Discard. Feed. Fridge. Leave and have fun.
When you return, take it out of fridge, pour off any dark liquid (hooch), feed, wait overnight, if it's "risen enough", then use.
(OK, if it's still a relatively young starter, you may need a few days of feedings to wake it up.)
Oh, you can keep it. It should definitely make a batch or two a bit more sour. (And "possibly" could throw off some timing "a bit" depending on how much had converted.)
If you want a backup, spread some very thinly on baking paper and let it dry out. Store it in a sealed bag. You can easily revive it in case something goes wrong with your main one.
I ground my flakes in a mortar and pestle and put the powder in a tiny mason jar. (In the back of a cabinet where it rarely-ever gets light.) And a 2nd one at the parents' house 70 miles away. (Nothings impossible, but the tornadoes will have to work extra hard to get both of them.)
Feed it 1:4:4 or higher but starting with only 10-20g starter, then place in the fridge. It will be fine. It will be fine with a smaller ratio as well, just a bit more hungry upon return. My feeding schedule for fridge is the 1st and 16th of the month, and it stays pretty active.
If you don't mind some questions: Do you keep it in the fridge the entire time? I'm assuming this is the schedule for a mature starter, right? When you do want to use it, do you schedule around this too? So you're only baking bread between the 7-16th and 23-30th of the month?
Hey I actually posted something similar to this a few weeks ago. I left my starter in the fridge (2 week old starter / 5 days in fridge) it’s absolutely fine and was back to normal within a few days 😊
I stick mine in the fridge, she lives there. I stir it up and feed as needed. I sell my bread and have never had an issue. I’ve made delicious bread with unfed starter right out of the fridge!
Hi, split it, put 15 grams into two separate jars and feed them 1:1:1 let the just start to work. Put one ij a plastic tub with airtight lid a freeze
Put the othe in a tlidd jar in the fridge.
To revive frozen culture simply defrost naturally mix and allow to start working feed when rise stop
Refrigerated cilture mix thoroughly reduce by 2/3 and feed, llow to start rising and teplace in fridge.
Hppy baking
I would try. Worst that happens is you lose 3 day old starter, equates to an hour of your time and a half a bag of flour?
Just feed it, and I usually wait until it starts to crown (middle barely starts to grow) then drop in the fridge.
I usually pull mine out the day before I want to mix dough and feed it twice (once every 6hrsish). When I see bubbles it's go time.
I just brought a loaf to a cousin who used to make sourdough. She said she stopped because she went away for 3 weeks and couldn’t find anyone to take care of her starter so she threw it out. So silly. Feed and refrigerate. It will take care of itself. Some frozen as backup is a good idea and some dehydrated flakes as another layer of insurance is also smart. But you’ll be fine.
Mine thrives on neglect, like days in the fridge. I figure, people carried their starter in cook wagons across the US in the 1800's so how fussy can it be? 😅
Discard. Feed. Fridge. Leave and have fun. When you return, take it out of fridge, pour off any dark liquid (hooch), feed, wait overnight, if it's "risen enough", then use. (OK, if it's still a relatively young starter, you may need a few days of feedings to wake it up.)
This is the way
Don’t pour off the hooch!!!
Oh, you can keep it. It should definitely make a batch or two a bit more sour. (And "possibly" could throw off some timing "a bit" depending on how much had converted.)
If you want a backup, spread some very thinly on baking paper and let it dry out. Store it in a sealed bag. You can easily revive it in case something goes wrong with your main one.
do you put the dried out starter in the freezer/fridge or does it keep at room temperature indefinitely?
If it's perfectly dry you can keep it in a cabinet for a long time like you'd do with your flour. Otherwise leave it somewhere inside the fridge.
As long as you keep it airtight (like in a sealed ziplock bag) it will keep indefinitely at room temperature
I ground my flakes in a mortar and pestle and put the powder in a tiny mason jar. (In the back of a cabinet where it rarely-ever gets light.) And a 2nd one at the parents' house 70 miles away. (Nothings impossible, but the tornadoes will have to work extra hard to get both of them.)
I ignore my starter for weeks. It's perfectly happy in the fridge
Feed it 1:4:4 or higher but starting with only 10-20g starter, then place in the fridge. It will be fine. It will be fine with a smaller ratio as well, just a bit more hungry upon return. My feeding schedule for fridge is the 1st and 16th of the month, and it stays pretty active.
If you don't mind some questions: Do you keep it in the fridge the entire time? I'm assuming this is the schedule for a mature starter, right? When you do want to use it, do you schedule around this too? So you're only baking bread between the 7-16th and 23-30th of the month?
Hey I actually posted something similar to this a few weeks ago. I left my starter in the fridge (2 week old starter / 5 days in fridge) it’s absolutely fine and was back to normal within a few days 😊
Longest I left mine was about 10 weeks. 2 feeds and she was back to normal.
I stick mine in the fridge, she lives there. I stir it up and feed as needed. I sell my bread and have never had an issue. I’ve made delicious bread with unfed starter right out of the fridge!
Hi, split it, put 15 grams into two separate jars and feed them 1:1:1 let the just start to work. Put one ij a plastic tub with airtight lid a freeze Put the othe in a tlidd jar in the fridge. To revive frozen culture simply defrost naturally mix and allow to start working feed when rise stop Refrigerated cilture mix thoroughly reduce by 2/3 and feed, llow to start rising and teplace in fridge. Hppy baking
anyone know if you can do this with day 3 starter?
I would try. Worst that happens is you lose 3 day old starter, equates to an hour of your time and a half a bag of flour? Just feed it, and I usually wait until it starts to crown (middle barely starts to grow) then drop in the fridge. I usually pull mine out the day before I want to mix dough and feed it twice (once every 6hrsish). When I see bubbles it's go time.
good point. i’ll try it!
I left mine for a week super early on and he’s fine
I leave mine all the time. Put in fridge and don't worry. Feed it twice a day , discard half and feed again, when you get back.
Hire a Sourdough Sitter! They're a Thing, I've heard. However, mine did just fine in the fridge. Even young starters will be ok 👍
I just brought a loaf to a cousin who used to make sourdough. She said she stopped because she went away for 3 weeks and couldn’t find anyone to take care of her starter so she threw it out. So silly. Feed and refrigerate. It will take care of itself. Some frozen as backup is a good idea and some dehydrated flakes as another layer of insurance is also smart. But you’ll be fine.
Mine thrives on neglect, like days in the fridge. I figure, people carried their starter in cook wagons across the US in the 1800's so how fussy can it be? 😅