I finally saw what happens to a sourdough starter after 14 days of neglect

I left my starter in the back of the fridge for two weeks while I was on vacation. When I got back, it had this dark gray liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover, not the usual tangy yeast smell. Some folks online say you can just stir it back in and feed it, others swear the whole thing is dead and you gotta start over from scratch. What's your take, has anyone actually revived a starter that looked that rough?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_thea2d ago

Nail polish remover smell is just the starter screaming "feed me" in dramatic fashion. Stir that hooch back in, give it a good feeding, and it'll probably perk right back up like nothing happened.

anthony1291d ago

Right there with you on this! I had a starter that reeked so bad of acetone one time I thought I killed it, but I just stirred the hooch back in and gave it a double feeding. Couple hours later it was bubbling away like a happy little monster again.