November 24, 2020 - 3:01am
Holidays
Hi Group,
what would be your recommendation to maintain a sourdough during an abscence of 2 - 3 weeks ?
What to do before leaving and what would be the best way to resuscitate the sourdough....
Thank you in advance for your kind support.
Philippe
Share
Give it a healthy feed. Allow it to double then refrigerate.
For an AP or bread flour starter you can go as low as 50% hydration. At this hydration the starter can double, building up a healthy population of yeasts and bacteria, with still plenty more food to keep it happy. It can last in the fridge for weeks. The only thing I'd do is make sure the exposed top of the stiff dough starter is moistened before closing the lid and refrigerating donut doesn't dry out. I sometimes pour on water then gently tip it out or spray it.
To revive just discard the outer crust and feed what's left. It won't need resuscitation. It should behave as normal. Even if I don't go away my starter isn't fed for weeks at a time.
My starter at the moment is 60% hydration whole wheat. When I kept it 100% hydration whole rye and allowed it to double it could still last week's in the fridge. Whole rye is also a good way to go. They're very hardy starters.
Put it in a quart jar in the fridge. Feed it, let it rise 2 inches, and then stick it in the fridge. Mine have lasted several months between feedings in the fridge.
To resuscitate: take out of the fridge and feed as normal.