Keeping a starter alive without thinking about it

Most starter advice assumes you want a second pet. I do not. This is the routine that has kept one jar going with about two minutes of attention a week.

The routine

The jar lives in the fridge. The night before baking I take it out, throw away all but a spoonful, and add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. By morning it has doubled and is ready to use. What is left goes back in the fridge until next time.

When I forget

Three weeks without feeding is fine. There will be a layer of grey liquid on top; pour it off, feed as usual, and give it one extra feeding before trusting it with a loaf.

When it is hot

In summer the starter peaks in four or five hours instead of overnight. I feed it with cold water and a smaller spoonful of old starter, which slows it back down to something that fits a night's sleep.

When to worry

Pink or orange streaks, or fuzzy mould, mean it is finished and you start over. Everything else, including a sharp nail polish smell, is a hungry starter and goes away after a feeding or two.