Here's How To Tell When It's Time To Throw Out Your Sourdough Starter

Making any type of yeast dough requires the level of patience that some home cooks (okay, me) simply don't have. But that goes double for sourdough because before you can even begin, you need to beg, borrow, or steal this magical ingredient called sourdough "starter" — which you can also make from scratch (although it can be an intimidating process). True DIY fanatics might even go so far as to cultivate their own natural yeast. After going through the time and trouble to make it, though, sometimes things still go wrong. Luckily, sourdough starter is pretty sturdy stuff, since with the proper care and feeding it can last for a century or more. There are, however, a few warning signs that mean your starter's kaput, with the main one being mold.

Not every type of discoloration is necessarily mold. Sometimes black patches may develop on the surface, then turn into a black liquid called hooch. It's not dangerous, just a sign that the starter needs to be fed. Light-colored bumps, ripples, or a film on the starter's surface is probably just a type of yeast, although you may want to scrape it off since it can mess up the flavor. Orange or pink streaks are a bit more iffy, as they indicate bacterial growth. While some bakers opt to scrape them off, if your discolored starter's started to stink, it's probably better just to toss it. If you see fuzzy or hairy-looking patches growing on the starter, though, this is probably mold. The problem with mold is that if it's on the surface, it's likely to have spread throughout the rest of the starter. This means that the safest thing to do is throw it out.

If your starter isn't stinky, fuzzy, or breaking out in weird colors, it may still appear dead if you've forgotten to feed it for a while. If you don't want to bother with baking anymore, you can always turn leftover sourdough starter into kvass, which is a Russian drink that basically tastes like bread-flavored soda with some funky fermentation going on. (I've had both the homemade and store-bought varieties, and all I can say is, it must be an acquired taste.) If you want to make more bread, though, chances are you'll be able to revive that starter since it's probably only sleeping.

The first thing you need to do is to pour off any dark liquid on top (this is the aforementioned hooch). You can then go ahead and scrape out most of the starter from the jar and toss it, leaving just a few spoonfuls inside. Feed the remaining starter by stirring in approximately 12 ¾ tablespoons (100 grams) of flour and 6 ¾ tablespoons (100 grams) of water, then let it rest for 12 hours. At this point, remove about 3 tablespoons (50 grams) of starter, and discard the remainder. To these tablespoons you've removed, add another 100 grams each of flour and water. Once the starter doubles in size (which may occur as soon as this second feeding), it's ready to bake with. Until that time, however, you'll need to keep feeding it that same amount of flour and water every 12 hours.