My Ischia Starter Died

[Ev]

I don't understand it. My starter that was working so well for me just up and quit. I've been leaving it at room temp and feeding it two or three times a week whether I used it or not. I had a bit of a rough week last week and missed a feeding or two. I've since fed it twice in two days and got no response. It doesn't look or smell unusual, it just sits there. I removed my backup from the fridge this evening and fed it. It's already responding, so I guess I'll be ok. I just can't figure out why the first one quit. Lesson learned; always keep a backup, and probably replace it once in a while.

[parallei]

Sabotage, I'm sure.  A jealous pizzaiolo.   You need to call in Commissario Salvo Montalbano, pronto!

(Sorry, watching too many Italian mystery shows)

[buceriasdon]

Steve, Sorry to hear of your loss.
Don

[norma427]

Steve,

I am sure no expert with starters, but mine has been left out for a week without feedings and didn‘t die.  Sometimes if I change flours my starter can really change on how it responds.  Sometimes it needs to be fed multiple times in one day, if it doesn’t respond.

I really don’t take care of my starter like I should.   

Norma

[Ev]

I'll try to nurse it back to health. At least the backup is doing well.

[dellavecchia]

Steve - If you are using Caputo, feed it at a 50% starter rate - much more than what you would normally use in a refresh. Wait up to two days for it to double. Then feed it at normal percentage, refreshing every 8 hours for a couple of days. The yeast may have died off to a population that is too small to gain momentum in a normal feeding regimen.

John

[bfguilford]

Steve - If you are using Caputo, feed it at a 50% starter rate - much more than what you would normally use in a refresh. Wait up to two days for it to double. Then feed it at normal percentage, refreshing every 8 hours for a couple of days. The yeast may have died off to a population that is too small to gain momentum in a normal feeding regimen.

John

My 2-year old Carl's Oregon Trail starter has also gone flat on me this week. I took it out of the fridge after leaving it for two weeks, fed it and... nada. I'd done that many times before, and it was pretty much oblivious to any abuse.

I'm keeping it out for a couple of days trying to nurse it back to health by feeding a tablespoon of flour at at time (at 100% hydration) a couple of times a day (and then building up from there once I see some action). I'm seeing very little action on the surface (where it usually bubbles within a couple of minutes) or through the sides of the container, but when I take a tablespoon of starter out, there's an amazing web inside. I haven't changed flour or hydration levels. Not sure what to make of this (and I don't have a backup).  

John: It looks like you're recommending much more drastic measures. Are you suggesting that Ev dump 1/2 the starter and feed it with that much new flour, or keep all the existing starter and feed it 50% more new flour? Is that specific to using Caputo? I use all purpose.

Barry

[anton-luigi]

Im certainly not an expert,  but I dont think you can "overfeed" it.  If I am making a bowl of preferment,  I'll pull out about a 1/8 cup of starter from the stock bottle,  place in a bowl,  and add up to 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water at a time,  and repeat roughly every 8 hours until I have my preferment active.  Whatever amount of viable culture left in your bottle will grow into/feed on however much flour and water you add.  What is the purpose of adding flour a tablespoon at a time?  and then increasing from there once you see its active?  what is the benefit?  In my mind,  if its alive,  it will grow into whatever you feed it,  so you might as well give it enough to feed on.

[bfguilford]

What is the purpose of adding flour a tablespoon at a time?  and then increasing from there once you see its active?  what is the benefit?

Sorry, I missed an important piece of information. Because I use so little starter (1/4 of a cup to replace 1/4 tsp of yeast in my no-knead bread... I've only tried it in pizza once), I never have more than 1 cup of starter going at any point in time.

When I first activated it, the directions were to start very slowly (1 tsp every 8 hours, and build up from there to 1/4 cup... that took over a week). So, when my starter didn't react to the 1/4 cup of flour I added yesterday (it is normally very active, doubling in around 2-3 hours), I decided to go back to adding smaller amounts more frequently to try to revive it (that's what worked once several months back when I hadn't fed it for around 3 weeks).

Hope that makes more sense.

Barry

[anton-luigi]

Right,  and neither do I(have more than a cup of starter going at any one time).  My main stock bottle in the fridge usually has between a 1/2 cup and a cup in it at all times.  When Im ready to make dough,  I pour off the hooch,  scoop out somewhere in the 1/8 to 1/4 cup(probably closer to 1/8 cup actually),  then add back about 1/4 cup of flour and a 1/4 cup of water to the stock bottle,  counter for a few hours,  then refridge.  The scoop I pulled out goes into a cambro covered bowl,  I add a good 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of flour and water to that bowl for a couple days of countering for my preferment/levain however you wanna refer to it.  I batch my dough out of that bowl,  and toss the remainder.     looks like I stuttered doesnt it??

[bfguilford]

Happy to say that I revived my starter over the past 3 days. Did the gradual buildup, and, last night and this morning replaced 1/4 cup each time. It is now looking happy and bubbly. Crisis averted.

[Redshirt]

sometimes "washing" the culture like Ed Woods recommends helps