How to Revive a Sourdough Starter Gone Bad

"I like to use a sourdough starter when bread baking, but it always seems to go bad?" Does this sound familiar? Having a live sourdough starter in your refrigerator is a commitment, just like a pet. You must feed your sourdough starter and take out the waste (if you don't use it in your bread baking). Be happy! You don't ever need to throw out and start over again. Just take some time and follow these steps to make your sourdough starter healthy again and revive that sourdough starter gone bad.

Effectively, your sourdough starter has organisms like bacteria in it that are causing the overly acidic nature, foul smell, or separation. By following this method, you will replenish your sourdough starter culture by regrowing it until the bad organisms are gone.

This method causes an environment that is difficult for other organisms to thrive in, but is just fine for the sourdough bread starter yeast.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flour
• Water

1. Mix the sourdough bread starter well. Discard of all but one cup.
   
   Mixing oxygenates your sourdough starter and helps it to remain healthy. The yeast requires oxygen to live. If you don't mix your sourdough starter every few days, your yeast will begin to die off and the bacteria will multiply out of control without the yeast to keep them in check. If you tried to use the bad mixture in your bread baking, it would rise well, not to mention it would taste awful.

2. Add one cup of room temperature water. Stir well. Pour out all but one cup.
   
   Though you are watering down your sourdough starter, this step is crucial in order to dilute the lactic acid and bacterial by products that are inhibiting yeast growth. Once your yeast is healthy again, it will keep the bacteria levels in check. And will, once again, be an integral part of your bread baking.

3. Add one cup of flour and about 3/4 cup of water. Cover loosely and let it proof on the counter overnight.
   
   This is the food for your yeast to thrive on. Once it becomes healthy again, your sourdough starter needs to be fed at least once a week, or whenever you use it, whichever comes first.

4. Repeat the above process twice a day until you no longer see activity (bubbles) for one day and then fermentation restarts and the good sour smell returns. This is an indication of healthy yeast growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Most bread starters do not need to be refrigerated if they are kept between 60 and 70 degrees.
• If it smells bad, it probably is. Start over at step one.

Resources

• Need extra cash this month?

[Gracie1402]

on 12/23/2008 I will be able to make bread before I die! lol. It is one of my life's goals and this will help!