Can you freeze sourdough starter?

[LRunkle]

Am considering trying sourdough bread and was going to send off to King Arthur's for some of their starter. Will I be able to freeze backup starter or do I have to keep it going actively or at least reefrigerated?

[chiantiglace]

yes, but not recommended. its very easy to star your own.

[Special K]

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/tips/sourdough-primer.html

". . . unlike children or pets . . ."

[Joe Blowe]

Drying would be better: http://www.carlsfriends.org/OTbrochure.html

BTW, that site is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in sourdough.

P.S. You can score starter there for the cost of two postage stamps

[slkinsey]

The short answer is: it depends. It depends on how you do it, how long you plan to keep it frozen, and whether the strain appears to be freeze-tolerant. The famous "Carl's Starter" from back in the rec.food.sourdough days has apparently evolved to be quite freeze tolerant, provided that you follow the same freezing procedures. I think drying before freezing is recommended, as water crystallization may not be so great for the microorganisms.

By the way, if you are going to acquire an already-established sourdough culture, I'd recommend Sourdoughs International over King Arthur. This is something I very much recommend over starting your own culture. Self-started cultures take a while to evolve stability, are notoriously cranky, and may not turn out to be all that great when all is said and done. Sourdough baking is tricky enough on its own, so why not use a culture with known properties?

[chiantiglace]

Sourdough baking is tricky enough on its own, so why not use a culture with known properties?

Unless the yeast strain is wild, the properties are going to be the same eventually no matter where the starter came from. I suggest starting th sourdough with one of your favorite fruits. Try grapes. I have used potatoes, onions, pears, all stone fruits practically, and various other things to start my sourdough in the past. That can give you a really unique flavor. But once in a while you may end up finding yourself adding purchased yeast to the mix to get it going again, so you will just end up diluting the starter and it will always end up your personal one, whether you like it or not.

[LRunkle]

Thanks a lot for the replies. The link to http://www.sourdo.com/ was particularly interesting. I will try my hand soon.