Finally got my sourdough starter to survive a weekend in the fridge without a full collapse.

Left it in there for three days while I was out of town. Came back to it looking flat and sad, barely any bubbles. Instead of tossing it, I fed it with 50 grams of whole wheat flour and 50 grams of warm water, left it on the counter for a full 12 hours. It came roaring back, better than before. Anyone have a go-to feeding ratio for long fridge storage?

2 comments

2 Comments

palmer.val6d ago

Nice save! I've actually had better luck using a tiny bit of rye flour in my fridge feeding. Something about the extra enzymes seems to keep the starter more active while it's cold. I'll do like 10 grams of rye mixed into 40 grams of all-purpose, with 50 grams of water, right before it goes in. It comes out of the fridge way less sluggish.

cora_ramirez6d ago

Yeah, the rye definitely helps. But that feeding ratio right before the fridge is a huge waste of flour. You're basically throwing most of it away. The cold slows everything down so much, the starter can't use all that food. I do a tiny feed, like 5 grams starter, 10 grams flour, 10 grams water. Wakes up just as fast but no waste.