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I have a sourdough starter in fridge for nearly two months and have not fed it. Haven't even looked at it. So two questions: if it smells ok, for a starter, that is, can I use it if I feed it and let it sit out for a few hours? 2nd question: it's made with spelt flour. Does that make a difference?

Marian Lacey
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Yes, many of us (me included) have brought long-forgotten starters back to life.

Just take a small portion, feed as usual and see what happens. It will likely take a bit longer than usual to start bubbling, perhaps even a day or so, but if your yeast and bacteria are alive, they will be active at some point.

I do recommend you baby your starter a bit before baking, a few feed cycles help to get its full activity back.

Spelt flour is not an issue, it behaves quite like wheat. I have used both wheat and rye in the past.

Good luck!

Stephie
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  • Backing up Stephie's answer. Read on a site about sourdough starters someone who forgot their starter in the back of the fridge for a *year*! After feeding it for a couple of days at room temperature, it was still active. As long as it's not mouldy or smells bad, it's still safe. The worse it might be then is dead. You won't know until you've tried coaxing it back to life. – Jude Jun 27 '17 at 11:09
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Sourdough is made with wild yeasts and bacteria. The oldest of it has been revived that were made by Neanderthals. So I am pretty sure a few months will but hurt it. Mainly you do not want to freeze it as it will lyse the cells (water expands on pops it open). So really just give it more food and let it grow.

Mike Miller
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