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Starter Mold

Starter

Mold on starter appears as fuzzy patches, often pink, orange, green, or black. Unlike the normal liquid (hooch) that can form, mold indicates contamination and the starter should be discarded.

Try This Right Now

  • 1Discard the entire starter—mold spores spread throughout
  • 2Thoroughly clean and sanitize the container
  • 3Start fresh with new flour and water

Detailed Solutions

Start Fresh

Easy

Begin a new starter from scratch.

  1. Discard all contaminated starter
  2. Clean container with hot soapy water
  3. Rinse with boiling water or use new container
  4. Begin new starter with fresh flour and filtered water

Use Backup

Easy

Restore from a dried or frozen backup.

  1. If you have dried starter flakes, rehydrate them
  2. Mix with equal weight flour and water
  3. Feed daily until active
  4. This avoids starting completely over

Why This Happens

Mold grows when conditions favor fungi over the beneficial bacteria and yeast—usually from contamination or neglect. Contributing factors include: Cross-contamination from environment, Starter neglected too long without feeding, Contaminated flour, Dirty utensils or container, Starter kept in moldy environment.

Prevention for Next Time

  • Use clean utensils every time you feed starter
  • Keep starter in a clean, dry location
  • Feed regularly or refrigerate between bakes
  • Keep a dried backup of your starter in case of contamination

Related Issues

Having other problems? Check out these related troubleshooting guides.

Starter Not RisingStarter Too SourNo RiseStarter Separating