Took three batches to figure out my starter was hungry, not dead

Last month my sourdough starter stopped bubbling after I moved it to the fridge for a week. I tossed half of it and fed it for two days with no change. Finally tried a 1:5:5 feeding ratio instead of my usual 1:2:2 and it doubled in four hours. Anyone else ever think their starter died when it was just underfed?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_lane11d ago

God, the 1:5:5 thing. I did the exact same dance last winter. My starter went from bubbly and happy to a sad puddle of hooch in three days. Tried feeding it the normal way for a week, nothing. Finally did a 1:5:5 with half whole wheat and it took off like a rocket. It's crazy how much the ratios matter. I've also had it stop completely after I left it out of the fridge too long and the hooch dried out on top. Scraped that layer off and fed it like crazy, came back fine.

jason_chen11d ago

The 1:5:5 ratio really is the magic number for stubborn starters. I had a batch of rye starter that went totally dormant after I forgot about it for two weeks in the back of the fridge. Tried feeding it 1:2:2 for four days straight and got nothing but hooch. Switched to 1:5:5 with a pinch of diastatic malt powder and it was back to doubling in under five hours. The malt gives it a little extra enzyme boost without being too heavy. Now I keep that ratio in my back pocket for whenever my starter acts fussy.