How to Revive an Old Sourdough Starter (even if it’s been months)

There’s this thing I like to do where I put my sourdough starter in the fridge and forget about it for 6-8 months….

Call it laziness… call it “too busy”… Call it a character flaw…

But I am who I am, friends.

Anyway.

A few months ago I extricated a very horrible looking sourdough starter from the depths of my fridge. As I attempted to revive it, I realized that perhaps, a handful of you may also be an unfit sourdough parent like myself.

So just in case you also own a sad and neglected sourdough starter, let’s discuss resuscitation methods, shall we? Let’s chat a bit about how to revive an old sourdough starter.

NOTE: No, I Don’t Bake Sourdough Year Around

It’s a nice idea, but it’s not conducive to my life. I usually bake like a maniac from October through March. Then the garden calls me outside and the starter sits ignored on my counter until I remember to shove it into fridge hibernation.

I lean deeply into the seasonal rhythms of homestead life (I don’t keep a cow in milk year round either…), so I’m the type to observe ‘sourdough season’ and eat less bread the rest of the year.

Which brings me to an important point:

The fridge makes a brilliant storage option for a sourdough starter. The coolness slows the bacteria down so it doesn’t need frequent feeding and it can sit unattended for a loooong time.

How Long Can You Store a Sourdough Starter in the Refrigerator?

Eh, the “experts” recommend a few weeks or maybe months at the most. And they usually say to periodically feed your starter during storage.

Let’s just say mine has gone for upwards of 8 months without being fed a single time and still survived.

Perhaps I’m not a good role model here… but the moral of the story is:

Sourdough is tough, man.

How to Revive an Old Sourdough Starter

Allow me to paint a picture of my last starter (you can see it for yourself on my Instagram reel):

It was blackish-grey.

It was bubble-less.

And it had a 2-inch crust on top.

(The last one was a first, even for me. The lid had fallen off in the depths of the fridge… whoops.)

I consider myself a bit of a sourdough paramedic these days, so here’s the steps I took to revive my old sourdough starter:

1. Remove/scrape off the top layer. This may involve pouring off any black/grey liquid on top, or in my situation, jack-hammering the 2-inch dried crust out of the jar.
2. Move to a fresh jar. Take the best/cleanest sourdough starter from the bottom of the jar (3-4 tablespoons will do— more is OK too) and move it to a clean jar.
3. Feed & water. If you’re someone who weighs & measures your feedings, go for it. In my recent situation, I just eyeballed the amount of starter I had and added equal-ish portions of flour & warm water. I like my starter to be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
4. Wait. Leave the jar in a warm place. Ideally, you’ll see bubbles form between 24-48 hours. If not, don’t give up hope yet.
5. Keep Feeding. Re-feed around 24 hours. Then repeat until you see the starter doubling in size within 3-4 hours of feeding. When you get to that point, it’s ready to use in breads or whatever. (You can use the discard prior to that— it just likely won’t have enough oomph to raise dough)

This is Gross. Can’t I Just Make a New Sourdough Starter?

Sure. And making a new starter from-scratch isn’t difficult. However, it takes several weeks for a baby starter to become strong enough to use in bread… so I prefer to use established yeast if possible. (Plus I like the suspense of seeing if I can resurrect it.)

Where is the Point of No Return for an Old Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough is tough, but not immortal. It is possible to completely kill it (ask me how I know).

Here are a few warning signs that your old sourdough starter cannot (or should not) be revived:

• Pinkish-Orange Color: Black and grey is OK (that’s just the “hooch” or waste product of the yeast). But in my experience, once your starter turns orangey, you’re probably gonna be planning a sourdough funeral…
• NASTY Smell: What does a bad starter smell like? I can’t really explain it, but you’ll know. It’s a delightful combo of dirty socks and rotting flesh— aka lightyears away from the pleasant sourness of a normal sourdough starter
• Bugs: I feel like this one is self-explanatory
• Mold: I live in a place with 0% humidity, so I haven’t dealt much with mold on my starters. However, if mold has permeated your jar, I’d toss it.

Final Thoughts on Reviving an Old Sourdough Starter

Remember, friend: You’re not a bad sourdough parent. You’re just giving your sourdough space to find itself in your fridge. (wink)

And know you can always bring it back to life when you’re ready to bake again.

If you need more tips on sourdough, don’t worry, I’ve got ya covered: 

Sourdough Tips & Resources:

• How to Make a Sourdough Starter
• How to Make a Sourdough Bread (non-fussy version)
• Troubleshooting Sourdough: Tips for Common Sourdough Struggles
• My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Sourdough Discard
• Solving Sourdough: The Science Behind What Works
• My Prairie Homestead Cookbook has some sourdough recipes you will love
• My Heritage Cooking Crash Course has video tutorials on sourdough