TIL a trick for keeping my sourdough starter alive during a trip

Honestly, I was away for a week in Chicago last month and forgot to ask a neighbor to feed my starter, Frank. I read online you can spread a thin layer on parchment, dry it out completely, then crumble it into a jar. When I got back, I just mixed a tablespoon of the crumbs with 50g of warm water and 50g of flour, and it was bubbling again in two days. Has anyone else tried this method, or do you have a better travel hack?

4 comments

4 Comments

maxl931mo ago

Drying it out is a solid backup plan. I've also just stuck mine in the fridge for up to two weeks, then fed it twice after to wake it back up.

joel_chen311mo ago

Wait you named your sourdough starter Frank? That's amazing, I just call mine "the blob" lmao. I can't believe you went through the whole drying process though, that sounds like a science project. I'm too lazy for that, mine just lives in the fridge and I hope for the best.

the_parker1mo ago

Tried the fridge method once and it worked fine (though it took a few feeds to really bounce back).

alice_allen514d ago

Honestly, the whole starter naming thing cracks me up. My first one was called Dough-B, which my partner still makes fun of. It's wild how attached you can get to a jar of flour and water. What did you end up naming yours, or is it just a number on the fridge door?