The sourdough starter I kept killing finally worked, but not how I expected

I tried for 6 months to get a sourdough starter going in my kitchen in Columbus and it kept turning pink or just smelling like gym socks. Then I left the jar in the back of my car for 3 days during a heatwave and forgot about it completely. When I opened the door, it had doubled and smelled like ripe fruit, so I figured why not bake with it. That loaf came out better than any of the ones I had babied on the counter with fancy flours. Has anyone else had a happy accident like this where neglect actually fixed the problem?

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river_allen5d ago

Read somewhere that sourdough starters actually do better with a stable warm temp and less fussing, not constant feeding and adjusting. The heatwave probably gave yours that steady environment plus the natural yeast on the car dashboard beat the fancy flour game. Makes me wonder how much of baking is just getting out of our own way.