August 6, 2010 - 6:06pm
Old Starter, Yuk!
My SD starter has been resting in the rear corner of my fridge for about 4 - 5 months now. It has a gray liquid on top of it. Do I dump it (hope not), drain it or stir it in before beginning a refreshing cycle?
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Pour off the "hooch,"scoop out about half of it (the dark stuff on top is what I would do), then give it a good feeding of equal parts flour and water by weight (4-5 oz. of each). Mix it up and see what happens in 8-12 hours. If it comes back all bubbly and happy, you can continue to build from there. Never throw out a starter unless something is growing on it and it has fuzz. Fuzz is a big red flag.
Fuzz is bad. The fuzz is not to be trusted.
I'll usually stir the hooch back in if it looks healthy, but when it's dull gray, I toss it.
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When I resurrect a starter, I use very little of the old.
I also make three starters, each with 1/4 cup old starter + enough flour/water to make a paste consistency (I don't measure it anymore, as I've done it so many times).
After a couple days of morning/evening feeds, one of the three will usually be happier than the other two, so I toss the dullards and keep the happy one.
The one that's usually happiest is the one I leave outside covered with cheesecloth. That's not so surprising, but I often feel like I'm cheating by snatching new yeasties.
after pouring off the hooch and moving the upper most layer to the side. Switch spoons and take my sample, a heaping teaspoon if I can get it while the jar is still tipped on its side. This sample of starter is then diluted with 1/4c water and flour is added to make a thin paste.
You may have to wait 24 hours to see or smell any reaction. After the first 24 hours, feed on a 12 hour schedule discarding before feeding and thickening if needed.
Thanks all. I was quite surprised when I saw it, as I had read about a lady resurrecting hers after a few years! I thought it would just sleep happily until I woke it up.
and now realize I shouldn't have. The smell was horrendus. I like wwiiggggiinnss triple approach, will try that next time.
But what on earth is fuzz?
It's mold. Ever open an old container of something in the fridge, only to find what looks like fuzzy tumors growing inside? You'll see that sometimes in a starter gone bad.
Over the years, I have sometimes had pink contamination on long neglected starter. I know it isn't good, but what exactly is it? What would it colonize out as on a petri dish in a microbiology lab? To have a little insurance, I sporadically dry and freeze and date some happy starter to have a reserve culture available.a
I must report that after four days of 2/day refreshing my starter looks and smells soooo good. Thanks to all who advised.
Syb
I had the same problem with gray liquid, but it didn't stink or smell particularly off. I've had this happen before. So I stirred it in and fed.
I fed three times, it normally wakes from this situ after the 2nd time.
Not this time though.
I just made a dough with this odd starter and now I have a very wet dough.
I added some KABF in hopes to thicken it enough to get back to it's slicing loaf consistency.
Any other ideas or should I just give it a go?
Well, I couldn't say. I poured off the gray stuff and scraped away the top layer as Mini suggested. Then I changed spoons and dipped out a little of the bottom starter and started refreshing. Worked great for me.
Syb
I can't believe I messed up again, after being so happy with my wonderful, revived sd starter. I need your advice again, please.
Suffice to say a hectic day to be sure, including grandsons here to help dh paint and repair fence, horse delivery (I'm babysitting them), mad dash to rescue dh with jumper cables (didn't help) and trying to weed flower beds with 111º heat index. Well, right in the middle of all that I realized this was the last day I could use my refrigerated starter, which I had built up to about three cups. I was going to do the 1-2-3 bread, but decided to add some oil and some egg substitute, since I'd been wondering how that would work (the egg sub).
I realized later (waiting for dh to install a celanoid and new battery on his 22 yo truck) that I hadn't taken out any starter. Bummer! I finally did take a bit out (after I got home three hours later) and refreshed it, but I'm wondering if it will work. Will the egg and oil ruin it? What can I do now? Start over? I used Debra Wink's pineapple recipe about a year and a half ago, so I guess I'll do that again if I must.
What say you experts? Thanks ever so much.
Syb