Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter: Daily Care Guide

Understanding Your Starter

Your starter is a symbiotic culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. They need:

• Food: Flour provides starches for fermentation
• Water: Hydration for microbial activity
• Time: Regular cycles of feeding and rest
• Temperature: Warmth speeds activity, cold slows it

Daily Maintenance (Room Temperature)

If you bake frequently (3+ times per week):

1. Feed once or twice daily
2. Discard most of the starter before feeding
3. Standard ratio: 1:5:5 (starter:flour:water by weight)
4. Keep in a loosely covered jar at room temperature

Feeding Schedule Example

Weekly Maintenance (Refrigerator)

If you bake once a week or less:

1. Feed your starter normally
2. Let it rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature
3. Refrigerate in a sealed container
4. Feed once a week, or the day before baking

Signs of a Healthy Starter

• Doubles (or more) in size within 4-8 hours after feeding
• Pleasant yeasty, tangy smell
• Lots of bubbles throughout
• Consistent behavior day to day
• Floats when dropped in water (at peak)

Signs Something's Wrong

• No rise: Starter may be too cold or underfed
• Liquid on top (hooch): Hungry—needs feeding
• Mold (fuzzy spots): Discard and start over
• Pink/orange streaks: Contamination—start fresh
• Strong alcohol smell: Very hungry—increase feeding

The Discard Question

Why do we discard before feeding?

• Without discarding, you'd need exponentially more flour
• Keeps the starter manageable in size
• Refreshes the food supply efficiently
• Discard isn't waste—use it in other recipes!

Adjusting to Your Schedule

Your starter can adapt to your life:

• Baking daily: Keep at room temp, feed 2x/day
• Baking weekly: Refrigerate, feed once/week
• Occasional baker: Refrigerate, feed before baking
• Taking a break: Freeze or dry your starter

Feeding Ratios Explained