15
My sourdough starter completely died on me after a week in the fridge
I pulled it out to bake a batch of my usual San Francisco style loaves and it was just a gray, watery mess with zero bubbles. I tried feeding it twice a day for three days straight with King Arthur bread flour and it never came back. Has anyone else had a starter go totally flat like this, and did you manage to revive it or just start over?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
wade_young861mo ago
That gray, watery mess you described sounds like hooch, the alcohol that forms when a starter is starving. A week in the fridge shouldn't kill it if it was strong. I'd try one last thing before tossing it. Pour off all the liquid, take just a tiny bit of the paste from the very bottom, and feed that small bit with warm water. Sometimes the good stuff is hiding down there.
9
juliam401mo ago
Honestly, I've saved starters that looked worse than that. Gray liquid is just hooch, it means it's hungry, not dead. Try pouring off all that liquid, then scrape up just a teaspoon of the thickest paste from the very bottom of the jar. Feed that tiny bit with a whole fresh cup of flour and warm water. It can take a few more days of regular feeding to come back strong, so don't give up yet.
2