I am wondering what the pros and cons are of keeping a sourdough starter inside the fridge or outside the fridge. Certainly, keeping the starter in the fridge reduces the frequency of feedings, but does keeping the starter in the fridge negatively impact its quality?
1 Answer
Keeping the starter in the refrigerator is a fairly common practice, and does not degrade the quality of the starter. In fact, you can also freeze a starter...or even dehydrate it for longer storage. As you point out, this just reduces its activity, and the frequency of feedings. Of course, when you are preparing to bake, you should remove it from the refrigerator well in advance. Depending on how long you go between feedings, you may want to remove it from the refrigerator 24 hours or more in advance, and begin regular 12-hr (or so) feedings to get it working at its full effectiveness again.
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2The removal from the fridge ‘well in advance’ is a somewhat of a variable. I often only take mine out immediately before using. I’ve never been aware of it making a quantifiable difference, but then I do do a long process, my main rise is around 20 hours with 2-4 hours final rise. All of which suits my needs though it may not be for everyone.– SpagirlNov 3, 2020 at 22:49
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@Spagirl most elements of sourdough and bread baking are somewhat (if not entirely) variable. One has to fit those elements to their environment and process.– moscafjNov 3, 2020 at 23:43