Troubleshooting Sourdough Starter: Is it Dead? Can it be Saved?

Sourdough starters are remarkably tough and hard to kill, but it is not impossible. If you are wondering whether your sourdough starter is still alive, and suitable for bread making, read the descriptions below of how your starter will look at different stages of health:

1. Healthy Starter: This starter will have a smooth consistency, be full of bubbles and make a great loaf of bread. Once proofed (fed) you will see a frothy layer of bubbles on top of the starter, and when you stir the starter you will see that it is full of gas bubbles and very active.
   
   
2. Barely Living Starter: You will see some bubbles in the starter, but it will not have the frothy layer of bubbles that you see with healthy starters, nor will you see lots of bubbles within the bulk of the starter. You will also see hooch on the surface (usually mostly clear, possibly with a slightly gray or yellow tinge). If you try to use it to make bread, it will have a very slow first rise (up to six hours or more), and will likely not rise a second time. You should not use this starter to make bread, although it is suitable for sourdough pancakes and other similar recipes. This sourdough starter just needs a little T.L.C. to get it back into shape, and then you will be able to make bread with it again.
   
   
3. Flat Starter: With a flat starter, there will be little or no bubbles at all in the starter, but you have reason to suspect that it is still alive. It may be that you know that you have neglected this starter and not feed it for quite a while, and as a result it appears nearly dead. Often the starter will be quite sour. You may be able to revive this starter.
   
   
4. Dead Starter: You will see no bubbles in the starter at all. If the starter has been subjected to temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Farenheit, then it is likely dead, and you will need to grow a new starter. You may, however, want to use a bit of this starter in your new starter (especially if you had a fondness for the strain), as their may be some remnants of the original yeast that can be revived.

How to Revive a Flat or Barely Living Starter:

1. Take 1 cup of starter and mix with 1 cup of warm water and 1 1/2 cups of white all-purpose or bread flour. Stir and then let proof for 12 hours at approximately 85 degrees (it is important to do this at approximately this temperature to have the best results).
   
   
2. After 12 hours, examine the starter to see how it looks. If it still has few bubbles, or has hooch, no frothy layer, or a gelatinous consistency, stir it well and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
   
   
3. After 12 hours, remove it from the refrigerator and repeat step one again.
   

You may need to repeat this cycle three or four times before your starter is healthy again. However, if after several attempts you see no change, discard the starter and build a sourdough starter again from scratch.

For more information on how to create, maintain and bake beautiful bread, return to the Sourdough Starter website.

Storing Your Sourdough Starter

There are three main ways you can store your sourdough starter once it is fully developed for future use: refrigerating, freezing and drying.

Refrigerating is probably the most popular sourdough starter storing method. Once it is placed in the refrigerator, it will become relatively dormant and will only need occasional feedings (weekly is best). It will also be ready to use quite quickly once removed from the refrigerator and fed - usually within a day you can use the sourdough starter to make bread again.

Freezing is a good option if you want to not have to do weekly feedings and do not plan to make bread for a month or longer. When sourdough starter is frozen, it will expand slightly, so find a container a bit larger than the volume of the amount of the starter you are freezing (a plastic container will do the job nicely). When you are ready to use the starter again, you will have to allow a little more time for it to revive itself than if it were in a refrigerator, but the method is much the same. Wait for it to thaw, feed it, and then wait a day or two until it looks fully revived before attempting to bake bread with it.

Drying your sourdough starter is another option for long term storage. It is also an ideal means to create a "mailable" sourdough starter if you have friends and family interested in using your strain. To dry your sourdough starter, spread the starter out on a large piece of waxed paper or heavy plastic and allow it to dry thoroughly. Once it has dried, you can crumble it up and place it in an airtight container for storage. It should be stored in a cool location, if possible (in the freezer if there is space available). To reactivate it, you will need to place it into a jar of warm water and flower and mix well, and then allow a couple of days for it to revive itself.

Drying - An alternative storage method is to dry your starter by spreading it out on a piece of heavy plastic wrap or waxed paper. Once it’s dry, crumble it up and put it in an airtight container. Store it someplace cool or, to be safe, in the freezer.

By taking the time to store your sourdough starter appropriately, you will ensure that you always have some sourdough starter at hand to make a great loaf of bread!

For more information about how to create, maintain and use sourdough starter, please return to the Sourdough Starter home page.

Welcome to the Sourdough Bread Starter Blog

This website is dedicated to providing information about how to create and maintain sourdough starter at home. You will find easy instructions here on how to make sourdough starter at home, some wonderful recipes using sourdough starter in bread, muffins and other baked goods, plus some excellent suggestions and recipes about what to do with your "extra" sourdough starter. You will also learn about the differences between different sourdough starters, and suggestions about how to obtain some of the more exotic strains of sourdough starter.

I have been a sourdough enthusiast for several years now, and sourdough bread baking is a true passion of mine. I hope that by providing this information about how to create and use your own sourdough starter, you too will become as enamored with sourdough as I am! Thank you for visiting my website, and feel free to send any comments you have my way using the comment form at the bottom of the page.

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Sourdough Recipes

Here is a list of some of the best sourdough bread recipes I have found online or published myself on this website:

Your First (and Best) Loaf of Sourdough Bread - This is my favorite sourdough bread recipe.

Sourdough Home - Has a great collection of sourdough recipes

Organic Sourdough Bread - Includes a recipe for organic sourdough starter

Rustic Sourdough Bread - From the people at King Arthur Flour, suppliers of one of the best bread flours on the market. (This is a really easy recipe and great for beginners).

Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe - Another easy recipe, good for beginners

All About Recipes for Sourdough Bread and Starters