Vacation starter survival

We leave for two weeks tomorrow. The starter goes in the fridge.

I get this question a lot. The short answer: your starter is fine. The slightly longer answer:

Before you leave, do a normal feed (1:5:5 — that's 20g starter, 100g flour, 100g water, give or take). Wait 1–2 hours at room temp until you see some activity. Then into the fridge, lid on but loose.

In the fridge, fermentation slows down 5–10×. A starter that doubles in 6 hours at room temp will barely move at 38°F. It can sit like that for 2–4 weeks without trouble. Mine has been left for six.

You'll see hooch — a layer of dark grayish liquid on top. That's totally fine. It's alcohol the yeast produced before going dormant. Pour it off or stir it in; either is fine.

When you're back, take it out, pour off hooch if there's a lot, feed it normally. First two feeds might be sluggish. By the third feed it'll be back to full vigor.

There's no scenario where two weeks kills it. Yeast is older than us by a billion years. It's not going anywhere.

— Sarah