Making a sourdough starter can take a long time, and quite a bit of effort, considering that you have to feed it daily. So after all this effort, how long will you be able to use your starter? Will it be good for just a month or two, or are we talking about years?
A sourdough starter can last forever as long as it’s properly maintained. If you keep your starter at room temperature, you will need to feed it flour and water daily in order for it to last. If you keep it in the fridge you need to feed weekly, and if you keep it in the freezer you don’t have to feed it.
A sourdough starter won’t go bad as long as you feed it, and you keep it away from mold. The starter has a very good natural defense against harmful bacteria and mold, but if the starter is directly exposed to mold, it can go bad. Other than that, as long as you feed it regularly, your starter should last forever.
How to Store Sourdough Starter
There are 3 possible options to store your sourdough starter:
- At room temperature
- In the fridge
- In the freezer
And we will take a closer look at each one, and find out which is the best option for you.
String Sourdough Starter at Room Temperature? (How Long Does It Last This Way?)
The most common way to store sourdough starter is at room temperature. But this is not the best option for most people.
The only reason you would want to keep your sourdough starter on the counter is if you plan to bake with it regularly. If that’s the case, then you don’t need to feed it every single day. You can simply keep it covered in a jar with water and flour. As long as you don’t see any mold forming, then it should be fine for a few days at least. You don’t need to worry about it going bad if you leave it out for a little while.
However, if you’re not using your sourdough starter every day, then keeping it on your kitchen counter could cause some problems. If you don’t feed and refresh it regularly with fresh flour and water, or any other ingredients you usually use, it could start to develop mold. The longer it sits there unattended, the more likely it is for mold to start growing somewhere inside the starter where you can’t see it. This could lead to other unwanted microorganisms taking up residence in your jar of sourdough starter.
To avoid this, it’s best to store your sourdough starter in a safe place. You can keep it in the fridge or freezer to help extend its life. When you’re ready to use it, you can take it out and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours before feeding it. This will help to activate the yeast and get it ready for baking.
In summary, if you’re planning on using your sourdough starter regularly, it’s okay to keep it on the counter. Just make sure to keep it covered and check for mold regularly. However, if you’re not using it every day, it’s best to store it in the fridge or freezer to avoid any potential problems with mold. And if you take care of your sourdough starter, you’ll be able to enjoy freshly baked sourdough bread for a long time!
Storing Your Sourdough Starter in the Fridge to Make It Last Longer
If you’re not planning on using your sourdough starter regularly, or if you just need a break from baking, then it’s best to keep your starter in the fridge. This will help to slow down the fermentation process and extend the life of your starter.
To put your starter in the fridge, you should first give it a feed, then seal the container and let it sit at room temperature for 2–3 hours before refrigerating it. This will give the yeast time to start fermenting before being slowed down in the fridge.
How Long Will My Sourdough Starter Last in the Fridge?
A sourdough starter can last forever in a fridge. But in order for this to happen, you need to feed it regularly, to avoid big fluctuations in temperature, and to make sure that the fridge is clean.
The sourdough starter is very good at protecting itself from harmful bacteria, but there is a limit to what it can do. So, try to keep it as far away as possible from food that goes bad fast, such as vegetables. This way, you will avoid the risk of contaminating the starter.
How Often Should I Feed My Starter While It’s in the Fridge?
I for one, feed my starter once per week when I store it in the fridge. But I know people that feed it once every two weeks, and people that feed it once every 3 days. And in all cases the starter is perfectly healthy.
So, there is no straight answer. And since every starter is slightly different, that is to be expected. So, feel free to experiment. And don’t worry, starters are very hardy, feeding it a few days later won’t be a problem.
Effects of Long Time Storage in the Fridge
Something else that you should know is that, a starter kept in the fridge for 2 weeks won’t look like one kept for 2 months. And one kept for 2 months won’t look like one kept for 6 months.
The longer you keep your starter in the fridge, the less appealing it will look and smell. Here is a picture of a starter kept in the fridge for 2 months.
But this is perfectly normal. The dark liquid is hooch, which as we’ll discuss in a moment, but the main takeaway is that it’s completely harmless. And that it’s the source of the strong acidic smell.
As for the reason why the rest of the starter is more or less a puddle, it is due to the low activity.
So, while the starter might not look great, it’s actually fine.
How to Deal With Hooch
A sourdough starter kept in the fridge will produce hooch. Hooch is the liquid that collects on top of a sourdough starter when it hasn’t been fed for some time. Hooch is a mix of water and alcohol that forms during the fermentation process.
Normally, hooch appears because starter is hungry, and there is nothing left to eat. The starter feeds on the sugar and starch naturally found in flour. But if you keep your starter in the fridge, hooch can form even if they have enough food. This is a simple byproduct of the slow speed at which the flour is eaten.
As for what you can do with hooch. You basically have only two options, you can either throw it away, or you can mix it with the rest of the starter. Both options are perfectly fine and won’t affect your starter in a bad way, but they will have a significant impact on the bread made with this starter.
The liquid is a combination of water with alcohol, which resulted from the fermentation process, and it’s very sour. If you mix it in with the rest of the starter, the bread that you will make using this starter will be more sour, than it would have been if you were to throw the liquid away. And if you throw it away, there will be no difference in the bread.
It basically comes down to how you like your bread, sour or mild, other than that there is no difference.
Take Your Starter Out a Few Days Before Using It
Due to the low temperature of the fridge, the starter will slow down considerably.
And simply moving it to room temperature for a few hours won’t bring it back to maximum power. You need to wait at least 3 or 4 days for this to happen.
If you want to speed up the process, you could keep the starter somewhere warmer 86°F (30°C) for example. But this will make the starter hungrier, and you will need to feed it 2 times per day.
Keeping Your Starter in the Freezer
Keeping the starter in the fridge is a viable long term solution. But you still have to remember to feed it from time to time. So what about the refrigerator? Will the freezing temperatures of the refrigerator stop the starter from going hungry, or is it too cold for the starter to survive?
Technically speaking, it can be done, but practically, you have to be very careful at how you store it.
While a starter is quite hardy, there are a few things that it can’t withstand, and one of those things are freezer burns.
In order to ensure that this doesn’t happen you have to be careful with the way the starter is packaged (from my experience sealable plastic bags seem to do a good job), and make sure that there are no big temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator, as this is the main cause of freezer burns.
Another thing that you should do, is put the starter in multiple bags, or whatever recipient you are using. While the starter can survive being frozen once or twice, doing so constantly won’t do it any good, so it will be better to separate it into multiple portions from the start.
And when you want to use the starter simply take it out of the fridge, when it’s unfrozen feed it some flour, and treat it like a normal room temperature starter for three or four days, after that you can bake with it.
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to take care of your sourdough starter is key to baking delicious sourdough bread. Whether you plan to use your starter every day or just occasionally, there are steps you can take to ensure it stays healthy and active.
Remember to feed your starter regularly with fresh flour and water, and to store it properly if you’re not using it every day. Keeping it covered and checking for mold regularly is also important to avoid any potential problems.
With a little bit of practice and patience, you’ll be able to bake perfect sourdough bread every time. So don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun with your sourdough starter!