My sourdough starter died after I left it in the car during a Phoenix heatwave

So I was visiting my sister in Phoenix last August and forgot my starter in the car for like 3 hours. It hit 115 that day and when I came back it was bubbling but smelled like a chemistry lab. I tried feeding it but it never recovered and I had to toss it. Has anyone else lost a starter to crazy heat or know if there's a way to save it after something like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_schmidt13d ago

Honestly did you try scraping out any of the darker liquid that separated from the rest? That stuff usually has the most lactobacillus still alive and you can sometimes salvage it from there.

the_robin13d ago

Ha! Sounds like zombie yogurt juice. I'll pass on that experiment.