When You’re Away

Taking Your Starter on HolidayYour starter doesn’t have to be a reason to cancel your holiday — and it certainly doesn’t mean you need to ask a neighbour to feed your jar every couple of days.With a little preparation, your starter will be perfectly fine while you’re away.For a Short Period (One or Two Weeks)Feed your starter as usual, leave it at room temperature for a short while to get fermentation going, and then place it in the refrigerator with the lid loosely closed.For a period of one to two weeks, a mature, healthy starter should have no problem with this. Its activity will slow down considerably, but it remains alive.When you return, simply take it out of the refrigerator and feed it as you normally would.Keep in mind that after a longer pause, it may take a little longer than usual to become active again. If needed, give it an extra feeding before baking.For a Longer Period (Three Weeks to a Month or More)The longer a starter goes without feeding, the more time it may need afterwards to become fully active again.For an absence of three weeks or longer, you can consider a few options:Give your starter a generous feeding before you leave, for example using a higher ratio such as 1:4:4, so there is more food available as a reserve.Ask someone to feed it once, roughly halfway through your absence. This does not need to become a daily task — one feeding is often enough to help restore the balance.For a really long absence — several months — consider drying part of your starter as a backup, see Drying Your Starter. That way, nobody needs to do anything while you’re away, and you will always have a starting point when you return, even if your refrigerated starter comes back weaker than expected.What If Your Starter Looks Unwell When You Return?A layer of liquid on top, a strong smell, and little activity after the first feeding can all be normal after a long pause.There is no reason to panic.As long as there is no mould or unusual discolouration, you can usually rebuild a weakened starter simply by feeding it for several days in a row.For exactly how to approach this, see Saving Your Starter.The Simple Rule of ThumbAway for a week or two: refrigerator, done.Away for longer: an extra feeding beforehand, someone to feed it once, or a dried backup.Back home and your starter looks weak: don’t panic. Simply start feeding it again.You don’t have to put your baking hobby on hold whenever you travel. Your starter is more resilient than it might seem at first glance.Part of the Starter Hub.Read next:Storing Your Starter · Drying Your Starter · Saving Your Starter