Sourdough Health

My fall has been so busy my rye starter caught a bug. A healthy sourdough, like a healthy person, needs regular exercise, good quality nutrition, and regular interactions with friendly people.

As too many of my weekends have been booked, all of my starters are suffering from neglect. So when I took my rye starter from the fridge on Friday, its surface had been taken over by a firm crust of foul-smelling, bacterial biosolids. Think cheese that has gone bad. I pried off the yuck and fed the remainder with fresh water and newly milled rye. I let it recover over night.

As I assembled Stanley Ginsberg's Old Milwaukee Rye, I recovered, too. I've missed my weekends of mixing, kneading, and anticipating. I didn't need the extra loaves, but to keep my starters happy I also warmed up my Cripple Creek starter and prepared a whole-wheat squash bread with pumpkin seeds.