Anyone who wants to witness the intersection of science and magic should look at a sourdough starter. Today, we make our sourdough starters with flour, water, and time — something bakers did thousands of years ago, going back to ancient Egypt. In fact, .
It's wild to think that the sourdough starter in your kitchen is so deeply connected to centuries of bakers. And here's a fun bit of trivia: When a sourdough starter is properly cared for, it can live to be handed down through generations. That might be tricky, but it turns out that killing your starter is really hard to do, too.
If you've thrown your sourdough starter away after leaving it in the back of the fridge for a while or forgetting to feed it a few times, you probably threw away some perfectly good starter. The sludgy, bubbly liquid is surprisingly resilient, and if it's stored properly, . That said, it is possible to end up with a sourdough starter that has gone bad and should be thrown away instead of rescued to ruin your .
The signs of killing your starter aren't necessarily what you might expect, and if you're experimenting with sourdough, knowing the clues that it's no longer safe to use is crucial. Signs your sourdough starter has gone bad In the first few days to around a week-and-a-half, sourdough starter is still developing — and once it's fully mature, it's a pretty hearty substance. However, there are some clues to look for in a starter that mean it's a little too mature.
The development of mold is a .