My sourdough starter went flat after a power outage

The lights went out for about six hours on Tuesday and my kitchen got cold... I didn't think much of it until I went to feed my starter yesterday morning. It was just a sad, gray puddle with zero bubbles. I'd been keeping it going for over a year, since my friend in Seattle gave me some. Tried feeding it twice now and it's still not waking up. Has anyone else had this happen after a temperature drop? I'm not sure if I should start over or keep trying.

4 comments

4 Comments

jamief671mo ago

Give it more time before you give up. A six hour chill shouldn't kill a healthy starter, it just slows everything way down. Keep feeding it with warm water and it will probably come back.

sean8541mo ago

That's so true for a lot of things, not just sourdough. People bail on stuff way too fast now. We expect instant results, but most good things just need patience and the right conditions. It's a good reminder to just give things a proper chance.

mark_ward14d ago

Huh, why do you think people quit so fast now? I swear it's the internet making everything look easy. You see a 30 second video of someone's perfect loaf and think it should just happen. But nobody shows the three failed attempts before that. Patience really is a lost art these days.

aaron_perry1mo ago

Exactly, and it's not just about waiting. It's about learning what those right conditions actually are (like the warm water Jamie mentioned). A lot of skills, from baking to fixing things, have a quiet period where nothing seems to happen. That's when most people quit, but that's often the most important part.