How to Feed, Maintain, and Store a Sourdough Starter
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
In this guide, I share everything you need to know about buying, feeding, maintaining, and storing a healthy sourdough starter. Below you will find video guidance and step-by-step instructions. Let’s go!
If you are interested in dipping your toe into sourdough bread baking, for starters you need a starter (😂). In this sourdough starter guide I share my tips for:
- Buying a sourdough starter online
- Activating a sourdough starter
- Feeding a sourdough starter
- Maintaining a sourdough starter
- Storing a sourdough starter
- Knowing when a sourdough starter is bad
- How to use your discard in delicious recipes
Although building a sourdough starter from scratch is very gratifying, I am a huge proponent of purchasing a starter. I outline why in more detail here — Sourdough Focaccia: A Beginner’s Guide — but in short, it’s because:
- If you’re curious about sourdough, get to it! Making a starter from scratch can take weeks.
- They’re relatively cheap (or free if you get one from a friend or baker).
- A purchased starter potentially will be stronger/more active than a young, homemade starter.
- Before you spend weeks making a starter, find out if you like the process — again, a purchased starter allows you to get straight to it.
Where to Purchase a Sourdough Starter
I have had success purchasing and activating sourdough starters from three places:
- Breadtopia ($9)
- King Arthur Flour ($9)
- Cultures for Health ($11)
Each place offers guidance for “activating” the starter. Breadtopia’s instructions live on its website. King Arthur Flour sends along a booklet with details, but also provides online help. Cultures For Health offers video guidance here.
In short, to “activate” each, you simply add flour and water, stir, and wait — that’s all there is to feeding a sourdough starter.
How to Activate a Sourdough Starter
A purchased starter generally arrives in a small bag or container. I’ve created a short video for activating a King Arthur Flour sourdough starter. You can use this same process for activating a Breadtopia starter as well:
Follow these steps to activate it:
- Place starter in a vessel. I love these deli quart containers for this purpose.
- Add 45 g each of all-purpose flour (organic if possible) and room-temperature water. (Note: The consistency should look like a thick batter.)
- Wait. You may see bubbles and action (rising!) in as few as 6 hours; it may take more like 18 to 24 hours. Variables include the time of year, the temperature of your kitchen, the temperature of your water, how much water and flour you used, etc.
- When the starter has roughly doubled in volume, it’s likely ready to go. Drop a spoonful of it in a glass of water. If it floats, you’re ready!
- If it doesn’t float after 24 hours, add more flour and water (equal parts), stir again, and wait.
- If you aren’t seeing any action after another 12 hours, discard most of it, and add more flour and water (equal parts), stir, and wait. Just be patient. Before you know it, your starter will be rising and bubbling and ready to go.
How to Feed A Sourdough Starter
If your starter floats, and you’re ready to start baking, measure the required amount into a bowl and proceed with the recipe. Here are four great beginner’s sourdough recipes:
- Simple Sourdough Focaccia: A Beginner’s Guide
- Simple Sourdough Bread: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Favorite, Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
- Simple Sourdough Ciabatta Bread
If you’re not ready to bake, discard most of it, add an equal amount of flour and water (45 g each or so), stir it together, cover it, and stash in your fridge.
My preferred storage vessel is a deli quart container. When I store my starter in the fridge, I use the lid that comes with the quart container. When I feed my starter and let it sit at room temperature, I use a breathable lid.
From here on out, you’ll need to feed it roughly once every two weeks — I’ve left it for as long as three-four weeks without a feeding, and it has been fine, but I don’t recommend waiting that long in between feedings.
Here’s the play-by-play:
1. Place the vessel holding your starter on a scale, and add 45 g flour:
2. Add 45 g water:
3. Stir together and mark the top of the mixture with a rubber band:
4. Wait until the starter doubles or nearly doubles:
5. Test it! If it floats, you’re good to go!
Before long, you’ll get the hang of your starter’s rhythm: how it rises and falls, how it behaves when you feed it more regularly, how it behaves when you neglect it, how it smells at various stages, etc.
When you’re ready to bake, the goal is to “catch” the starter at its peak (i.e. at its doubling point, when you see lots of bubbles covering the surface) — this is when it is the strongest/most alive. If you miss the opportunity, and the starter collapses, don’t despair: simply discard some of it (or don’t), and feed it again with equal parts flour and water by weight, stir, and set it aside to rise again.
Maintaining a Sourdough Starter
- Something that deterred me from sourdough for a long time is the waste element: I hated discarding so much and “feeding” so much. I’ve learned over time that there are ways to keep your starter on the lean side to reduce the waste factor. Here’s how:
- After I use my starter for a bread recipe, I do one of two things:
- If there is a fair amount of starter left (a half cup or 100 g), I simply stir it up, cover it, and stash it in the fridge.
- If there are only a few tablespoons of starter left, I like to replenish it with a very small amount of flour and water (45 g of each). Once I add the flour and water and stir it all together, I cover the vessel, and stash it in the fridge.
- Every time I use it or feed it, I discard most of it, and feed it with equal amounts by weight water and flour.
- When life gets in the way, and I can’t find time for sourdough, I tend to it every 2-3 weeks by discarding most of it, and feeding it with 45 g each flour and water.
Storing a Sourdough Starter
If you are not baking regularly, store your starter in the fridge.
As noted above, my preferred storage vessel is a deli quart container. When I store my starter in the fridge, I use the lid that comes with the quart container. When I feed my starter and let it sit at room temperature, I use a breathable lid.
Ideally, strive to feed your starter roughly once a week or every two weeks if you are not finding time to bake regularly. If you are baking regularly, feeding your starter once a week will be a natural part of your baking rhythm. If you are looking for ideas for what to do with the discard, try these sourdough flour tortillas, this Irish soda bread, these pancakes or make peasant bread as outlined in this troubleshooting post.
As noted above, I’ve left my starter for as long as three to four weeks in the fridge without feeding it, and it has “awakened” beautifully, though I don’t recommend, if you can help it, waiting that long in between feedings.
How to Tell if Your Starter is Healthy
If you are just getting started with sourdough, it may be hard to “read” the various smells of your starter. Depending on what “phase” a starter is in — i.e. freshly fed or neglected for weeks in the fridge — it can smell anywhere from stinky and acidic to fresh and sweet.
Don’t be alarmed if your starter, upon pulling it from the fridge, smells a little funky. It might smell like alcohol or, as one commenter noted: dirty socks. As soon as you discard most of this sharp-smelling starter and feed it with equal parts flour and water, the aroma will instantly change. As your starter rises and approaches a doubling point, it should smell fresh and sweet.
You know you have a healthy starter when it …
- … doubles in volume within 4 to 6 hours (roughly) of feeding it.
- … floats when you drop a spoonful of it in water.
So how do you know if your starter is bad? When …
- … you see mold.
- … it doesn’t rise or is slow to rise after a feeding.
Unfortunately, if you see mold in your starter, you probably should toss it, and start over. Alternatively, you could scrape off the moldy bits, transfer a few tablespoons of what looks healthy (not moldy) to a clean jar, and feed it with equal parts flour and water.
If your starter is not doubling in volume within 4 to 6 hours of a feeding you should spend a few days strengthening it. This is what I always recommend:
- Be aggressive with how much of it you are discarding: throw away most of it, leaving behind just 2 tablespoons or so. Feed it with equal parts by weight flour and water. Start with 40 g of each or so.
- Use water that you’ve left out overnight to ensure any chlorine has evaporated. (This isn’t always necessary, but it might make a difference.)
- Buy spring or distilled water. In some places, letting water sit out overnight will not be effective, and your tap water may kill your starter.
- Feed your starter with organic flour or a small amount of rye flour or stone-milled flour (fresh or locally milled if possible). My store sells 2-lb. bags of King Arthur Flour organic all-purpose flour for $3.49 — I use it exclusively for feeding my starter.
- Once you feed your starter, cover the vessel with a breathable lid, and leave it alone at room temperature. After 6 hours (more or less), repeat the process: discard most of it and feed it with 40 g each flour and water.
Once you have a strong starter on hand — one that is doubling in volume within 4 to 6 hours — you can bake with it (using it at its peak doubling point) or stash it in the fridge. When you feed your starter, place a rubber band around the vessel to mark the starter’s height, which helps gauge when it has doubled
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Though I generally keep a small starter (as outlined above), inevitably I end up with sourdough discard on my hands due to the nature of the sourdough starter feeding process. And when I am organized, I put that discard to delicious use. Here are four simple recipes calling for sourdough discard:
- Simple Sourdough Discard Crackers (Pictured above.)
- Sourdough Tortillas
- Favorite Pancakes
- Irish Soda Bread
Questions? Thoughts? Shoot!
How to Feed, Maintain, and Store a Sourdough Starter
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 1 cup
Description
Where to Buy a Sourdough Starter
I have had success purchasing and activating sourdough starters from three places:
- Breadtopia ($9)
- King Arthur Flour ($9)
- Cultures for Health ($11)
As with all sourdough bread baking (and all baking in general), you will have the best results if you measure with a digital scale. The amount of starter you start with is not really important here. What is important is that you feed your starter with equal parts by weight flour and water — this is called a 100% hydration starter, and it is what many sourdough bread recipes, including all of the ones on this site, call for.
Flour
If you can find King Arthur Flour organic all-purpose flour at your local supermarket, buy that. Organic flour or a little bit of freshly milled flour will help your starter thrive.
Water
I always use tap water that I’ve left to sit out overnight, which ensures any chlorine has evaporated. In some places, letting water sit out overnight will not be effective, and your tap water may kill your starter. If you are unsure about your water, consider buying a gallon of spring water to use exclusively for feeding your starter until you get the hang of the process.
Ingredients
- 45 grams (or more or less) sourdough starter, see notes above
- 45 grams flour, see notes above
- 45 grams water, see notes above
Instructions
To Activate Your Sourdough Starter:
- Place starter in a vessel. I love these deli quart containers for this purpose.
- Add 45 g each of all-purpose flour and room-temperature water. (Note: The consistency should look like a thick batter.)
- Wait. You may see bubbles and action (rising!) in as few as 6 hours; it may take more like 18 to 24 hours. Variables include the time of year, the temperature of your kitchen, the temperature of your water, the type of flour you are using, etc.
- When the starter has roughly doubled in volume, it’s likely ready to go. Drop a spoonful of it in a glass of water. If it floats, you’re ready!
- If it doesn’t float after 24 hours, add more flour and water (equal parts), stir again, and wait.
- If you aren’t seeing any action after another 12 hours, discard most of it, and add more flour and water (equal parts), stir, and wait. Just be patient. Before you know it, your starter will be rising and bubbling and ready to go.
To Feed Your Sourdough Starter:
-
Place the vessel holding your starter on a scale, and add 45 g flour:
2. Add 45 g water:
3. Stir together and mark the top of the mixture with a rubber band:
4. Wait until the starter doubles or nearly doubles:
5. Test it! If it floats, you’re good to go!
How to Maintain Your Sourdough Starter:
- After I use my starter for a bread recipe, I do one of two things: If there is a fair amount of starter left (a half cup or 100 g), I simply stir it up, cover it, and stash it in the fridge. But if there are only a few tablespoons of starter left, I like to replenish it with a very small amount of flour and water (45 g of each). Once I add the flour and water and stir it all together, I cover the vessel and stash it in the fridge.
- Every time I use it or feed it, I discard most of it and feed it with equal amounts by weight water and flour.
- When life gets in the way, and I can’t find time for sourdough, I tend to it every 2-3 weeks by discarding most of it and feeding it with 45 g each flour and water.
To Store Your Sourdough Starter
If you are not baking regularly, store your starter in the fridge.
My preferred storage vessel is a deli quart container. When I store my starter in the fridge, I use the lid that comes with the quart container. When I feed my starter and let it sit at room temperature, I use a breathable lid.
Ideally, strive to feed your starter roughly once a week or every two weeks if you are not finding time to bake regularly. If you are baking regularly, feeding your starter once a week will be a natural part of your baking rhythm. If you are looking for ideas for what to do with the discard, try these sourdough flour tortillas or make peasant bread as outlined in this troubleshooting post.
Note: I’ve left my starter for as long as three to four weeks in the fridge without feeding it, and it has “awakened” beautifully, though I don’t recommend, if you can help it, waiting that long in between feedings.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Category: Bread
- Method: Sourdough
Keywords: sourdough, starter, feed, maintain, store, activate
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
144 Comments on “How to Feed, Maintain, and Store a Sourdough Starter”
Have loved your site! Wonderful recipes and great information on sourdough starters.
I have a question in regards to my starter, newbie here, I’ve been feeding my starter on a regular basis according to your instructions. I have finally used it to make some bread but what do I do now? Do I feed it and store it back in the fridge? Do I just stick it back in the fridge and not worry about feeding till later?
Any help is appreciated, thanks!!
★★★★★
Hi Amber! Great to hear this. Yes, store it in the fridge. Depending on how much starter you have on hand, this is what I suggest:
After I use my starter for a bread recipe, I do one of two things: If there is a fair amount of starter left (a half cup or 100 g), I simply stir it up, cover it, and stash it in the fridge.
But if there are only a few tablespoons of starter left, I like to replenish it with a very small amount of flour and water (45 g of each). Once I add the flour and water and stir it all together, I cover the vessel and stash it in the fridge.
Every time I use it or feed it, I discard most of it and feed it with equal amounts by weight water and flour.
When life gets in the way, and I can’t find time for sourdough, I tend to it every 2-3 weeks by discarding most of it and feeding it with 45 g each flour and water.
Does that make sense? Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello Ali,
I have made a couple loaves of sourdough bread. One recipe was 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 bread flour. It was ok. I also made one with all bread flour and that was good but didn’t rise as much as I would’ve liked. My question is “Can I use whole wheat starter but bread flour to make my dough. Does it matter other than to personal taste”? My whole wheat starter seems much heartier.
ThankYou,
Jill K
Hi Jill! Yes, absolutely, you can use a whole wheat starter for a recipe made with bread flour. If you haven’t checked out this troubleshooting post, it might help you identify your troubles.
Thank you for the information! I’ve had my starter going for nearly a month now but I think sometimes it’s not strong enough…I feed it once every 24 hours and only ever keep it on the kitchen counter. Some people have told me to feed it only every 48hrs.
So if I follow your advice and feed every 6 hours, I’m confused about what to do at night…just put it in the fridge?
★★★★★
Hi Stephanie,
There are lots of ways to go about it, but the first thing I’ll ask is: how much are you discarding before you feed it? If you are not discarding most of it, leaving just a few tablespoons of it behind, that’s where I would start. Once you get to a place where your starter is doubling in volume after a feeding within 6 to 8 hours (or even 12), then you can stash it away in the fridge for weeks.
Hi Ali,
Thanks for your course and also for your dedication to bvreadmaking ))))
Yet, I am committed to do my own starter! Could you share your recipe please? I have tried to do it before but it wasn´t properly rising and also it gained a kind of acidic liquid on the top – which later I found out it was a sign of hungry starter – and it was creating a sticky dough.
Thanks,
Hi Alla! I am still in the process of getting my recipe together and in a blog post. My basic process is simple: mix together equal parts by weight flour and water and let it sit for 48 hours. Then, discard most of it, leaving behind 50 grams, and feed it with fresh flour and water by weight (75 g each). Repeat this process for 5 to 7 more days. If you can get your hands on organic flour or a little stone-milled flour, use it to feed your starter. Spring water may help, too.
I used a sourdough starter recipe from a different site but it stopped rising. How do I strengthen it?
Hi Erica,
The best thing to do is to discard most of it and to then feed it with equal parts by weight flour and water.
I offer more details on how to strengthen it in this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? 4 Common Sourdough Mistakes + Answers to FAQ’s
Hello! I’m really enjoying your sourdough guides and recipes! I have had a starter for almost a year now, and it’s pretty happy and healthy. I’m using organic sprouted whole wheat flour and it’s very bubbly, strong and delicious! My question is that when I feed it before baking it always doubles or more in size with lots of bubbles but it fails the float test. I have been baking with it anyway and the bread turns out great. But I don’t know why the starter won’t float. Also how many times and days in advance should I feed/ bulk up my starter after I take it out of the fridge before I bake with it? (I’m baking a loaf once a week.)
Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Hi Sophia! Thank you 🙂
If you are having success with your starter but it isn’t floating, don’t worry at all: keep doing what you are doing. A better/more reliable test than the float test is how quickly your starter doubles or triples in volume after a feeding, and it sounds as though your starter is doubling in a timely manner. Part of me wonders if the reason it isn’t floating has to do with the whole wheat flour. As an experiment, you could try making an offshoot of your starter using organic all-purpose flour or bread flour and see if that floats.
I think you can get away with feeding your starter one day in advance. So, if you want to mix a batch of dough on a Wednesday, feed your starter once either later Tuesday evening, so it’s ready by Wednesday morning. Or, better: feed it once Tuesday morning, then again Tuesday evening. OR: once Tuesday any time, then again on Wednesday morning.
Hope this helps!
Thank you, I appreciate your guidance and suggestions! I have made your sourdough loaf and focaccia recipes a few times now and they are the best breads I’ve ever made! Each time I make them, and refine my technique, they get better and better! Such magic that time and a few simple ingredients can make delicious bread!
🧡
★★★★★
So true Sophia! I am constantly amazed how flour, water, and salt can combine to form something so incredibly delicious and satisfying. Thanks so much for writing!
First 2 times were great. Then I left the starter for a week. Didn’t refresh it enough. Tried the refrig proof. Do you need to let the dough warm to room temp before baking?
★★★★★
Hi Toby! No need to let the dough come to room temperature first. After 18-24 hours in the fridge, the dough is ready to go!
Hello- Question. You have moved from a 100% rise on your first proofing to a 50% rise. Any particular reason? Second, have you tried different cultures? I have wondered about different sourness levels.
I bought your book sometime ago. Then I found your website. You have put a lot of work into one of the best sites on the web for foodies. Much valuable information on sourdough.Great photography and layout.
I really like the piano practice in the background. Some of my favorite childhood tunes.
Hi Don! Thanks so much for writing and for your kind words. So nice to hear all of this.
OK, yes, I now advise people to end their bulk fermentation when the dough increases in volume by 50%. The reason is that for many people, when they let the dough increase in volume by 100%, it’s often too much, and when it increases this much, the dough over ferments and then loses all structure and strength.
All of this said: if you have success with your dough increasing in volume by 100%, by all means keep doing it. (I have had dough triple in volume and be just fine.)
I think starters play a role here, of course, too, and so for some people given their starter, a 50% increase in volume is best, but for others a bigger (or smaller) increase in volume is best.
I think sourdough is all about experimenting and finding what works best for you in your environment, given your starter and the flour you are using.
Hope that clarifies!
Regarding other starters, no, I haven’t really experimented with other cultures. I’m currently using a starter that I activated from King Arthur Flour several years ago.
Let me know if there is anything else!
Such a *helpful* guide on how to make and maintain a sourdough starter. Thank you!!
★★★★★
So nice to hear this, Kalani! Thanks for writing 🙂
Really clear and well explained!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Ivana!
I was sweetly given a 2 year old starter from a co-worker and after much research landed on your site. Super helpful and I feel more confident in my sourdough skills! My starter is on the table, happily full from its first feeding. Hopefully tomorrow my house will smell amazing when I bake my first loaf.
Thank you again!!
★★★★★
So great to hear this, Cat! Thanks so much for writing. Hope your first loaf turned out great 🙂 🙂 🙂
Love these clear, concise directions. My starter is much happier now and I’m not having the worry, frustration, & waste that I had been having in learning to make my own sourdough yummies!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear this, Rhonda! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Alexandra, First of all, thank you for all the great recipes. I have made quite a few bread recipes, they are easy and have a great success rate. I have also made other recipes other than bread recipe.
One of the questions I have is on starter for sourdough. During winter can we put in proofer to activate the starter?
I would really appreciate your response, Thank you.
Preeti
★★★★★
Hi Preeti! Thank you for your kind words. Means a lot 🙂 By proofer, do you mean bread proofer? (As opposed to a proofing setting on your oven?) Yes to the bread proofer — it should help your starter rise in a more timely manner.
I love all of your recipes! What is the best way to freeze baked bread? I do not want it to go bad before I can finish my extra loaves! Thank you for all you share with us here!💜
★★★★★
Hi Priscilla! I would freeze it in an airtight bag like a ziploc bag. Having a stash of jumbo ziploc bags on hand is really handy for bread. You can double up these bags to protect the loaf if you think you’ll be freezing it for longer than a month or so. You can freeze the bread with great results for 3 to 6 months (probably longer actually).
Hi Alexandra,
Thank you for all of the sourdough insight. I am a newbie and have baked a few loaves, it is fun and for the most part, has been successful. Definitely my new hobbie.
I was wondering if I always need to only use the starter once it has doubled (while it is doubled). I get confused on this point, should I feed the starter again if it has deflated before I use it?
Thanks so much!!!
Stephen
Hi Stephen!
Yes, ideally you use the starter when it has doubled or tripled in volume. If you catch it shortly after it starts falling, it might be fine, but my biggest tip for sourdough bakers is to make sure your starter is super active before you start — it’s such a long process, you may as well start on the right foot.
So, if your starter begins falling, discard most of it; then feed it with equal parts flour and water and let it rise again until it doubles or triples. You want to use it at its peak. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks so much for all of your information! I’ve been using your recipe and did a bit of fine-tuning to get a really lovely loaf–beautiful crumb, good rise, nice crust. *But* the flavor is very bland, more like a white bread loaf. I have found that to get the best shape, I let the bulk rise go to about double or even 2.5 instead of the 50% you now recommend…could that somehow eliminate the tang? I love a good tangy sourdough, and that’s the last bit of fine-tuning my loaf needs…any advice? Thanks in advance!
★★★★★
Hi! I don’t think increasing the bulk fermentation volume is affecting the tang … if anything that would give it more of a tang.
Question: are you doing a cold proof?
I’ve tried refrigerating the dough just before baking (for 30-60 minutes, so I don’t know if that counts), and also refrigerated it overnight to get the timing right for baking. But I don’t know if either of those counts as cold proofing…at what stage would you recommend that?
Hi! OK, try doing this: after the bulk fermentation and after you shape the dough into a round or boule, transfer the dough to the prepared bowl or basket for proofing. Tuck the bowl into a plastic bag — like a produce bag from the grocery store — and tie a loose knot. Transfer to the fridge for at least 24 hours; then bake. See if that makes a difference!
Thanks, this does seem to have improved the flavor!
Great to hear, Daria!
Hello, I am following the 45 water and 45 flour to make a starter but after 4 days it is still very liquid but has a lot of bubbles do I need to put more flour? Smells strong!
Hi! Are you being aggressive without how much you are discarding before you feed it? What type of flour are you using? And are you using a scale?
Hi Ali …
We’re bread friends by now 🙂
I’ve mentioned before that my year old & strong rye starter hasn’t been performing as well lately. I thought it might be due to the 100% rye feeding which makes it dry and tends to make the dough feel less hydrated.
I did an experiment last week & made 2 loaves using your 400 gram recipe:
– one loaf was made with my100% rye starter after feeding it with all rye flour & letting it double.
– the other was made with that same rye starter after feeding it with King Arthur Bread Flour & letting it double.
I used 1:1:1ratio
The KABF-fed starter made a much higher, more open loaf than the all-rye starter.
I went back to the drawing board & reread all your starter tips. Then a friend referred me to Kristen Dennis (Full Proof Baking). I was happy to see that you follow Kristen, as do my 2 other favorite Instagram bakers. I watched Kristen’s entire starter feeding tutorial on YouTube. She feeds her active starter for 3 days with micro-feedings!! And that’s not just to get a weak starter active again. This is her usual method.
Wow! I feel discouraged and wonder if I’ll keep at it. I had hoped I’d get better & better at sourdough, but am going in the other direction. The more I read (now that I actually understand some bread lingo), the more it feels like I’m getting farther from improving my loaves. There are SOOOOOO many variables.
I know you have good reasons for skipping other bakers’ sourdough recommendations which is why I’m asking you:
– How key is 3 days of micro-feeding my starter to making a great sourdough loaf?
Thanks for everything you do & for all of your teaching & sharing!
Anthea
Hi Anthea!
I think it all depends on what you are after. I love Kristen Dennis and truly consider her the authority on sourdough bread baking — I mean, her loaves are insane, right??
For me, I can’t be bothered with that sort of feeding regimen, and as you know, I keep it very simple: I feed my starter with equal parts flour (all-purpose or bread or organic all-purpose, etc.) and the wildest I get is using 25% freshly milled flour.
Will my loaves ever be as lofty and open-crumbed as Kristen’s? No. Will they still be exceptionally tasty and make wonderful toast and dinner bread? Yes.
So, it’s all about managing your expectations and it’s all about doing what feels manageable to you. You could drive yourself crazy going after the “perfect” loaf. In the end, is all the time and effort worth it? I think for some it is. I think for others it is not.
Truthfully I am just as happy eating my mother’s 3-hour peasant bread as I am eating a 2-day sourdough boule 🙂
When you discard the starter and then feed it– you say to use equal parts (45 grams) of water/flour, but how many grams of starter do I need to start with for each feeding? When I discard, am I keeping 45grams so it’s 45/45/45?
Hi Dee! The truth is that it doesn’t really matter because the starter itself will always be at 100% hydration meaning it is made with equal parts flour and water by weight. But, ideally, you want to start with a small amount — a tablespoon or two. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being aggressive with how much you are discarding. You can start with 45 grams if you want, but less — not sure of the weight of 1-2 tablespoons of starter — is better.
Hi Ali:
Love your book, and your Mom’s Peasant Bread.
I’m venturing into sourdough. A friend gave me some starter and I have fed it, and it doubles well. Then I put it in the refrigerator and it deflates. Is that supposed to happen? I’m ready to feed it first thing in the morning, so I can start a loaf tomorrow afternoon, but I’m concerned I’m not doing something correctly.
Is the starter supposed to deflate and go back to where it started?
Thanks,
Jeannie
Yep! That is correct. Once you feed your starter, it will rise and double or triple in volume and it will stay at that peak height for a brief period of time (a couple of hours or so). Then, whether it is at room temperature or in the fridge, it will start deflating.
Let me know if you have any other questions. As always: be aggressive when feeding: discard most of it, then replenish with fresh flour and water, equal parts by weight.
Hey Ali! Thanks for such a detailed but simple recipe for sourdough starters. My starter consistently doubles when I discard and feed; however, it takes more like 10-12 hours to do so. I live in a typically cold and dry location, but I’m curious how important the 4-6 hour window is? As long as it’s doubling, am I okay to bake with it?
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Hi Julie! The 4-6 window is not as important as doubling, so yes, it should be fine to bake with it. You bulk fermentation may take longer, too, so just rely on visual cues — letting the dough nearly double in volume — before ending the bulk fermentation.
Also, in colder locations, a longer rise is typical. You can try to strengthen it by feeding it more often: try feeding it at night before you go to bet, leave it at room temperature, then feed it again in the morning, and then again that night before bed, begin sure to be aggressive with how much you discard (you should only have a couple of tablespoons at the most of discard left behind before you feed it). Hope that helps!
I have made this sourdough recipe about 1/2 a dozen times now. It’s the only recipe I use because it comes out perfectly every time!
I have a weird question. A few times now I’ve checked on my starter and it has separated in the fridge. What’s that about?
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Gamin Dobbie
Gaminbeth1106@gmail.com
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Hi! That’s normal. Pour of the gray liquid stuff on the top… that’s called the hooch. Then stir and proceed.
I have been using sourdough for a while now and absolutely love it. BUT, I have a question. I too leave my sourdough starter in the fridge, but I was always taught to cover it by loosely placing the lid on top. Are you saying you actually seal it in the refrigerator?
I do! I use those deli quart containers (as opposed to glass container with those clamps that really really seal the jar closed) with a lid. I find that if I use a loose cover in the fridge, my starter dries out or forms a huge crust on the top layer.
Hi! My friend just gave me some of her starter and showed me how to do this process based on this recipe! My first loaf (which was made with her starter) was AMAZING! So so yummy. So now it’s a week later and I’m doing it myself for the first time. I’ve taken my starter out of the fridge and fed it. The only thing is- my friend said that she almost never discards. She just feeds the whole starter after it reaches room temp (from being taken out of fridge) with 60g flour and 60g water. After it doubles she uses it to make her bread and then stirs what’s left of the starter and stores it in the fridge for 5-7 days. I see that you recommended discarding every time you use or feed it. She doesn’t do that but her breads turn out great. My ratio this morning was roughly 240g starter: 60g water: 60g flour. Can you shed light on the discarding confusion on my part?
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Hi Marnie! I find that when you don’t discard, the starter can get super acidic, which affects both the flavor and the strength of the dough — it can weaken the gluten. That said, I am a believer in experimenting. Follow your friend’s method! See what happens. If you are happy, continue on. If not, try the discard method. There is no right way to do it 🙂
So say you store the starter for a.week without using. You take it out of the fridge and do what in order to bake??
Hi! You would discard most of it, feed it with equal parts by weight flour and water, and wait for it to double or triple in volume. I like to feed it at least twice before using, but if you have a strong starter, you may be able to get away with only 1 feeding.