Last year, before graduating and moving away from Berkeley, I
collected two sourdough starters from bakeries that I loved and had
special significance for me during my years there. I abided by the
instructions for feeding and kept them alive for a few months, but
after moving again, I had all but abandoned them in the back of the
fridge (I believe they were last fed in late May 07). As expected,
both seem to have the greyish appearance and a pool of liquid (well,
actually only one has the liquid as both starters came to me in
different conditions: one was white flour and a bit looser while the
other was whole wheat and much stiffer). I have read in a few places
that it is possible to revive a starter after long periods of
inactivity, but before I do that, I have two questions:

1. What would be the best procedure to bring them back to a healthy
vibrant state? Should I just follow the instructions from each bakery
for normal feeding until it appears back to normal, or is there a
special treatment for neglected starters?

2. Once I have revived them, would they return back to their original
states, or somehow be morphed into something different? Has anyone
else had similar experience with reviving starters and remembers the
qualities it had before and after?

"Sergio" wrote in message ...

... 1. What would be the best procedure to bring (starters) back to a healthy
vibrant state? ... 2. Once I have revived them, would they return back to
their original states, or somehow be morphed into something different? ....

http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/howshoul...tarterfor.html
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-gro...dough/starters
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/source
Also might try this search: starter (wash OR washing) group:rec.food.sourdough
at http://groups.google.com

On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:16:45 -0700 (PDT), Sergio
wrote:

Last year, before graduating and moving away from Berkeley, I
collected two sourdough starters from bakeries that I loved and had
special significance for me during my years there. I abided by the
instructions for feeding and kept them alive for a few months, but
after moving again, I had all but abandoned them in the back of the
fridge (I believe they were last fed in late May 07). As expected,
both seem to have the greyish appearance and a pool of liquid (well,
actually only one has the liquid as both starters came to me in
different conditions: one was white flour and a bit looser while the
other was whole wheat and much stiffer). I have read in a few places
that it is possible to revive a starter after long periods of
inactivity, but before I do that, I have two questions:

The advice you received on TFL was decent and the posters from there &
here overlap. TFL is a kinder and gentler place.

1. What would be the best procedure to bring them back to a healthy
vibrant state? Should I just follow the instructions from each bakery
for normal feeding until it appears back to normal, or is there a
special treatment for neglected starters?

2. Once I have revived them, would they return back to their original
states, or somehow be morphed into something different? Has anyone
else had similar experience with reviving starters and remembers the
qualities it had before and after?


Each of us has a bit of a twist on how to revive a seemingly dead
starter. The trick is that is can be difficult to know if it winds up
as a revival or a birth. You can conduct experiments as you attempt to
revive, but, frankly, if you knew those starters well, you'll get your
answers when you bake. If you were not extremely familiar with their
behaviors in your breads, you may be SOL in comparing or ever knowing.
My own Lazarus methods involve pouring off the liquid, scraping off
the top layer and taking no more than a scant teaspoon of the old
starter and placing it into a fresh container. Add 2 tablespoons of AP
flour (or rye if this was a rye based, or you can split the starter at
this point and try for two separate ones, one based on white, one on
rye) and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well, leave out at room temp (I
cover mine), repeat 2-3 times a day, discarding all but the scant
teaspoon of starter at the refreshment each time.

I tend to be a purist in that I do not use anything but flour and
water in creating and refreshing my starters. There tend to be purists
on this group, and a broader cross section of adventurers over at TFL.
I like to hang around both places.

Do let us know what happens, though.

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
The advice you received on TFL was decent and the posters from there &
here overlap. TFL is a kinder and gentler place.

To conform to your perception: What place are you talking about - paradise?

http://www.google.com/search?q=TFL

Sam

On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:21:13 -0600, Sam
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
The advice you received on TFL was decent and the posters from there &
here overlap. TFL is a kinder and gentler place.

To conform to your perception: What place are you talking about - paradise?

http://www.google.com/search?q=TFL

Sam


The Fresh Loaf

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/

Boron

"Sam" wrote in message news:mailman.20.1209313274.4061.rec.food.sourdough @www.mountainbitwarrior..com...
Boron Elgar wrote:
... TFL is a kinder and gentler place.
... What place are you talking about - paradise?

Probably the secret place where the nice people go. Do you
think she would tell us?

On Apr 27, 9:45 am, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:16:45 -0700 (PDT), Sergio

Add 2 tablespoons of AP
flour (or rye if this was a rye based, or you can split the starter at
this point and try for two separate ones, one based on white, one on
rye) and 2 tablespoons of water.

I'd use bleached AP (although the advice to split and use rye in one
and AP in the other is a good strategy).

The reason I'd avoid refreshing a really old starter with rye is
you'll probably start a "new" culture. The reason I'd use bleached, AP
flour and not regular AP is your original critters have their best
chance if you feed them the most sterile, least biologically active,
flour available. White, bleached flour has been heated and gassed.
Everything in it is dead.

My guess is that your cultures are not going to revive (at TFL they'd
be more optimistic, but this is RFS, so we need to maintain cred.). A
bakery levain is a culture that is typically developed on a super-
active, 24/7 refreshment schedule, probably using a dedicated
fermentor system. Months of cold, zero oxygen, and high acid levels
are tough challanges for something that's been well pampered. You
might want to start a new rye culture from scratch while you're
waiting and watching. It's a drop-dead easy proposition...