Only Ten Grams of Crusty Fifty-Day-Old Starter Made this Epic Sourdough Loaf

[@ndpitch]

I once did an experiment. I left unfed starter on my COUNTER for 30 days. After 30 days, I fed it alongside my regularly fed started, even though it had a lot of hooch formed on its surface. The countertop starter came roaring back to life in just 2 feedings and it baked just fine. They are very resilient.

[@CulinaryExploration]

You're right, they are super resilient.

[@GreenPaper-p1n]

I love your videos. And this one especially hit home since I had the same experience earlier this year - I went away for 3 months and left my starter in the fridge and guess what? After 90 days I had NO problems at all with it. When i returned I took it out of the fridge, discarded a bit, fed it, and then bam...a beautiful loaf of sourdough was made. I always watch your videos - you are by far the most knowledgable sourdough baker out there and your videos are easy to follow and well, just plain perfect!

[@laurabennicelli619]

I’ve had my starter for 30 years. I keep it in the fridge. There have been many times over the decades when I have neglected it for months. It always bounces back.

[@CulinaryExploration]

They are super resilient :)

[@kirstenmartin2650]

I've revived it after 6 months

[@malgorzatachp]

I was also doing that thing several times until my starter got infected with mold in the fridge and I had to toss it. It stayed in the fridge probably about 6 months. I suspect that it was the mold that infected my starter was from the blue cheese that was on the same shelf.

[@noelhayward4271]

Hi, I have the remains of a starter that was last used in Oct 2021, in July this year I took a sample of this starter and fed it daily for 4 days, by then it was fermenting nicely, I used this then to make a very nice loaf of bread. So yes you can keep your starter in the fridge for quite a while.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Appreciate the heads up, thank you 👍

[@mattymattffs]

Dang. Longest I've gone is six months. As long as it hasn't been contaminated, it should be good for sure

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers@@mattymattffs

[@58harwood]

I’ve left mine in the fridge for 9 months without feeding! Poured a half inch of black hooch off the top, fed it, and it was good to go after a couple of days at room temperature!

[@CulinaryExploration]

How many times did you feed it before using it to bake, just the once?

[@58harwood]

I’d say 3, maybe four. Wasn’t in a hurry. It was active again after the first feeding. By day 3 it was super strong again and smelled amazing, like it had never been asleep for 9 months!

[@CulinaryExploration]

​@@58harwood Sourdough is probably the wrong hobby for people in a hurry ;)

[@58harwood]

@@CulinaryExploration 👍😎 Cheers from the States! 🇺🇸 🇬🇧

[@CulinaryExploration]

🇺🇸🇬🇧🇬🇷

[@barrychambers4047]

What I find most interesting is how you feed your starter-- left in the fridge all day, pulled out to ferment overnight @ 25C. I'm going to try it! Thank you once again Philip!

[@CulinaryExploration]

It’s just easier Barry. Get all the weighing done for the day at once. The freshly mixed starter/levain sits happily in the fridge until the evening. I have no interest in mixing levains at 23:00 😂

[@Cla682]

It is really good to know this! From now on, I won’t be stressing about feeding my starter in my holidays. You are doing a great job, Sir! Keep going!

[@chrissiewindsor]

Good to see you, great to see your results. I’ve lost my starter thanks to bloody, stinking arthritis & was so dispirited I didn’t even try to start another starter. However, my pain seems to be backed off & I have to say, this film is inspirational! Tomorrow I begin! Hope you had a great holiday.

[@kirstenmartin2650]

with my arthritis I started eating more carnivore. no pain. when I eat any bread the pain comes back. just don't eat sour dough very often but when I do I feel like I'm eating dessert.

[@sillydg]

I've also left my starter in the fridge for weeks or even a couple of months. Sometimes it takes several feedings before becoming active enough to make the final loves. I wait for it to reliably rise and fall before using. Then a little bit back in the fridge for the next time. Thanks Philip. BTW, I've been baking bread for my family since the kids were little. About 50 years ago we couldn't find really good bread in the stores (the days of Wonder Bread!) so we had to bake our own. We'd gather around the kitchen counter and the kids would help with kneading. We'd make three loaves for the week. Great memories! Always interesting to see your experiments, and you've helped me up my game.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey bud. It’s amazingly resilient stuff! Bread baking is an amazing activity for people to gather around and get involved. I never had the experience of tasting wonder bread… did I miss anything?

[@sillydg]

I lived near the Wonder Bread Bakery, and the smells were amazing, but the bread, not so much@@CulinaryExploration

[@davidbrown3309]

I've heard of serious bakers taking their starter on holiday with them. Haha! I follow Phil's methodology for maintaining and using a starter. I feed it before bed and leave it out on the kitchen counter. It's ready to be used after breakfast the next morning. When I skip a day or go off on holiday, my starter waits patiently in the back of my fridge.

[@311060dp]

Really awesome to learn that your starter gave such a fabulous result. I feed my starters once a week but there are times when I'm traveling and I have to entrust the feeding to my family. Your video gives me confidence that I can play safe for 2-3 weeks since all my 3 starters are 5+ years old. Thanks a lot.

[@CulinaryExploration]

You’ll be fine for that time period. Why don’t you conduct a little test and pop 10g in a separate jar for a couple of weeks before you go away. That will save sweating while you’re actually away 😉

[@311060dp]

@@CulinaryExploration Sure, I will be giving it a try. Can't afford to take a risk..

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@311060dpDo it relaxed the first time ;) - keep me posted!

[@sheenadenae3156]

I feel like once you are consistently making great sourdough bread and your starter is thriving, you can do whatever you want and sourdough becomes way more flexible and still makes great bread! I’m not quite there yet, my bread is not always consistent but my starter is thriving!

[@CulinaryExploration]

A thriving starter is where it all begins, everything else is built from this so having a strong foundation is super important. Happy baking!

[@joannestretch]

i had a friend forgot some starter at the back of the fridge for a year, took it out and stirred in the hooch and baked with it straight up and it worked, personally i wouldv'e fed it at least 3 times before baking...., but its good to know that one feeding will do it. I leave a starter in the fridge as a backup just in case and feed it only once a month that i dont really use for my starter stays on the counter and gets fed mostly everyday, sometimes every 2 days and its fine, i bake often.... i try and get your name (channel) and some videos of yours in my sourdough group also, i think they would benefit the beginners a lot....

[@randomscandinavian6094]

Same here. I recently took out my backup jar from the back of the fridge, which at the time was dated to one year and seven days. Just a very small jar that I had sterilised before putting some sourdough into it. Had to feed it three times before it was as springy as it has ever been. And still several people have told me that they quit sourdough baking after going on vacation for two weeks and that their sourdough died.

[@kirstenmartin2650]

you can dehydrate it and blend it in blender and put in airtight container and use that as a back up.

[@iliapetrovic3582]

Good to know, I normally feed my starter once a week as I don’t make bread as often as I would like to. I don’t get the same bounce as I used to, but I think this is because I now make wholemeal/rye/spelt loaves as I can’t eat white flour anymore. It’s still delicious, but I do miss white sourdough!

[@charlesbruggmann7909]

Went away for 3 weeks recently, left my rye starter in fridge - seems more active now than before.

[@CulinaryExploration]

They are resilient little beasties

[@charlesbruggmann7909]

@@CulinaryExploration I still have a clone in the freezer - must try it out before Xmas.

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@charlesbruggmann7909A few bakers in our community have had great success using the freezer, but my attempts have all been failures. I should give it another whirl. How long has your been in the freezer, have you tried it before?

[@janesmith9628]

Impressive! (And reassuring for this newbie!)

[@CulinaryExploration]

Make sure you’re starter is well established before leaving it for too long. If you are unsure, test it before relying on it 👍👌

[@janesmith9628]

@@CulinaryExploration actually I might be pre-newbie as I only just started making a starter! But I have been studying your videos and so when my starter is ready will be starting with your loaf!

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@janesmith9628Awesome! Make sure you give your starter enough time. I'd suggest feeding and discarding a new starter for 14 days before baking. Many say you can do it in 4-5 days but it doesn't give the culture enough time to build strength. Keep me posted on how you get on :)

[@janesmith9628]

@@CulinaryExploration OK, will do. Thanks for the encouragement!! I will be patient (hahaha even though I am checking it for bubbles almost every hour!)

[@CulinaryExploration]

You’ll get there! And there is nothing wrong with constantly checking, that’s half fun 😂

[@claudiamedina2825]

Sourdough hotel 😂😂😂😂 Bought the T shirt and bag ❤

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Claudia! Thanks for the order. It's a cool shirt and I can get a lot of flour in that tote bag :)

[@claudiamedina2825]

@CulinaryExploration great to know. Have moved to a different part of Australia and have found the best flour ever! And my starter is doing so well. Yes, I'm obsessed 😆😆😆

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@claudiamedina2825I hope you are enjoying your new home :)

[@mandiigraham1596]

This is good news as I had been wondering about this but was a tad frighted that I would lose it and have to start all over again. I have been away for a month now and I got my daughter to feed my baby on set dates. She got the dates wrong and to cut a story short didn’t have time to wait for it to double in size (we are talking starter here), so she put it in the fridge shortly after feeding. Two days later she took it out of the fridge and left it on the windowsill and what do you know it doubled and more. This is great news for me as I now have another option depending on my schedule.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Give it a whirl Mandii, I think you'll be pleased with the results. I'm guessing everything is ok with your starter now?

[@opheliahamlet3508]

THANK YOU so much for this tutorial Phil. This is exactly what I needed to know. Question: is it ok to freeze starter? Will it rejuvinate after thawing as your 52 day unfed starter did? Fantastic loaf. Maybe the laminating can simply be cut down to 1 and save even more time in preparing the loaf? Thanks again for this tutorial. I always learn something from every one of your tutorials.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey! I haven't had any success freezing my starter long-term. You are best keeping a little in the fridge, it lasts a long time. Or you can dehydrate some of your starter - www.culinaryexploration.eu/blog/how-to-dehydrate-and-rehydrate-your-sourdough-starter-easily

[@kirstenmartin2650]

freezing starter kills it. just dehydrate 100-200 gas on parchment paper. when thoroughly dry blend it to a powder and when you need it take out some...maybe 25 grams mix with 25 grams water let it stand overnight and keep feeding it till you have what you need. use it like a back up. in an airtight container it will keep for a very long time.

[@opheliahamlet3508]

@@kirstenmartin2650 Thanks Kirsten. Good information

[@katbedocs2594]

I left my starter in the fridge for a week, maybe longer and now it stinks of acetone. I still use it but the smell doesn't go. Is that ok?

[@CulinaryExploration]

It should be absolutely fie after refreshing and reading a new leaven.

[@stevenmfuhrman]

If you have old starter with hooch formed on top, do you prefer to discard the hooch or stir it in before feeding?

[@CulinaryExploration]

I stir it in and then feed :)

[@pavelbaikov4397]

Hello. Thank you so much for your videos and advices. I have a question: I make me bread in dutch oven, and few times give a try to your technic (to put few cubes of ice inside, near bread under lid). And my cast iron dutch oven started to get rusty. Do you had same issue with yours? Thank you in advance.

[@bevwannamaker1119]

I would love to have directions for a starter that I can use to make 1 loaf of bread every 4-5 days.

[@KandeeEmm]

Ok, here's a question for those of you more experienced with all of this than me. What do you do if you do not run a fridge so you can't keep your starter in it? Can it survive happily out on the counter in the kitchen? I realise that there will be temperature fluctuations throughout the year that will affect it so sometimes it will be warmer/cooler than others. How do I get into a feeding schedule? I want to bake about 2-3 times a week. Thank you.

[@Breadmaykr390]

On average, how much does a baked fully cooled down Sourdough bread weight on average? Regarding good dough strength and fermentation, therefore light and airy loaf. (For research purposes)

[@CulinaryExploration]

My old faithful recipe produces a dough weighing 800g. After baking and cooling it weighs in around 670g. Obviously it varies but that’s the ballpark. Flour choice, hydration, inclusions, baking setup, temps and time will all play a part. What’s the research for?

[@alexandersalamon7242]

What baking flour are you using?????? I have never seen such a amazing result. My flour always sticks to the table never stretches like this is super sticky doesn’t matter what I do or change. Very frustrating!!!!!!!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Maybe try adjusting the amount of water in your recipe. The trick is balancing the hydration to the flour. What hydration percentage are you using?

[@kirstenmartin2650]

try this recipe: 12 grams salt, 900 grams flour, 620 grams water, 200 grams starter. It is the recipe that seems to never fail, no matter what.

[@Ange_de_la_Musique]

one quick question：when you put those 10g of starter in the fridge, was it just fed, or matured?

[@CulinaryExploration]

It had been fed the day before, peaked and dropped off again. But I’d still consider it active. Hope this helps

[@Ange_de_la_Musique]

@@CulinaryExploration 👌thanks❤️

[@susand.m3894]

Hi , I am hearing from you , when is your next video?

[@wdjones4735]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@CulinaryExploration]

👍

[@susand.m3894]

Hi Phil try honey and olive oil in your sourdough bread because it’s delicious and a friendlier bread for your children 💕

[@CulinaryExploration]

Loving the honey in sourdough :)

[@mm-fn1tk]

I also have had success with old starter. I have just read that iodised salt should not be used in bread making. What sort of salt to you use?

[@kirstenmartin2650]

sea salt, Himalayan salt

[@bills.6201]

I've killed two starters by storing them in my fridge. They both developed mold. 😢

[@rosettarafanelli3989]

Your ingredients amounts don’t match your recipe link . Are you able to clarify

[@CulinaryExploration]

There’s a note in the description right next to the link about that 👌

[@rosettarafanelli3989]

@@CulinaryExploration thank you

[@OlgierdKostanowicz]

Unbelievable

[@DavidKeyesA]

This is so timely! 🙌I neglected my starter for two months (or maybe three) while deep in the fog of early parenthood. When I finally was ready to bake some bread, I discovered some red spots on top. From what I read online, this meant I'd be better off chucking out the starter and making a new one. 🪦 What could have gone wrong? Could this be contamination from the fridge? I wonder if I need to keep a separate jar of security starter for such tragedies. What is your sourdough starter contingency plan?

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'd throw anything away if it developed strange red spots! You can dehydrate your starter and keep it in the fridge. I've got a blog post and video on how to do - www.culinaryexploration.eu/blog/how-to-dehydrate-and-rehydrate-your-sourdough-starter-easily

[@DavidKeyesA]

@@CulinaryExploration an even better and more useful answer than I could have imagined. Back-up plans and a way to get friends started with their own starter. Brilliant! Thanks for sharing all this wisdom.