Pro tip: Hit 1000 loaf mark last weekend and realized my sourdough starter is way more forgiving than I thought

I've been stressing about keeping my starter at exactly 75 degrees and feeding it at the same time every day for like a year. But last week I forgot to feed it for two days straight because I was sick. I figured it was dead so I almost tossed it but decided to try feeding it one more time. It came back to life in like 6 hours and made my best batch of bread ever. Maybe it's just me but I think I was overcomplicating things. Has anyone else had a starter that seemed totally ruined but bounced back?

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.xena1mo ago

Whoa, hold up, I gotta say something about that "forgot to feed it for two days" thing. In my experience, a healthy starter can go way longer than that without food. I've left mine in the fridge for two weeks and brought it back with a couple feedings. The real test is when you go like a week or more without any attention and it starts getting that weird orange liquid on top. Your mileage may vary, but don't beat yourself up over a single missed feeding.

camerona791mo ago

Hang on, are you sure you meant to say the orange liquid is a bad sign? I've had that hooch layer on top plenty of times and it just means the starter is hungry and a little stressed. It's not a death sentence or anything close to a real test of its hardiness. You just stir it back in or pour it off, feed it, and it's usually good to go in a day or two. The real test is when it starts growing mold, that fuzzy stuff is game over. I've never lost a starter to hooch, but mold is a different story entirely.