I have a whole rye flour starter at 100% hydration. Before the current heat wave and resulting electric power shortage I was feeding the starter (no name yet; suggestions welcome) once or twice a week, 12 hrs before mixing the levain/sourdough. It would about double at room temp or double + at 80 - 85 F in those 12 hrs. The feeds are 1:10:10 with hot water, per "The Rye Baker". After mixing the levain/sourdough, the starter went back into the fridge at 39 F / 4 C, which apparently put the yeast to sleep.
We have a 3 week vacation coming up. What's the best way to make sure that the starter will survive? Since it goes dormant and falls back in the fridge, can I just do a regular 1:10:10 feed, let it grow for 12 hrs, and then into the fridge as usual? Or should I do a 1:20:20 or even 1:30:30 feed to make sure there is enough food? Or should I do the feed and (before or after the 12 hr development) divide it into two - half in the fridge, half in the freezer?
I expect to do 2-3 daily feeds (that is feed in the AM once each day for about 2-3 days) when I get back to revive the starter before baking.
Thanks for your help.
Five years ago, I had to have major surgery. I did not want my 100 year old starter to die after I'd kept alive for 10 years. I searched for a way to preserve it. Get a rimmed baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper or foil. Spread a thin layer of your active starter on the parchment. Cover with a dry towel but don't let the towel touch the starter. Let it all dry thoroughly over a couple of days. Scrape the dried starter off the paper and place in an airtight container.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/05/01/putting-sourdough-starter-hold
When you're ready to begin baking again, follow the directions above for refreshing it.
Thanks, that's a great idea; the link to the KA article is very helpful. I think I'll hedge by drying half my starter and keeping half in the fridge with a big feed. When I get back, I try to revive both separately, and see how they do.
This would be a good opportunity to experiment with several forms of backup.
1. Dried, as Ambimom said. Which is what I do.
2. High feed ratio, still at 100% hydration, and then put in the fridge, as you propose.
and I'd add:
3. A normal 1:1:1 feed, but then right before putting in fridge, add enough flour to make it 80% hydration. Lower hydration can make a starter live longer between feedings.
4. Same as 3, but put it in freezer.
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My experience of freezing 100% hydration starter is that it only lasted 3 to 4 months.
The King Arthur article on drying starter says that freezing will kill the starter. I think I'll be OK with drying + big feed and refrigeration.
At worst, I can always start again; the starter is only 6-8 months old, IIRC.
I had shoulder surgery earlier this year. I have a one-year old 100% whole rye starter. IIRC, I fed my starter twice at 1:10:10 before surgery and then didn't touch it for six weeks. After that, I refreshed it at 1:10:10 every couple of weeks for a couple months until I recently could start baking again. I did not notice any sluggishness with the starter in the two breads I have made that relied exclusively on the starter for leavening.
My starter gets fed daily in a 1:2:2 ratio with a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and all-purpose. When I am going on vacation, I feed the starter in the morning and let it show some expansion (generally occurs by early afternoon) and then I put the starter in the refrigerator. It goes dormant while I am away. When I return from vacation, I feed the starter in the morning to revive it and then if it seems to need another boost I feed it that night. Typically after that I can feed once a day in the morning, and it will be revived and ready to go in a day or two. Nothing special needed.
The same procedure is used if I feel like taking a week away from baking. Never had a problem with this approach, and that includes a three-week vacation.
Thanks. I think the starter in the fridge should be OK for 3 weeks at 39 F / 4 C. I am not certain but I have a hunch that the yeast sleeps soundly at that temp but the bacteria go on a little longer, or just continue very slowly. Maybe I'll do two jars: the regular 7g starter at 1:10:10 and a double batch of 14g with a big feeding like 1:20:20, just as a hedge.
When I get home, it will be interesting to see if there's any difference between the revived dried starter, the regular 1:10:10 feed refrigerated, and the 1:20:20 feed refrigerated. I wouldn't be surprised if after a couple of feedings after I get back that there's no perceptible difference.