Sourdough starter 5 days old - fridge or room temp?
May 24, 2024 5:58 AM Subscribe
I started a sourdough starter from scratch 5 days ago and we now have a last-minute plan to go away for 2.5 days. Should I:
A) put the starter in the fridge? If yes, before or after feeding it?
B) feed it and leave it on the counter for 2.5 days? (Room temp will be about 77F degrees since we're not leaving central air on)
C) take it with us? We're driving there and back. Car temp will be about 80F if we need to step out for dinner and leave the sourdough in the car for an hour. Nighttime temp at the cabin we're staying at will be 60F. It will be jostled around, there's a slight chance it will fall over in the car, plus it's just a hassle to pack the starter and the flour.
The starter is not totally active yet. Yesterday was the first day I saw a rise or about 3/4 inches in the jar. I'm quite invested in my sourdough baby! What's the best way to help it survive? We also have cats. Why is it easier to leave cats for 2.5 days than sourdough?!?
Neighbors/friends are not an option.
A) put the starter in the fridge? If yes, before or after feeding it?
B) feed it and leave it on the counter for 2.5 days? (Room temp will be about 77F degrees since we're not leaving central air on)
C) take it with us? We're driving there and back. Car temp will be about 80F if we need to step out for dinner and leave the sourdough in the car for an hour. Nighttime temp at the cabin we're staying at will be 60F. It will be jostled around, there's a slight chance it will fall over in the car, plus it's just a hassle to pack the starter and the flour.
The starter is not totally active yet. Yesterday was the first day I saw a rise or about 3/4 inches in the jar. I'm quite invested in my sourdough baby! What's the best way to help it survive? We also have cats. Why is it easier to leave cats for 2.5 days than sourdough?!?
Neighbors/friends are not an option.
griseus has it.
posted by ourobouros at 6:41 AM on May 24
posted by ourobouros at 6:41 AM on May 24
We're all in agreement! (I am also a tiny starter person, and enjoy not wasting tons of flour or feeling pressured to constantly do discard bakes.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:53 AM on May 24
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:53 AM on May 24
Another vote for griseus's answer. This is my regular routine for my starter, since I'm not baking bread often enough to just leave it out full-time with all the feeding that requires.
Those quarantiny instructions say not to do this for ongoing maintenance until it's mature, but doing it before then won't HURT anything, it's just basically hitting a slo-mo button on its aging.
posted by solotoro at 9:01 AM on May 24
Those quarantiny instructions say not to do this for ongoing maintenance until it's mature, but doing it before then won't HURT anything, it's just basically hitting a slo-mo button on its aging.
posted by solotoro at 9:01 AM on May 24
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It seems like you're far enough along that it doesn't matter, but for others: the "quarantiny" starter process saved me a lot of flour the last time I made a starter.
posted by griseus at 6:08 AM on May 24 [9 favorites]