Sourdough Day 15: Willy and Nilly Move to a Warmer Home

Sourdough Day 15 is here, and Willy and Nilly have a brand new home — and no, I don’t mean a new jar. They’ve moved off the counter and into the cupboard! After a little cold snap here in Florida and some late-night research, I started to wonder if my kitchen was the problem. Stone counters, a shady kitchen, no direct sunny spot — it’s not exactly the warm, cozy environment a sourdough starter dreams of. So last night I tucked them both into an upper cabinet, and we are going to see if a little extra warmth is the missing piece. Just like Harry Potter, they are living under the stairs — except my cabinet is a little more spacious, and I have much higher hopes for them! 😄

Today, on sourdough day 15, I discarded both Willy and Nilly back down to 50g and fed each of them 150g of flour and 150g of water — keeping the 1:3:3 ratio we have been working with. Willy is still getting his whole wheat flour (Jason’s Mediterranean diet bread is still the goal!) and Nilly is getting her regular all purpose unbleached flour. Same routine, new address.

There are lots of bubbles and air happening in both jars, which honestly is exciting — but that smell. Oh, that smell. If you have never opened a sourdough starter that is not quite ready, imagine opening a bottle of nail polish remover. That is exactly where Willy and Nilly are right now. Very strong, very sharp, definitely not the yeasty, tangy, fruity aroma everyone describes in a healthy, bake-ready starter.

Everything I am reading says the smell is the last thing to come around. You can have bubbles, you can have rise and fall, but until that acetone smell gives way to something yeasty and slightly sweet, the starter is not ready to bake. So we are not there yet — but I truly believe we are getting closer every single day.

Moving them to a warmer spot feels like the right call. My kitchen counters are stone, my house is shady, and between the cold snap we had recently and the general lack of direct sunlight in my kitchen, it is very possible that temperature has been slowing them down this whole time. Sourdough starters are happiest somewhere between 70°F and 80°F, and a cozy upper cabinet might be just the thing they need to finally turn the corner.

I am keeping the same feeding schedule and watching closely for the signs that they are getting close to bake-ready — doubling or tripling within 4 to 8 hours, a clear rise and fall pattern two feedings in a row, and most importantly, that beautiful shift in smell. When that nail polish smell is gone and something warm and yeasty takes its place, we will know it is time.

Willy and Nilly have been through a lot over these 15 days. They have survived ratio changes, a new jar, a kitchen that was probably too cold, and more than a few moments where I wondered if I was doing this right. But they are still here, still bubbling, and still fighting. I think when they finally get where they need to be, they are going to make the most incredible bread — and it is going to be worth every single day of this journey. See you on Day 16!

More From the Sourdough Journey

• Sourdough Starter Maintenance — Feed and Fridge — How I keep a starter alive and happy with a busy family schedule.
• Day 21 — Goodbye Willy & Nilly, Hello Free Willy 2 — The dramatic turn Willy and Nilly’s story eventually takes.
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe — The loaf this whole journey is building toward, with a full printable recipe card.

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Sourdough Day 15 — About the Sourdough Journey

The Sourdough Journey is Stephanie’s series documenting her very first attempt at making sourdough bread from scratch. What started as one whole wheat starter named Willynilly became two — Willy and Nilly — before the journey took a dramatic turn. Now a whole new chapter of baking is underway with Pearl and Free Willy 2. Start at Day 1 and follow the whole story at stephaniecooksforacrowd.com!