Because I didn’t trust myself, I chose redundancy and stored my starter both as flour crumble and as shards! After 4 months, I tried reviving them and had a far easier time with the shards. (My flour crumble smelled damp when I first opened the sealed jar. It then produced more odor than rise, and I tossed it.) The shards revived quickly and have now had 3 regular feedings. Is that enough to start using for levain, or should I keep it going longer?

Thanks for the kind words about the book! Both starter styles can work well for 2-3 week storage, but you're onto something with stiff starters – they tend to be more resilient during storage and, as you noted, require less maintenance. For your schedule, I'd suggest feeding your stiff starter at a lower ratio (like 1:2:2 or 1:3:3), letting it rise for about an hour at room temp, then refrigerating. When you're ready to bake, just pull it out and give it a couple feedings to revive. And thanks for the Seattle invite – love a good croissant! Have fun!

Quick question on storing and maintain starters? Is there a preference in using levain/liquid vs stiff starters for short-term (< 3 wks) storage? I (most unfortunately) don't have time to bake each weekend…but obviously want to have a starter ready for when I do.

I'm very familiar with and have used liquid starters for this for years, but just recently got turned on to stiff starters (less flour waste, easier to maintain). Wondering if there is a good route for storage here too.

Thanks again Maurizio for everything you do – please let me know if you're ever in the Seattle area. I'd love to buy you a good cup of coffee or tea and croissant!

Yes, once a week is fine if you're keeping it in the fridge!