Consuming mold can cause many illnesses including respiratory illnesses. You don’t want to mess with mold! Obviously you wouldn’t consume raw, moldy sourdough starter. But even baking with moldy or bad sourdough starter can make you very sick.
I think my starter may have made me sick.
Guys I really need some advice. I have been maintaing a starter for about 4 months. I usually bake a few consecutive days a week and keep my starter in the fridge the rest of the time. After I am done using the starter I throw about 80% of it out, refresh it and put it in the fridge. Usually 4 or 5 days later, the night before I bake I take my starter out, again throw out about 80% and feed it. Usually when I take my starter out of the fridge there is a very vinegary or paint thinner smell. This time the smell was a little funky and off. I cant really describe it other than it stayed with you. I didnt think much of it and refreshed the starter as usual (the smell remained after the refresh), made the loaves yesterday, retarded them overnight and baked today. I let the finished loaf cool about 5 hours and ate a few slices. About four hours later I was vomitting. After a good bout I now feel better so I think it is something I ate rather than a bug. I did eat other stuff today, but I want to be 110% sure it is not my starter and I will not make anyone else sick by giving them loaves. What can I do to be absolutely sure I kill anything bad that may have developed in my starter? Some other factors that may make a difference, I have been keeping it in the same jar a while, it has been very hot temp wise here, I feed my starter about a mix of mostly white flour, with some wheat and some rye. Any help would really be appreciated I know you guys are experts.
How Much Neglect Can a Sourdough Starter Take? Is My Starter Dead?
FAQ
What happens if I eat bad sourdough bread?
How can you tell if sourdough bread is bad?
Is it safe to eat expired sourdough bread?
What does bad sourdough starter smell like?
What happens if you eat sourdough bread?
It changes the structure of the bread molecules — making your body absorb them slower, which lowers the bread’s glycemic index. This means that your insulin levels will not spike as high after eating a slice of sourdough bread as they would after eating white bread. Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people.
How can you tell if your sourdough yeast starter is bad?
If your sourdough starter has developed a pink or orange tint or streak, this is an unmistakable indication that it has gone wrong and needs to be thrown away.
What can go wrong when working with sourdough?
One of the many things that can go wrong when working with sourdough is known as overproofing. Bob’s Red Mill says that ‘proofing’ is just another way of describing the act of fermentation that occurs when working with yeast.
What happens if sourdough gets stale?
If your sourdough has gotten a bit stale, it doesn’t mean it has to end up as croutons or french toast, not that there’s anything wrong with such a fate. Stale sourdough can be revived and brought back to its original glory (almost).