Day 4 of keeping this thing alive. It smells kind of weird, like paint thinner mixed with beer? Is that normal? My wife thinks I'm crazy for spending this much time on bread. The starter is supposed to double by now but it's barely doing anything. Has anyone successfully done this or am I just wasting flour and counter space?
The paint thinner and beer smell on day 4 is actually normal. That's the hooch separating from the starter. Just pour it off and keep feeding it. By day 5 or 6 you should start seeing bubbles and it'll smell more yeasty. Stick with it, the first loaf is magical.
Haha the sourdough journey is real. My wife gave me the same look when I started mine but fresh bread is worth the weirdness. Keep feeding it and you'll get there.
That paint thinner smell is actually normal for day 4, means it's getting bubbly and active. Give it another few days and it should smell more sour and bready. Stick with it!
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Ha, sounds like you're right on track. Mine smelled exactly like that. I was about to throw it away thinking I killed it already but apparently that's just part of the process. Keep it warm and feed it regularly and you'll get there.
That smell means it's alive and fermenting. Totally normal. I almost gave up on mine twice in the first week because I thought I was doing something wrong but the internet assured me I wasn't a complete failure.