My neighbor June changed how I think about sourdough starter

June is 73 and has been baking bread since the 70s. I told her how I was stressing over feeding my starter twice a day and keeping it at exactly 78 degrees. She just laughed and said she keeps hers in the fridge and feeds it once a week, sometimes two. She pulled out a jar that had been sitting for 10 days and baked a loaf that was better than anything I've ever made. Made me wonder if all the complicated rules are really necessary. Has anyone else tried a more relaxed approach with their starter?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_henderson2d ago

Man oh man, that story about June sounds just like what my buddy down the street went through. He was the same way, bought a whole setup with proofing mats and a heating pad, driving himself crazy over the temperature. Then his grandma visited from Alabama and showed him her starter that's been in her fridge since like 1992, fed maybe twice a month with leftover flour. She pulled it out and made a loaf that made his jaw drop. It really made me wonder if we overthink this whole thing just because we read too much online.

ben_shah931d ago

My starter was basically a high-maintenance pet with a feeding schedule more demanding than a newborn. I swear I had alarms set every 12 hours and a thermometer taped to the jar like it was in intensive care. Then I forgot about it for two weeks over the holidays, fully expecting to find a science experiment in there, and it made the BEST bread I've ever baked. Now my starter lives in the fridge and gets fed maybe every Sunday if I remember. June is a LEGEND for showing us all that sourdough doesn't need a PhD in microbiology to work.