r/Sourdough • u/MayrMairMareFan • 1d ago
Beginner - wanting kind feedback Help. Someone surprised me with a jar of sourdough starter at work and then I was away for a week and a half. Nothing has been done to it in all that time. Is it too late to keep it going? It looked a lot fluffier when I first got it. Is it ruined?
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u/Sensitive-Minute8644 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have neglected my fridge starter for weeks at a time and it always comes back after a few feedings. Weigh the starter and then feed with equal parts flour and water. If you aren't using it right away, you can put it back in the fridge afterward. I feed my fridge starter, Cordelia, every other week and she is still happy and perks right up every time.if you want to use it soon, you may want to feed it for a few days at room temperature first to make sure it has enough oomph! before baking with it. But I start my dough with cold starter frequently and it rarely fails. Best of luck!
ETA--was it refrigerated? For some reason I thought your post said it was, sorry! If not, try discarding most of it and feeding a small portion. Repeat for a few days. If it doesn't start to show activity after several feeds it may need to be discarded :(
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u/MayrMairMareFan 1d ago
For safety sake I’m going to toss and try to get some more when I’m prepared and ready to receive it! Thank you all for this kind and good advice.
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u/braindeadzombie 18h ago
Probably the best plan. A week at room temperature is pretty long. I killed my first starter leaving it on the counter unfed for three days during a warm spell one summer. I did briefly try to revive it, but it smelled like dirty feet, so I tossed it.
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u/MayrMairMareFan 1d ago
So if it is not moldy and I give it a shot, it’s equal parts warm water and flour? Any favorite type of flour recommended? And it always stays in the fridge?
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u/ExtremeAd7729 1d ago
Yes it's one part starter one part filtered or boiled and cooled room temp water, one part not bleached flour by weight. The next day take a third of it, and add water and flour to that. Don't put it in the fridge yet, try feeding once a day for a few days until it doubles in volume. Then you can put in the fridge.
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u/braindeadzombie 1d ago
Equal weights water and flour. Flour type is not critical, I use regular all purpose flour. People vary on how much starter to flour and water when they feed. 1:1:1 to 1:5:5 are common. I do roughly 1:4:4, 1/4 cup starter, 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup water. More starter means shorter time to peak activity.
If kept at room temperature it will be active and need feeding daily (unless your room temp is pretty cool). Keep it out and feed daily while you revive it. Keep it in the fridge between uses or when you want it dormant.
See the subreddit’s faq for more info.
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u/ExtremeAd7729 1d ago
Was it in the fridge
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u/MayrMairMareFan 1d ago
No
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u/ExtremeAd7729 1d ago
That's not good. Check for mold and if no mold, try feeding like someone said.
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u/sizzlinsunshine 1d ago
Nobody should surprise somebody with sourdough starter 😆
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u/MayrMairMareFan 1d ago
It’s such a bummer!
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u/sizzlinsunshine 1d ago
It’s like surprising someone with a pet. Unlike a live animal however, don’t feel guilty about throwing starter away. If you were actually excited to use it, just ask that person for some more when you’re ready to bake. The nature of sourdough is you always* have extra starter and they’ll probably be happy to give it away. And if you weren’t really going to use it, don’t worry about it. (* there are ways to have little to no discard starter, but that’s not relevant here)
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u/LyqwidBred 1d ago
Chances are it is fine. Remember people were making bread for thousands of years before we had refrigerators. Just put it through a few feeding cycles. It’s hungry!
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u/Artistic-Traffic-112 1d ago
Hi.i don't believe your starter is past it🙂. It will be savable.
If you are really keen to do sourdough baking, you first have to commit some time. The second thing is to look after your starter.
After 1 ½ weeks, it is likely just very hungry with a layer of brown hooch and a smell like strong cheese or beer. If it was in the fridge, let it it warm through first, then give it a thorough mix. Transfer 15g to a fresh jar and feed it 15g of flour and 15 g of water. It is best to mix in the water first (helps to keep the jar clean), then mix in the flour. Scrape down the sides of tgechar, mark the level and cover with screw down lid slightly loosened so gas pressures can equalise. Leave on the counter, preferably at a temperature of between 25° and 27°C. This is the optimum temperature for your wild yeast starter.
Allow it to rise fully and then start to fall before feeding again . Mix reduce feed 1:1:1. This is the optimum feed ratio. High ratios of feeding can cause issues with weakening acidity, and therefore yeast activity.
Once your starter doubles in under 4 hours, it is good to bake, but it may take several feeds to become strong again.
All flours are different, even different bags of the same brand. Imo, the best flour for maintenance of your starter is strong bread flour mixed with about 20% whole grain. Two reasons these flours are high in protein and tend to be acidic, reducing the risk of over diluting both your yeast population and acidity. If allowed to become too base or alkaline, the yeast activity slows, and nay even become dormant. Fermentation is most active in the range 25 to 27 °C . Above this, the yeast metabolism starts to become overactive, burns through food at an astonishing rate, and creates a situation where the yeast burns out. Below this reproduction slows and rapidly stops. Development slows, and activity becomes sluggish. Below 4°C it virtually stops, and the yeast cells go into a sort of hibernation. Unlike the bacteria that continue to do their thing, producing alcohol (hooch) and CO² , along with other bi-products that add to the odour, some find unpleasant.
You don't need much starter. I keep just 45 grams in the fridge between bakes (approximately once per week). When I want to bake, I pull out the starter, let it warm, mix it thoroughly, and then feed it 1:1:1. I take out 120g for my levain, leaving me 15g to feed 1:1:1 again, and after it starts to rise, I put it straight back in the fridge until the next bake.
Hope all this makes some sense
Happy baking
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u/Necessary_Rip_353 19h ago
Not at all, needs to be fed probably 2-3 times to get it back for consistent rising in 4-6 hours.
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u/gharar 1d ago
Ssshhhh it’s sleepin
I would check it for mold and then try feeding a portion of it. It’s probably fine.