How to Take Care of Your Sourdough Starter

When your starter arrives it might look sleepy. That is normal. Open the package and scrape every bit into a clean glass jar. Add 50 grams of organic unbleached flour and 50 grams of filtered water. Stir until it looks like thick pancake batter. Cover loosely with the lid or a clean cloth and leave it on the counter.

Tip: Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Equal weights matter more than equal cups. If you do not have a scale, 50 grams of flour is about 1/3 cup and 50 grams of water is about 3 tablespoons.

After 4 to 12 hours you should see bubbles on the surface and the starter should puff up. When it doubles in size within 4 to 6 hours of a feeding and looks foamy on top, it is ready to bake with. That happy, puffy moment is called peak activity.

If it does nothing for a whole day, your kitchen might be too cold. Move it to a warmer spot like on top of the fridge or in the oven with the light on. Do not turn the oven on.

If you bake a few times a week, keep your starter on the counter. Feed it every 12 hours. That means twice a day, usually morning and night.

1. Discard about half of the starter.
2. Add 50 grams flour and 50 grams water.
3. Stir, scrape down the sides, and cover loosely.

This is called a 1 to 1 to 1 feeding. One part starter, one part flour, one part water. It keeps your starter strong and mild tasting.

If you only bake once a week or less, the fridge is your friend. Feed your starter, wait one hour, then put the jar in the refrigerator. It will slow down and sleep, so you only need to feed it once a week.

A dark liquid might form on top. That is called hooch and it is totally normal. It means your starter is hungry. Pour it off or stir it in, then feed it right away.

Remember: A starter in the fridge is like a bear in a cave. It sleeps a lot but it is still alive.

Take the jar out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for about an hour. Then discard half and feed it 1 to 1 to 1. Leave it out and watch for bubbles.

If it was in the fridge for a long time, it might need two feedings to get really bubbly. After the second feeding it should double in size and look foamy. Then it is ready to bake.

Shortcut: If you want to bake tomorrow, take it out tonight and feed it. Feed it again in the morning. By afternoon it should be ready.

Most recipes need about 200 grams of active starter. If you only have 100 grams, feed it a bigger meal. Instead of 50 grams flour and 50 grams water, feed it 100 grams flour and 100 grams water.

You can scale up as much as you want. Just keep the ratio equal. If you want 300 grams of starter for a big bake, feed 150 grams flour and 150 grams water. The starter will eat it all and grow.

Important: Only use starter at peak activity for baking. That is when it has the most power to make your bread rise.

Discarding sounds wasteful but it is the secret to a healthy starter. If you never remove any starter, your jar would turn into a monster and the yeast would run out of food.

Before every feeding, throw away or set aside about half of the starter. Then feed what is left. The part you set aside is called discard, and it is still good to eat.

Good news: You do not have to throw discard in the trash. You can make pancakes, crackers, waffles, muffins, and more. Check out our guide for ideas.