My sourdough starter completely died during a heatwave and I had to start over

I was in my kitchen in Phoenix last July when I realized my starter, which I'd kept alive for 2 years, had a layer of orange liquid on top and smelled like nail polish. The house had hit 85 degrees while I was at work. I panicked, but I saved a tiny 5 gram scrap from the very bottom of the jar and fed it with 50 grams of cool water and whole wheat flour. It took 4 days of twice-daily feedings in a cooler spot before it finally bubbled again. Has anyone else had to rescue a starter from a near-death experience like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mia2d ago

Man, that nail polish smell is the worst. When you scraped from the bottom, was the stuff down there a totally different texture? Like, was it still normal paste or had it turned weird and slimy too? I've heard some people say the good yeast can sink.

irisw733d ago

That orange liquid is just hooch, it means your starter was hungry. The nail polish smell is the real problem, but scraping from the bottom was the right move.