My sourdough starter was too acidic because of my water, not my feeding schedule

I kept fighting with a slack, overly sour loaf for about 4 months back in March. Every forum said reduce the feedings or use colder water, but nothing worked. Then I tested my tap water in Austin and the pH was around 8.2, which was messing with the starter's balance. Switched to bottled spring water for mixing the starter and the dough, and the difference was night and day. The crumb got more open, the tang mellowed out, and my bulk rise finally hit that 30% mark I was chasing. Has anyone else checked their local water's pH when troubleshooting starter issues, or do you just filter and hope for the best?

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thompson.christopher5d agoTop Commenter

I spent 6 months convinced my starter was just haunted, honestly. My water in Phoenix tested at 8.6 pH and I was feeding it like a maniac trying to fix the problem. Switched to filtered water and it was like my starter went from grumpy teenager to pleasant grandpa overnight. The tang didn't disappear completely but it got way more friendly. Now I test my water every time I move or if the season changes, because apparently my tap water has a personality of its own. If anything, I'm jealous you figured it out in 4 months, I just kept blaming my starter for being lazy when it was really my water being a bully.