Sourdough starter is surprisingly resilient to neglect. Kind of like Orangeparade! I can’t remember the last time I fed my starter. I can say with certainty that I haven’t fed it since June. I may not have touched the sourdough since before Passover. Crazy! I know.

It was with some trepidation that I decided to attempt to revive my starter. When I took off the cover there was about 3/4 inch of black liquid on top, but that’s perfectly normal for starter that’s been sitting around for awhile. It didn’t have a pink or orange tint or any of the “off” smells you’re supposed to watch out for. I poured off the liquid, scraped the top in to the trash, and put about a cup of clean-looking old starter in a glass bowl. I added 4 oz of water and 4 oz of KA AP flour, mixed well and let it sit for a few hours on the counter. Lo and behold, it bubbled (a little). I stirred the bowl & tossed half of the starter mixture, then fed it again with 4 oz of water and 4 oz of flour and let it sit for a few more hours. That time it bubbled even more, so I considered the experiment a success.

I took out 9 oz of starter to make some sourdough bread (dough is rising in the fridge, will report back later) and fed the remaining starter with 4 & 4, mixed & popped in the fridge. Fingers crossed.