Keeping a sourdough starter alive through a busy week

Sourdough should fit around your week

If you have ever felt a pang of guilt at the neglected jar at the back of the fridge, take heart. A sourdough starter is a living community of wild yeasts and bacteria that has survived centuries of cold kitchens, forgetful bakers and long journeys. It does not need feeding twice a day to stay alive. It needs the right attention at the right moments, and it will happily wait while you do the school run, finish a deadline and fall asleep on the sofa.

The trick is to stop treating your starter like a pet that requires a rigid routine, and start treating it like a reliable colleague you check in with occasionally. Here is how to keep it healthy when baking has to fit around everything else.

The fridge is your friend, not a punishment

Cold slows fermentation almost to a standstill, which is exactly what you want during a busy week. A well-fed starter moved to the fridge will stay perfectly usable for seven to ten days, and often a fortnight if it was strong when it went in. A loose lid is better than a sealed one, as a little airflow prevents pressure building and keeps the smell pleasant.

Feed it before it goes in. Give it a proper meal at room temperature, let it rise until it is domed and bubbly, then put it away while it is still on the up. A starter stored at its peak is far more resilient than one that has already collapsed.

A weekly rhythm that actually works

Most busy bakers settle into one of two patterns, and both are perfectly good.

• The weekend baker: take the starter out of the fridge on Friday evening, pour off any dark liquid, and feed it. Leave it on the worktop overnight, feed again on Saturday morning, and bake that afternoon or on Sunday. After baking, feed the remains and return it to the fridge.
• The two-minute keeper: leave the jar in the fridge and simply refresh it once a week. Discard all but about 20g, add 50g flour and 50g water, stir, and put it straight back in the cold. It will not rise dramatically, but it stays alive and ready.

If you can only manage one thing, do the weekly refresh. It takes less time than making a cup of tea and buys you another seven days of grace.

Reading the signs without panicking

Starters communicate clearly, and most of what alarms new bakers is entirely normal.

• Grey or brown liquid on top is alcohol, sometimes called hooch. It means the starter is hungry, not dead. Pour it off if it is dark and plentiful, or stir it in if it is pale and you want a tangier loaf.
• A nail varnish or acetone smell signals serious hunger. One or two good feeds will bring it back.
• A thin, watery texture with no bubbles means it has run out of food. Thicken it up with a slightly heavier feed.
• Pink, orange or fuzzy patches are mould. That starter should be thrown away and the jar thoroughly washed before you start again.

Rye and wholemeal flours give a starter more to eat and a darker colour, so do not mistake a dark, healthy starter for a spoiled one.

Reviving a starter after a bad week

If life got in the way and the jar has been untouched for a month, resist the urge to throw it out. Starters are remarkably tough.

• Pour off any liquid sitting on the surface.
• Discard everything except about a tablespoon, roughly 20g.
• Feed with 50g room-temperature water and 50g flour, using at least half wholemeal or rye to give it strength.
• Leave it somewhere warm, around 22 to 24°C, for twelve hours.
• Repeat twice a day for two or three days, discarding down to a spoonful each time.

You will know it has recovered when it doubles in four to six hours and smells pleasantly sour and yeasty rather than sharp. If there is no activity at all after three days, keep going for another two before giving up. Patience costs nothing.

Keep a backup so a bad week costs you nothing

The surest way to relax about your starter is to have a spare. Spread a thin layer of active starter on baking parchment and leave it somewhere dry until it snaps like a crisp. Crumble it into a jar, label it, and it will keep for years at room temperature. You can also freeze 20g in a small pot, or keep a separate mother jar in the fridge that you never bake with and refresh once a month.

With a backup in the cupboard and a weekly refresh in the diary, a missed feed is nothing more than an inconvenience. Your starter will still be there, quietly waiting, when you next have a free Sunday and the urge to bake.