I have sourdough starter I keep in the fridge. How long can it stay in the fridge before it goes bad.?

Question

Mine is the one that you feed with sugar and potato flakes every 3-5 days. Would I still use the flour? Just wondering. Thanks for your help

Answer 1

Eventually (after a month or so) my starters will settle out of solution and wind up with a layer of slimy-looking stuff on the bottom, and some icky-looking water on top.  Even though they look gross, they're still OK to use; the culture has just gone dormant and needs to be rejuvenated before you use it.  To do this, take it out of the fridge, stir it up and discard all but one cup of the solution.  Then fill the jar (I use one quart mason jars) with warm water, stir again, and again discard all but one cup.  To that cup, add a cup of flour and 3/4 c water, stir well, and leave someplace warm overnight.  The next day there should be bubbles on the surface; if not, then you'll need to feed it again (discard all but a cup, then add a cup of flour and 3/4 c water) and let it sit for 6-12 hours... repeat until you get good activity.  In this way you can rescue sourdough cultures that have been sitting around for months (I've gone 6 months between batches of sourdough bread before).

I have the book Classic Sourdoughs by Ed Wood, and I highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in baking with sourdough cultures.  He includes a lot of information about different cultures and how to feed and care for them, as well as recipes for everything from what seems like 100 different breads to pancakes and English muffins.  He also has a website (see link below).

Hmmm... don't have any experience with the sugar/potato flake cultures, sorry!  I've only ever fed mine flour.  You could try transitioning over, but I have no idea how well it would work.  Good luck