What is that smell?

So it’s been three months since I last made some sourdough bread? I don’t remember. But suddenly, I wanted a slice. Slathered with butter. It’s time to get back in the game.

I had some starter in a mason jar in the refrigerator. The starter was harder than a block of cement in the bottom of the jar. It had a bluish tint. And it smelled strange.

I decided to start over. A little flour and water in the jar. Leave it overnight. Add a little flour and water. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Three days later I started to feed the jar and caught a whiff of something really bad. Old socks? Unwashed feet? Cheese from the back of the fridge? I don’t know, but it was funky. This can’t be right.

So, of course, I Google “bad smelling starter. Guess what I? In the first days a starter will smell like old socks, sweaty feet, or worse. Nice. I’m on the right track. In a day or two, my starter will have that fmiliar yeasty smell, and I’ll be ready to bake.