Barb at King Arthur

April 2, 2020 at 5:31pm

In reply to by Emma (not verified)

Hi Emma, it isn't likely that your mature sourdough starter spoiled at room temperature after being neglected for just a few days, so as long as it's behaving and smelling like it's old self, then it should be fine. However, in future it will be safer and healthier for your starter to dwell in your refrigerator when you're not able to feed it regularly. I would give it a few days of twice a day feedings at room temperature to make sure it's behaving normally, and then give it one more feeding, let it sit out for 2-4 hours (or until it starts bubbling), and then refrigerate. Ideally you'll want to feed it once a week or so when you store it in the refrigerator, but a well-maintained mature starter can last much longer than that in the refrigerator. Just keep in mind that the longer you store it in the refrigerator, the more room temperature revival feedings it will need on the other end to bring it back to full vitality. If you want to keep baking with it, a few days in the refrigerator followed by a few room temperature feedings prior to baking should work well. 

Barb

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