Learn how to feed, maintain and save a backup of your sourdough starter the simple way. This tutorial is designed for beginners and home bakers that wish to bake sourdough recipes and sourdough discard recipes with easy to follow directions.
There are MANY ways to feed and maintain a sourdough starter, and with so many tutorials online, the whole process can be a bit confusing.
In this tutorial, we break down how to feed and maintain your sourdough starter in a very easy and simplified way. Let's get started!
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How to feed sourdough starter
A sourdough starter is like a pet, it has to be fed and cared for on a regular basis. The good news is that it's not as complicated as you may imagine. There are really only a few reasons you might need to feed your starter. These include, but are not limited to:
- You bake daily and always need active sourdough starter on hand.
- You need active sourdough starter called for in a recipe.
- Your starter has been in the fridge for a while and needs to be refreshed.
How to feed sourdough starter daily
If you bake daily, feed your starter with equal amounts of flour and water and store it at room temperature. The amount of flour and water you feed the starter will depend on the amount of starter that is needed for the recipe you are following.
How to feed sourdough starter for a specific recipe
The portion of sourdough starter added to the dough is often referred to as active starter or levain. Simply feed the starter using the amounts called for in the recipe you are using.
Example: Our beginners sourdough bread recipe calls for ½ cup (50 g) of active starter. In order to build ½ cup of active starter, you will combine 1 tablespoon of your existing starter, with ½ cup of flour and ¼ cup of water in a clean jar. Stir, cover loosely and let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size.
How to feed sourdough starter if you don't bake often
Sourdough starter can be stored in the fridge, unfed, for over a week and up to a few months without it going bad. As long as the starter remains cold, the fermentation of wild yeast will slow down and basically keep them "asleep" until they are brought back into a warm environment.
Don't be alarmed to find a dark liquid floating on the surface of the starter if you haven't fed it for a while. This is referred to as hooch, an indication that the starter is hungry and is perfectly normal. You can pour this liquid off or stir it back into the starter before feeding your starter. Incorporating the hooch back into the starter will produce a more sour starter.
To refresh your starter after it has been in the fridge for a while: Discard all but 25 grams and add 100 grams of filtered water and 100 grams of flour. Mix vigorously with a spatula, cover lightly and set on counter for a few hours to allow the yeast to multiply. Place the jar back into the fridge until the next time it needs to be refreshed or you wish to bake sourdough.
Collect the discarded sourdough in a separate container and store in the fridge. Use it to make sourdough discard recipes like sourdough waffles, sourdough banana bread and sourdough cinnamon rolls.
The best flour and water to use
Any wheat flour can be used to maintain your starter. Two common and economical varieties are all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
Spelt, rye and einkorn varieties are also good choices for maintaining your starter. You can use a mix of flours in a sourdough starter. I feed my starter with a mixture of 75% all-purpose and 25% whole wheat flour.
A sourdough starter can be used to make bread recipes that call for flour that is different than the one you maintain it with.
For example, if you use 100% all-purpose flour to maintain your starter and you want to try a recipe that calls for whole wheat flour and bread flour, your existing starter will work fine. There is no need to feed the starter with the same flour as the recipe calls for.
Bottled water or tap water can be used. Tap water usually contains a small amount of chlorine, which could possibly affect your starter in a negative way. If you are concerned, remove the chlorine from tap water by evaporation. Fill a bottle with tap water and let it sit uncovered for 24 hours.
How to maintain
Store your sourdough starter in a glass container that is loosely covered. Wide-mouth canning jars with a canning lid set on top or Weck jars are our favorite containers to use for sourdough starter. You can use a piece of fabric or a coffee filter secured with a rubber band to cover the jar.
If you bake every day or several times a week, keep your starter at room temperature, and feed it daily. If you don't bake very often, store your sourdough starter in the fridge between bakes.
Example of how I maintain and feed my starter
I store my sourdough starter in the refrigerator, in a large covered container. When I want to bake sourdough, I take a small amount from the container and transfer it to a clean jar. The amount I take will depend on the recipe I am making.
For example, if I need 100 grams of active starter, I will use 15 g starter, 50 g flour and 50 g water. This will technically produce 115 g of active starter, but I 'd rather err on the side of caution and have enough for the recipe rather than too little. I let the starter sit at room temperature overnight so that it's ready to use, first thing in the morning.
Any remaining starter that is leftover, once the dough is mixed, gets transferred back into the container in the fridge. When I want to make a sourdough discard recipe, such as my favorite weekly sourdough pancakes or sourdough pizza crust, I take the amount needed from the container and add it straight to the dough. No feeding is necessary with sourdough discard recipes.
Once the sourdough starter starts to get low, I add equal amounts of flour and water to the container, let it rise for a few hours and then pop it back into the fridge to keep it going!
How to make a backup
It's wise to save a small amount of your starter as a backup. You could accidentally drop your jar or the starter could become contaminated by a fruit fly. (Fruit flies love sourdough starter!)
The last thing you want to do is start all over again!
How to dry sourdough starter
Spread 200 grams of sourdough discard into a thin layer on a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper. Allow it air dry completely, about 3-4 days depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen. I place the sheet in a cold oven to keep it free from any debris that might be floating in the air. Place a sticky note on the oven so that you don't forget it's in there!
Once it's dry, break the starter into pieces and place them in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in a cool dry place for 6-12 months.
To revive the dried sourdough starter, add 50 grams to a clean jar with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour. Let sit for 24 hours and repeat daily until active and bubbly.
How to freeze sourdough starter
Pour the starter into an ice cube tray and place in freezer until frozen. Transfer the cubes into a freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to 1 year.
To reactivate the frozen starter, place a cube into a jar and allow it to thaw. Once fully thawed, feed with 100g water and 100g flour. Feed daily until active and bubbly.
Recommended kitchen tools
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more recommended kitchen tools, check out my kitchen essentials page.
- BAKER’S KITCHEN SCALE (affiliate link) A kitchen scale is a must-have for baking sourdough bread.
- BALL JARS (affiliate link) Pint size, wide-mouth ball jars are the perfect size for 225 grams of starter.
- OXO SPATULA (affiliate link) This spatula is my favorite because it is very sturdy. I also like to use an offset spatula.
- SILPAT MAT (affiliate link) This is the silicone mat I use for drying out my starter. It can also be used to bake sourdough chocolate chip cookies.
How to Feed, Maintain and Backup Sourdough Starter
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Instructions
To feed sourdough starter daily
- If you bake daily, feed your starter with equal amounts of flour and water and store it at room temperature. The amount of flour and water you feed the starter will depend on the amount of starter that is needed for the recipe you are following.
To refresh sourdough starter that has been in the fridge for over a week
- Discard all but 25 grams and add 100 grams of filtered water and 100 grams of flour. Mix vigorously with a spatula, cover lightly and set on counter for a few hours to allow the yeast to multiply. Place the jar back into the fridge until the next time it needs to be refreshed or you wish to bake sourdough.
What type of flour to use
- Any wheat flour can be used to maintain your starter. Two common and economical varieties are all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Spelt, rye and einkorn varieties are also good choices for maintaining your starter. Your sourdough starter can be used to make bread recipes that call for flour that is different than the one you maintain it with.
How to Maintain
- Store your sourdough starter in a glass container that is loosely covered. If you bake every day or several times a week, keep your starter at room temperature, and feed it daily. If you don't bake very often, store your sourdough starter in the fridge between bakes.
What to do with discarded sourdough starter
- Collect the discarded sourdough in a separate container and store in the fridge. Use it to make sourdough discard recipes. Or use the discard to make a backup starter.
How to dry sourdough starter for a backup
- Spread 200 grams of sourdough discard into a thin layer on a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper. Allow it air dry completely, about 3-4 days depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen. I place the sheet in a cold oven to keep it free from any debris that might be floating in the air. Place a sticky note on the oven so that you don't forget it's in there before turning in on to bake something.
- To revive the dried sourdough starter, add 50 grams to a clean jar with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour. Let sit for 24 hours and repeat daily until active and bubbly.
How to freeze a backup of sourdough starter
- Pour the starter into an ice cube tray and place in freezer until frozen. Transfer the cubes into a freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to 1 year.
- To reactivate the frozen starter, place a cube into a jar and allow it to thaw. Once fully thawed, feed with 100g water and 100g flour. Feed daily until active and bubbly.
This post was first published in May 2020 and revised in February 2021 to simplify the instructions, with updated information and photos.
Betsy Kim says
What a great explanation! I have a starter going now, one from the King Arthur website. I came upon your site when looking for an English muffin recipe. I just fed my starter and will try it out in the morning. Thanks for a thorough explanation on keeping your starter.
Dru Hall says
My favorite spatula too! I bought 2 since my youngest so likes making his sandwiches but doesn't like getting "goo" on his hands. But I LOVE it for sourdough baking!
Diane says
When I store my starter in the fridge do I cover it with a cloth or do I screw the lid on tightly? Thanks for all your tips. I am new to sourdough. I was given a starter from a friend she put sugar in when she fed hers. I have stopped using sugar and just feed with water and flour and it seems to be working well.
Amy says
Hi Diane, just cover the starter loosely. Pressure can build up inside the jar if you screw the lid on tight.
Lilly says
Hi Amy I’m trying to revive my starter. This is like my third day and I discarded most of it because it has black dots on top. And for some reason some of the dried stater isn’t dissolving. Can you provide me with some advice?