Rant: My sourdough starter straight up died after a week of perfect rises
I had this starter going for like six months, named it Bob, the whole deal. Last week it was giving me the best oven spring I've ever seen, perfect loaves every time. Then I had to take my kids to visit family for four days. I fed Bob before I left, put him in the fridge, did everything right. Came back and he was a gray, watery puddle that smelled like nail polish remover. No amount of feeding brought it back. I'm so annoyed because I was finally getting consistent results and now I have to start from scratch with a new one. It's just flour and water, how did I mess that up? Has anyone else had a starter just give up on life after being reliable for so long?