I was reading a Kate Downham blog post about sourdough starters and the usefulness of converting your starter to an anaerobic starter if you're struggling with mold. And this opened my eyes up to the fact that there are many different microbes that could populate your starter and things you could do to encourage some and discourage others.
Does anyone know if anaerobic starters taste different than aerobic? And are there any techniques to capture and cultivate specific aerobic or anaerobic microbes?
I've been watching Matt Powers nerd out on soil microscopy all week and it makes me wonder if there's anything to be gained by looking at our starters under a microscope? Feel free to tell me quit procrastinating, shut up and make some bread.
https://thenourishinghearthfire.com/2026/04/21/fresh-milled-sourdough-starter-from-scratch/
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