is an old but rehabilitated starter safe?
hello all -
i have an 83% hydration starter, however i went abroad for 4 months and forgot to do anything with the starter. i left it in the fridge and had dried it out a bit.
when i got back the starter had a thick crust on the top and beneath that looked alright.
i took about 1/8tsp of the good part and proceeded thusly for a couple days:
btw if it makes any difference flour is natural way mills 12% protein hard winter wheat.
1/8 tsp old starter + .3lbs flour + .25 lbs water
let it get active and double
remove save .10 lbs and add .3lbs flour and .25 lbs water
repeat.
it has a suprisingly sweet smell, something it never had to this extent before
i havent made bread with it because i am not sure if it is safe or not, please help me figure this out so i can get back to baking!
I am no microbiologist, but in my unqualified opinion, I think you are safe. You don't mention any spoilage or mold, or unpleasant odor. You have refreshed it a number of times and it is doubling (growing) and smelling sweet and attractive. These are all good signs. Sourdough starters last for decades, even centuries. Yeast is an amazing and resilient little beastie, and can/will survive some amazing abuse, as long as it is not subjected to high temperatures. In your case I suspect it just went dormant, and you have now re-awakened it.
If this were my starter I would be baking with it, and I could not be patient to taste the bread! If/when you do, let us know how you like it now compared to before.
Good Luck
OldWoodenSpoon
<On Edit> Is that your oven in your "user icon" photo? If so, I'm envious!
I've heard of some people leaving their start for months at time and it being okay with a little TLC and feeding for a few weeks. As long as there is no mold or unpleasant smells coming from it, it should be okay. As long as it's rising even just a little bit there's still yeast there and it's still worth trying to save. Toss the crusty part and the rest should be fine. As far as the flour goes as long as it's a good quality flour you should be just fine.
Good Luck =D