Starter

There certainly is a lot of information here on the care and feeding of a sourdough starter if you're ready to do a little reading. I just can't type fast enough or explain it all succinctly enough to give it all to you in a short posting.

All you have to do is look for the Forum at the top of this page and click on that. You'll soon see a page of topics that have been discussed and the most popular will be Sourdoughs and Starters. Not all of the 17,000+ postings will apply to your question but your answer will probably be within the first 100 and frequently repeated over the years of postings.

You might also find your answer in the Lessons section of the home page. Don't forsake, the answers are closer than you think.

The problem with a stored starter is that a refrigerator is not a science ficton suspended animation device.  Your starter is not stopped, it is slowed.

So, as it sits in the fridge it is converting carbs into alcohol and carbon dioxide, increasing the acidity of the starter, reproducing slowly and dying somewhat more quickly.  Refrigeration is what we do because unlike our ancestors, we don't bake every day.

I strongly suggest feeding a refrigerated starter for several days before using it.  You can use a starter that has been refrigerated for less than a week right out of the fridge.  However, that is still somewhat inconsistent.

Your goals are to reduce the acidity and restore the vitality of the starter.  Using a tablespoon or so of the stored starter, 1/2 a cup of water and a cup of flour for the first feeding right out of the fridge is about right.  Keep the feeding ratios the same, but feed every 12 hours and double the amount fed and your starter should be great in 2 or 3 days.  If you feel the starter is too mild, you can rebalance the bacteria and yeast by feeding about 95% white flour and 5% whole wheat or rye.

-Mike