Keeping Your Sourdough Starter Alive
A healthy starter is less about rigid rules and more about reading the rhythm of your kitchen. When you learn to spot the signs of hunger versus the signs of activity, you can bake whenever you choose.
Consistency beats perfection
Your starter only needs a clean jar and a consistent ratio to thrive. Don't worry about exact timing; as long as it gets fed regularly, it will be ready for dough.
- Digital kitchen scale
- Wide-mouth glass jar
- Sturdy silicone spatula
What goes in.
- 50gestablished sourdough starter
- 50gunbleached all-purpose or bread flour
- 50gfiltered water, lukewarm
Managing the Volume
Removing a portion of the starter before feeding prevents the culture from becoming overwhelmed and ensures you don't end up with gallons of discard. Use a 1:1:1 ratio—starter to flour to water—for standard maintenance.
The method.
Weigh the starter
Place your jar on the scale and tare it. Keep 50 grams of your active starter in the jar.
Add fresh food
Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water to the jar.
Mix thoroughly
Use the spatula to scrape the sides down and incorporate every bit of dry flour. The consistency should resemble thick, sticky porridge.
Set and wait
Loosely cover the jar with a lid or cloth. Let it sit in a spot away from direct heat until it doubles in size and shows visible bubbles throughout.
Other turns to take.
Cold Storage
If you bake once a week, place the jar in the back of the fridge after the initial feed. Feed it once every seven days to keep the colony healthy.
Whole Grain Boost
If the starter seems sluggish, replace half the all-purpose flour with whole rye or whole wheat flour to introduce more nutrients for the yeast.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a rubber band around the outside of the jar to mark the level immediately after feeding; it makes it easy to see when the starter has doubled.
If you see a dark liquid on top (hooch), it just means the starter is hungry. Pour it off or stir it back in, then feed as usual.
Small jars are better than large ones; you want to maintain only as much as you need for your next bake.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know if my starter is 'bad'?
A healthy starter smells like yogurt or slightly fruity. If it develops pink or orange streaks or grows fuzzy mold on the surface, it is time to discard and start over.
Do I have to throw away the discard?
Not at all. You can keep it in a separate container in the fridge and use it in pancakes, crackers, or other recipes that don't require the yeast to do the heavy lifting.
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