My sourdough starter died on me after 3 years of care

I fed it every week, kept it at room temp, and it was super active until last Thursday when I opened the jar and it had this weird orange layer on top. Turns out I accidentally left it too close to the window and the temp drop killed the good bacteria overnight. Has anyone else had a starter crash from sudden temperature changes like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_ellis28d ago

Oh man, that orange layer is the worst. I had a buddy lose his 4 year old starter the exact same way a couple years back. He was so bummed, he'd named it "Gus" and everything. He left it on the counter near the sliding glass door during a cold snap and same thing, that weird orange scum on top the next morning. But he did what Parker said, scraped off the top layer and grabbed a tiny bit from the very center bottom. He fed it twice a day with room temp water for like a week and it came back. Wasn't as bubbly at first but eventually it got back to its old self. Your mileage may vary but it's worth a shot before you give up completely.

parker_park828d ago

Oh man that is rough! I lost a 2 year old starter the same exact way last winter. Left it on the counter near a drafty window and woke up to that gross orange layer. What worked for me was scraping off all the discolored stuff, taking a tiny spoonful from the very bottom center, and feeding it with slightly warmer water (like 80-85 degrees) for a few days. It was sluggish at first but bounced back after about 4 days of consistent feeding.

hayden46619d ago

Same thing happened to my starter last winter! Scraped off the orange and saved it.