My levain is now nearly 9 months old. Because of my business travel schedule it has sat in the refrigerator for 5 weeks. Ken Forkish says it can stay there for “about a month” so I was starting to worry. I still don’t have time to bake bread now; but I decided that I’d better spend a couple of days feeding and refreshing Monsieur Blob anyway. After all, 5 weeks is definitely more than “about a month”.
Last night I removed Mr. Blob from the fridge, tossed all but 100 grams, added 100g of wheat flour, 400g of white flour, and 400g of 95 degree water. By this morning, I had a very active culture. Even after 5 weeks in the fridge, Mr. Blob has been resurrected with no problem!
When I opened my levain tub to feed my reactivated culture just now, I stuck my nose in and took a deep whiff. Holy shit!!! Mr. Blob has been hitting the bottle big time! My hyperactive levain nearly bowled me over with the smell of alcohol. Not only has Mr. Blob again reincarnated but he is totally KICKING ASS!
Bread makers, Forkish fans, levain lovers of the world unite! I can tell you conclusively that, at least in my refrigerator, a Ken Forkish levain will happily refrigerate for at least 5 weeks. Whohoo!
Almost Rational 