimes, your starter may develop a crust or skin. This is perfectly fine and just indicates that your engine may be running a bit too dry on top.

Just use a lid to cover sourdough starter jar or even some plastic wrap. Rub the skin and feed the starter as usual.

If this is a common occurrence, then you may need to change where you are placing your motor!

What should I do if my engine becomes moldy?

If your starter develops a fluffy pink or orange color, then it's definitely time to throw it out and start over.

Make sure your jar is clean, especially if mold is repetitive. Also, consider using different types of fresh flour as sometimes mold can come from the flour.

Beginner to feed with different flour

Often, sourdough beginners may not be used to the flour they are feeding. In fact, they may hate it altogether.

You can choose to feed your starter any type of flour you like, as long as it bulks up and puffs up nicely.

Try using whole wheat flour, rye flour or all-purpose flour. A healthy starter will happily gobble up fresh flour and water and grow in size, so much so that you'll have to throw it away before every meal!

If your engine isn't revving, however, then it probably requires extra food, or a different flour altogether.

Sourdough starter smells like acetone

A sour-smelling starter doesn't necessarily mean a bad sourdough starter. Just feed and bathe it with love, and it will be good to go.

Sourdough starter often smells like acetone