Day 8 of Sourdough Starter, is it still alive?

Day 8 of Sourdough Starter, is it still alive? - Shallow Focus Photography of Multicolored Floral Decor

I started my starter 8 days ago. I stopped feeding it after Day 4. It has been left on the counter. It has been stirred but not fed for 4 days.

Is my starter still ok? It's kept in a mixing bowl with a towel over it and a rubberband.



Best Answer

It depends on the temperature of your room, but you may still have enough left alive to save it. Is it still bubbling at all? You should throw most of it away and feed it and see if it changes and bubbles in the next few hours. I'd try keeping just a few tablespoons (maybe 100g of the starter, throwing the rest away) and add 500g of flour and 500g of 75°F water. If your flour is precious right now, you can use 250g and 250g instead.

You probably know this, but keep it in the fridge in the future if you're not going to be able to feed it for a while. Depending on the type of starter it can do well for a couple of weeks.




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Quick Answer about "Day 8 of Sourdough Starter, is it still alive?"

Nope! Once the sourdough starter is established on day 8, all you have to do is just give it flour and water. You no longer need to discard half of it.

How do I know if my sourdough starter is alive?

Fill a glass bowl or cup with room-temperature water, and drop a small scoop (a teaspoon or less) of the starter into the water. If it floats, it's ready to use. If it sinks, your starter will need more time to develop, either with another feeding or simply more time to sit and develop air bubbles.

Can I use sourdough starter after 7 days?

Do not attempt to use your starter to bake a loaf of bread until at least day 7. It just won't work! You might see a lot of activity within the first few days, but what you're observing is bad bacteria, good bacteria, and yeast all fighting over one food source, your flour.

How long does sourdough starter remain active?

You can leave the starter in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days at a time between feedings. We recommend feeding sourdough starter at least twice a week for best results.

Can you bring sourdough starter back to life?

To revive the dried sourdough starter, mix equal parts, by weight, of the dried starter and warm water. Allow it to completely re-hydrate the starter and then feed it with equal parts of starter, flour, and water.



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