You’ve done it! You’ve created a living batter filled with wild yeast. Now let’s see how to feed & maintain your sourdough starter.
If you haven’t made your starter yet, visit this post to see how to make a sourdough starter from scratch.
Right off the bat I’m going to say that there are a million ways to feed, maintain and use a sourdough starter. In fact, after you’re done reading this post, you should read through my instructions for How to keep a small sourdough starter to see of that method would work better for you.
I am going to outline for you how I maintain my sourdough starters. I tend to have a fairly relaxed attitude towards the process. It works for me and I think my approach can work for you if you don’t bake bread every single day (and even if you do).
At the end of the post you’ll find a how-to card that lists the ingredient amounts and steps to follow each time you feed your starter.
But first I’m going to give you all the how’s and why’s and try to answer any questions you might have.
Tips for using and maintaining your sourdough starter:
- Since I don’t bake every day, I keep my starters (yes, I have 3) in the refrigerator.
- If I’m making a 2-day recipe (most of mine are) I take the starter out of the refrigerator early in the morning of the day I’m making the dough. If the starter is inactive I feed it right away and it should be ready by early afternoon.
- If I’m making a 1-day recipe, I’ll take the starter out the night before and feed it if it’s inactive. It should be ready to use first thing in the morning.
- When the starter is cold from the refrigerator, I feed the starter using fairly warm water, warmer than body temp. The warm water will jump-start the cold starter.
- If the starter has been fed within the last 2-3 days, and has been refrigerated, you can probably go ahead and use it without feeding.
- If you’re not sure if the starter is active, drop a dollop into a bowl of water to see if it floats. If it does, it’s ready for baking.
- I write all my sourdough recipes to use 8 oz of active starter. After using 8 oz of starter in the recipe, I’m left with 4 oz of starter, exactly the right amount for feeding.
Schedule for feeding your sourdough starter:
- Your starter needs to be fed about 1x per week if refrigerated, and every day if left at room temperature.
- Generally, about 5-6 hours after feeding my starter is ready. The time may vary based on room temp, dough temp, etc. The starter should have doubled in volume and started to recede and/or pass the float test.
- I take my starter out of the refrigerator once a week for feeding, even if I’m not baking. Although, truth be told, I often go longer than a week between feedings and I haven’t killed it yet.
- After you’ve removed the portion of starter for baking, feed the starter again and leave it at room temperature for 3-4 hours before putting it back in the refrigerator.
FAQs about feeding & maintaining Sourdough Starter:
- What if I forget to feed my starter for several weeks? Honestly, I’ve gone longer than a month without feeding my starter and I haven’t killed it yet. Give it a feeding and see if it wakes up. If it’s alive, keep feeding it until it is reliably doubling in size within 4-5 hours.
- Can I use a neglected starter as soon as it’s been fed? If you go more than about 2 weeks between feedings, you might want to give the starter 2-3 feedings before using. A starter that hasn’t been fed for weeks will be quite sluggish and your dough won’t be as lively.
- Can I make dough with cold starter straight from the refrigerator? If your starter was fed a day or two before, it’s possible to use the starter straight from the refrigerator. Give it a float test to make sure it’s active. The dough may take a little longer to ferment since the temperature of the dough will be colder.
- What is that gray liquid on top of my starter, has it died? It’s called “hooch” and don’t worry, your starter is still alive. Just stir that water back into the starter before feeding. Again, you might need 2 feedings to completely revive the starter since it’s been quite dormant.
- Do I have to weigh the ingredients? To maintain your starter at 100% hydration it is best and most accurate to weigh your ingredients. If you’re just a little bit off every time you feed, eventually, your starter could be thrown out of balance.
- What if a recipe calls for less than 8 oz of starter? No problem, use the amount of starter called for in the recipe. Then weigh out 4 oz of the remaining starter for feeding and discard the rest.
- Do I have to discard starter? If you continually feed the starter without discarding, you’ll end up drowning in starter.
- Can I bake with the discard? Yes, even if the discard is not active enough for baking bread, you can add it to many other recipes as a flavor and texture enhancer.
- If I go on vacation, do I have to take the starter with me? Unless you’re going away for an extended time, your starter should be just fine for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. If you’ll be gone really long-term, put the starter into the freezer or dry it. Frozen or dried starter will need several feedings to rejuvenate.
Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!
If you appreciate this detailed information, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
How to Feed Sourdough Starter
Here are the amounts listed for feeding Sourdough Starter.
Materials
- 4 oz (112g) unfed sourdough starter
- 4 oz (112g) all purpose flour
- 4 oz (120 ml) water, room temperature
Tools
- 1 quart glass or plastic container
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Kitchen Scale
Instructions
- Weigh 4 oz of your unfed starter into a clean container. Discard the extra starter (see note)
- Add the flour and water and mix until combined. Set aside at room temperature.
- The starter is ready to use when it has doubled in volume and a small spoonful floats when dropped into a bowl of water. This generally takes 4-5 hours but the time can vary based on dough temperature and room temperature.
- If you do not plan to bake with the starter on the day it is fed, refrigerate 3-4 hours after feeding.
- Feed refrigerated starter weekly. If you go longer than a week without feeding, you may want to give the starter two feedings before using.
Notes
Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard if you don't want to throw it away.
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Jim
I enjoy your website and recipes. Thank you.
I have a dumb question…When feeding a starter, do I need to measure 4 oz. each time and discard and then add that or add to the starter without discarding what I have in container?
Another question…Can I have 8 oz. of starter then add 8 oz. of AP flour and water to that?
I would like to make sourdough bread and pretzels the same day. so I need to make sure that I have enough sourdough starter.
This is my first time making starter so it is trial & error for me.
Thanks
Eileen Gray
Let me see if I can answer your question. The way I have my starter recipe written you should always have 12 oz of starter as your base. Each time you feed the starter you take out 4 oz of the unfed starter and combine it with 4 oz of flour and 4 oz of water. Discard (or use) the remaining 8 oz of starter. The main thing to remember is that you always feed with equal weights of starter-water-flour. That way the starter doesn’t get out of balance. If you want to do a double bake in one day you could remove the 4 oz and feed. Set that aside as your base starter. You’re now left with 8oz. I would discard 2 oz so you’re left with 6oz. Feed that 6oz with 6oz of water 6oz of flour. You’ll have a total of 18oz. When that starter is active and ready, use what you need for the two recipes and you should just have to discard the leftover 2oz. Does that make sense?
Claudia Willis
I am confused. Do I throw away the bulk of the stater every week if in frig and reduce my starter down to 1/2 c if I am not using it to bake that week…I was confused by your explanation above. Why are you discarding 2oz to have 18oz?
Eileen Gray
You should always have 12 oz of starter as the base. Each time you feed the starter you either discard (if it’s not active) or use (if it is active) 8 oz of the starter. The remaining 4 oz is combined with 4 oz of water and 4 oz of flour to regenerate the starter base back to 12 oz. For folks who bake every day or several times per week, the starter will remain active and the 8 oz that is removed can be used right away for baking. For folks who bake less often and store the starter in the fridge between baking sessions the starter will go dormant in the refrigerator. In other words, the yeast has eaten most of the food available from the previous feeding and needs more food before it’s active enough for baking. In that case you must to discard the 8 oz of starter because it’s not active enough for baking. The previous comment about the 18 oz of starter is specifically for someone who was interested in doing a double bake in one day. You can ignore those numbers if you only plan to bake 1 recipe at a time. I hope this answers your question. Ask me if you need more clarification.
Carla Beals
If you’re discarding a portion of the starter but you want to use it the next day in baking, can you save the discard In the fridge for use? Or do you have to use it that same day?
Eileen Gray
Do you keep your starter at room temp? If you do, why not just refrigerate the entire starter then take it out the next day and use what you need and feed the starter then? If you keep the starter refrigerated just wait a day to feed it. Hope that answers your question.
Danice
If I want to save discard for new starters for family do I feed it then refrigerate till I can deliver them?Thanks
Eileen Gray
Yes, exactly. Just use the discard (4oz) to create a new starter and maintain until you can deliver it. Happy Baking!
Danice
Thank you, your site has been very informative for me.
Laura
If I feed the starter at night should I leave it out overnight to use to make dough in the morning?
Eileen Gray
Yes. By morning is should be nice and active.
Sheena
Does the starter have to be stored with a lid on or just a loose covet
Eileen Gray
While growing the starter I use a loose fitting lid. Once the starter is established I keep it with a fitted lid. I refrigerate mine between baking sessions since I don’t bake every day.
Sheena
Does the starter have to be stored with a lid on or just a loose cover
Eileen Gray
I use a plastic deli container and put the lid loosely on top. Any sort of loose cover will work.
Bernie
Hi, I read you have to keep starter in a container with a tight fitting lid so I’ve been using a kilner jar. You mention previously it should have a loose fitting lid. Is a kilner jar not suitable? Thanks for all the info.
Eileen Gray
I use a loose fitting lid when growing the starter. Once the starter is established I keep it in a plastic deli container with the lid fitted tightly. I keep it refrigerated between baking sessions since I don’t bake every day.
Hilary
This was great and helpful! I just got a starter from a friend that has been doing this a year. This put it in simple terms I can come back to if I need extra help! Thanks!
Eileen Gray
That’s great. Enjoy your sourdough journey.
Holly
Hi, I’ve just started my sourdough starter journey. A friend gave me their starter and I have fed it everyday. It’s 4oz in starter and I add in 4oz of flour and 4oz of water. Today is day 3. The starter has risen but not double in size. There are bubbles and it smells a bit tangy (quite nice actually). I leave it out everyday in the kitchen on top of the fridge and feed it once a day.
Do I continue feeding it 4oz everyday until it doubles? Or do I make the feeds more frequent e.g. twice a day? Is it ok to leave out until the starter is active and established rather than store in fridge? Many thanks
Eileen Gray
Well, it might double and then begin to collapse without you noticing. Is there a significant rise even if it’s not quite doubled? As long as it’s actively rising every day and smells nice and yeasty it should be good to use. I like to use mine right after it has finished rising and is beginning to collapse back. There’s lots of activity at that point. There should be no need to feed more than 1x per day. If you’re not ready to bake with it I would go ahead and put it in the refrigerator until you’re ready. But since it’s already active I would go ahead and get baking. Have fun!
Dawn F
I have an heirloom starter, but it seems VERY runny. Everything I’ve made has been overly dense, which leads me to believe that it’s not active. In fact, I just tried to activate and after 8 hours, it failed the float test.
How do I thicken up the starter?
Eileen Gray
Have you been feeding with equal weights of starter-water-flour? How much starter do you have? You could take just an ounce of starter and feed it with an ounce of water and an ounce of flour and see how it does.
Holly
Thanks for your reply! It rises about 25% from what I can see. It failed the float test though. Do I continue feeding it everyday in the hope it will rise more?
Eileen Gray
I would keep feeding it until it’s quite active. Are you using unbleach ap flour for feeding? You can try to give it a little whole grain rye or wheat flour. Sometimes the starter likes the whole grain for an extra boost.
Holly
My starter has finally doubled earlier this evening! hooray. But I can see it collapsing as it doubled a couple of hours ago. Do I need to feed it again to keep it active until i’m ready to bake, which is some point this weekend?
Janice
So glad I found your site! Great resource.
How do you know if your starter is out of balance?
Eileen Gray
By out of balance I mean that it’s not made up of equal weights of water-flour (100% hydration). But there are plenty of folks who keep a wet starter that is more water than flour and some people keep a stiff starter that is more flour than water. If you have a wet or stiff starter you just need to account for that when mixing the dough. Since my recipes are all written for a 100% starter you would need to adjust the ingredients to accommodate your starter. Do you already have a starter? Did you make it or did someone give it to you? If the starter has the texture of a very thick pancake batter it’s probably a 100% hydration starter.
Janice
Thanks! I was recently given my starter (it’s been in her family for years) and I assumed I should feed 1:1:1. But it’s become watery, doesn’t double and separates within 24 hours. I read your page and I think I’ve unbalanced it. It still bubbles but isn’t as active as before.
Eileen Gray
Do you feed 1:1:1 by weight or by volume? 1/2 cup of water is 4 oz but a 1/2 cup of flour is 2.5 oz. So if you use volume measure you will have a looser starter. Nothing wrong with that, but it may need to be fed more often.
Brinda
Absolutely love reading your tips and I will surely try your recipes too. I have just started my yeast starter with 4tbs flour and 3 tbs water and it’s been 6 days already. I did the float test and it was successful. It’s tripled in size and very happy . But I’m a bit confused on how to carry on feeding my yeast from now on. I intend to bake in 2-3 days and would use 3/4 of the yeast
mixture . I would leave a 1/4 in the jar and
would you be able to tell me how to proceed to keep it active . How much flour and water do I use and also can I keep it on my kitchen counter as I intend to bake on week ends. .
Thank you ever so much!
Eileen Gray
Read this post about growing your starter and you can also read this post about keeping a small starter.
Kristina
Eileen, your site is great. Like many people I recently created a starter. I made your overnight cinnamon buns and was so thrilled when they rose and filled the pan without added commercial yeast. I’m confused about the term “100% hydration “. I made the sourdough bloodies ( they’re in the oven). You state you had good results from a starter that had been in the fridge a week. The recipe calls for 100% hydration starter. I don’t know if I was supposed to feed it or not before using. Thanks for any clarification.
Eileen Gray
100% hydration refer to how the starter is fed. The percent expresses the relation of the amount of liquid to the flour. So 100% means the starter is fed with equal weights of flour and water. If you have 80% hydration that would mean you have 80 percent flour to water, e.g. 8g of water and 10g of flour. The Sourdough Blondies use the “discard”. That is the stuff you throw away when you need to feed your starter. “Discard” recipes like the blondies give you the opportunity to use up that stuff rather than throw it away. Since my starter had in the refrigerator, unfed, for a week the flavor was pungent and sour. I like how that comes through in the blondies.
Pam
I have a starter that is bubbly, is nearly overflowing the jar on day4 which seems early to me. Do I continue to feed? And for how long? Or is it time to do a float test and be able to bake or refrigerate until I am ready? Thank you for your help.
Eileen Gray
I would give it a few more days. Even though is it bubbling you want to give it a few more days to get the nice yeasty aroma. You want the right balance of bacteria and yeast before baking with it. Have you read through my How To Make A Sourdough Starter post? You’ll see day by day photos and notes on the activity and smell.
Cheryl Martin
Hi Eileen,
I have tried to start my sourdough 3 times now. Again it is runny and I really never see it rise. In the mornings it has a soft pink colored liquid on top which I just stir back into the batter. I am using one cup water to one cup of flour when feeding it of which the recipe called for. I have seen 4oz in some of your comments so I have a couple of questions,
1) Can I use a glass bowl to make my started in or should I be using a glass jar.?
2) Do I remove and add 4 or 8 oz when feeding
3) Is my starter ok even though runny and has the pinkish fluid on top?
Today is day 6 so I am going to feed every 12 hours but not sure if I remove .4 or 8 oz each time.
I look forward to hearing from you!!
Cheryl
Eileen Gray
Hi Cheryl, If you see pink or orange streaks in the starter you should discard it and start over. Pink or orange streaks indicate bad bacteria has grown in the starter. Same if you see any type of mold at all. If the liquid is clear or even a darkish gray that just the “hooch” and it ok. But definitely there shouldn’t be any pink or orange at all. Answers to your questions:
1) You can use any type of container as long as you cover it. Plastic wrap or foil is fine. You don’t want to surface to dry out.
2) The amount you discard when feeding depends on your own schedule. I have two methods; the full starter method is always kept at 12 oz. and is always fed with equal weights of starter-flour-water. This is the method described here in this post. I also keep a small starter which is maintained at 3 oz and fed 2x before using.
3) No, If it is really pink then it should be discarded. Grayish liquid just means the starter is hungry, but any pink, orange or mold is bad.
Kathy
Dear Eileen
I am almost 80 and have been making bread and cooking for countless years for a family of 6(4 hungry children). Because of the lack of availability of bakers yeast, I’ve started experimenting with sourdough. I “stumbled” on your soft crust sourdough sandwich recipe and it is WONDERFULLY delicious and a godsend to me. With the arthritis in my hands, as slicing crusty bread is painful. My question is: Is there any room for substituting some of the white flour with rye flour?
Eileen Gray
Yes, you could use about 1/3 rye and 2/3 white. Of course it will change the texture of the bread. I also have a nice Sourdough Rye Bread recipe that is a personal favorite of mine.
Kathy
I would love to get that recipe from you and give it a try, especially if it is as delicious as the white sandwich loaf! How do I get that recipe?
SO
So I got a starter from a friend and I baked with it and then fed it…. I think I followed things right but after a few days in the fridge it is pretty solid looking. How long does it take until it develops that more liquid texture? have I screwed it up and can I fix it?
Eileen Gray
The texture will depend on how you feed. If you feed equal weights of starter-flour-water the texture will be similar to a very thick pancake batter. Mine often thins out after being the fridge for a week or so. If you are feeding with more flour the starter will be more solid. Whatever the texture, as long as it is rising and falling it is alive and can be used in your recipes.
Kathy
I am anxious to make your sourdough rye with caraway as soon as I can get out to buy the stone ground rye flour to add to the recipe. However, I would like to have a more sour taste to the rye than with the white bread. How do I do this. Can I add dill pickle juice to the recipe? Or is there a more favored method?
Eileen Gray
The amount of sour in a sourdough is about how to ferment the dough. A long cool rise encourages more acetic than lactic acid in the dough. Acetic acid is tangier. So instead of letting the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, you can leave it for 2 days. Also, if you feed your starter less frequently leading up to making the bread the sour will be stronger. Don’t poor off the “hooch” (liquid) that forms on top of an unfed starter.