My sourdough starter almost died after I left it in the car for 3 hours

I was driving home from a farmer's market in Austin last Tuesday and forgot my starter was in the bag on the passenger seat. The temp hit 95 that afternoon and by the time I got home it had this weird orange liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover. I panicked and scooped out the good bit from the bottom, fed it double the usual amount of flour and water. Took about 4 days but it finally started bubbling again like normal. Has anyone else rescued a starter that got too hot?

3 comments

3 Comments

mianelson1mo ago

Have you ever tried keeping it in a cooler with an ice pack during the summer? I read something online about how sourdough starters can basically go into shock from heat like that, and the orange stuff is usually just hooch that forms from stress. Sounds like you did the right thing by feeding it extra though... I've heard that the bottom part is often fine since it's cooler. Glad yours bounced back after a few days, that must have been a relief.

sethfoster1mo ago

Right? I was ready to name it Lazarus after that bounce back, (fitting, really).

jamie8041mo ago

About three years back I had a tomato plant get hit by an unexpected frost and it looked dead as a doornail for a week. I kept watering it anyway and it came back stronger than ever. Sometimes things just need a little patience and a second chance to surprise you.