Hi Pam, your sourdough starter is likely to smell differently, depending on how frequently you feed it, and where it is in the feeding cycle, so a wide range of aromas are perfectly acceptable, just as long as your starter doesn't smell truly unpleasant. Sometimes you may note a very vinegary aroma, which is more likely to occur in a starter that hasn't been fed recently. Right after a feeding it may smell rather neutral, or like flour. Sometimes you may get a yeasty aroma. Occasionally a very neglected starter will smell a little like nail polish remover (ascetone). If that happens you don't have to throw the starter out, but it is a sign that you need to give it at least a few days of twice a day feedings at room temperature until the aroma improves.
January 8, 2023 at 9:52am
In reply to What should a mature starter… by Pam Schmidt (not verified)
Hi Pam, your sourdough starter is likely to smell differently, depending on how frequently you feed it, and where it is in the feeding cycle, so a wide range of aromas are perfectly acceptable, just as long as your starter doesn't smell truly unpleasant. Sometimes you may note a very vinegary aroma, which is more likely to occur in a starter that hasn't been fed recently. Right after a feeding it may smell rather neutral, or like flour. Sometimes you may get a yeasty aroma. Occasionally a very neglected starter will smell a little like nail polish remover (ascetone). If that happens you don't have to throw the starter out, but it is a sign that you need to give it at least a few days of twice a day feedings at room temperature until the aroma improves.