Unpopular opinion: Store-bought starter is totally fine for 90% of home bakers

I know everyone here swears by making your own sourdough starter from scratch. I did that for 6 months and it was a pain. Last week I picked up a dehydrated starter packet from King Arthur for $8 and it works just as well. My loaves come out the same. Am I missing something or is the gatekeeping just for fun?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_garcia564d ago

Oh yeah, I picked up a starter packet from a local bakery last year after my homemade one kept dying on me, and honestly my bread tastes exactly the same. It's way less stressful for sure.

martinez.paul4d ago

Yeah that's basically what I found too. My neighbor tried to give me her homemade starter that she's had for 15 years, and instead of taking care of it I just bought a packet from King Arthur like you did. @viola_garcia56 I think it's smart to get one from a local bakery, I bet it's even better than store bought. Funny enough my sister-in-law refuses to use anything but her own starter and she gets mad when I tell her I can't taste the difference.

taylor.brooke4d ago

My aunt's 20-year-old starter died in a heatwave and she just buys packets now too.