My sourdough starter pongs - is this normal?

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

I am three days in to making my first ever sourdough starter. It smells. Tiny bit yeasty, bit nail polishy, bit parmesan cheesy. Is this normal or am I growing something sinister?

Sounds fairly normal - have you got a photo?

Facebook group Sourdough Nation is very good for help too.

Oh, thank you, that's reassuring. I was starting to worry that I might make us ill, or worse, make rubbish bread. It's just starting to bubble and foam a teeny bit. Happy to plough on!

One tip I've picked up is the float test is very useful to tell when starter is ready to use (drop some starter in a glass of water - if it floats it's ready to use in a loaf).

It will stink the first few days and should start to mellow out over the next few days. No matter what happens, carry on. The only reasons to abandon it are mould really or a pugnant smell (after this stage).

Stick at it, it's Amazing 😁🤤

Totally normal, as it matures it should go from smelling cheesy (where lactic acid is being produced) to smelling like nail varnish (as ascetic acid is produced)

www.seriouseats.com/2020/07/how-to-ferment-sourdough.html

Might this answer your questions?

Putrid, that's the word I was looking for 😂 not pugnant

Thanks again. It's very much on the cusp of putrid and pungent, but if there's a chance it will settle I'm going to stick at it. Hoping to have something bread worthy by the end of next week.

At this stage it is offensive but soon it will mellow I promise. It's latest you worry about putrid.

I remember thinking I'd never smelt anything like it 😂

Mine took 18days but I wasted a few days as I changed the covering from muslin to clingfilm, and it turns out my starter really needs a wee bit of air

Hows the starter going? Hope is ready

RIP my first starter
after a few days of bubbling in a promising fashion, it split and went flat. we were about to go away for a few days, so I put it out of my misery. Plan is to start with slightly different instructions (going to use the Dan Lepard Handmade Loaf guidance this time) at the weekend. I am still a long way from beautiful bread, but I will get there in the end!

Oh dear.

It's frustrating and such a mystery at the start 😂 hope you're up and running soon. Don't make it too complicated, it really isn't