How to Feed Your Sourdough Starter

How to Feed and Maintain Your Sourdough Starter!

Before we get into the details of feeding your starter, let’s cover the basics of where to source one.

###Where to Buy a Sourdough Starter

You can make your own starter from scratch, but I prefer buying a dried starter and activating it myself. "Activating" simply means adding flour and water, stirring, and waiting—feeding a sourdough starter is as simple as that.
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If you're ready to jump in, you can purchase a dried starter for as little as $19.
Follow our step-by-step instructions to activate your starter using these dried flakes.

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#How Often to Feed Your Starter

Once you’ve created your sourdough starter, it’s time to keep it healthy with regular feedings. Here’s how:

**Room Temperature Storage**

If you bake often, store your starter at room temperature and feed it daily.

**Refrigerator Storage**

If you’re a casual baker, keep your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week.

How you store your starter depends on your baking habits. If you want it always ready to go, keep it at room temperature; otherwise, the fridge is fine.

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#How to Feed Your Starter: Step-by-Step Instructions

**Room Temperature Starter:**
1. After your starter is active, discard all but 1-2 tablespoons. You can use the discard in other recipes.

2. Add 100g of flour and 100g of room temperature water to the jar.

3. Mix until no dry flour is left.

4. Repeat this every 24 hours.

5. Your starter is ready for baking when it reaches peak activity (usually in 6-8 hours, depending on room temperature).

6. If you’re not planning to bake for a few days, you can refrigerate it after a fresh feed.

**Refrigerated Starter:**

1. Take the starter out of the fridge.
2. If there’s liquid on top (“hooch”), drain it off or stir it in.
3. Discard all but 1-2 tablespoons. You can use the discard in other recipes.
4. Add 100g of flour and 100g of room temperature water to the jar.
5. Mix until no dry flour is left.
6. Put it back in the fridge and repeat the process seven days later.

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#Preparing Your Starter for Baking

1. Take the starter out of the fridge or off the counter.
2. Discard all but 1-2 tablespoons and feed it with equal parts (100g each) flour and water.
3. Loosely cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature. It should bubble and expand within 6-8 hours, up to 12 if it’s cold.
4. The starter is ready when it reaches peak activity (stops rising and starts to fall).
5. Spoon out what you need for your recipe.
6. Feed the remaining starter as usual and store it based on your preferred method.

#Food for Thought

Here are some simple tips for maintaining your sourdough starter:

- Always feed your starter with equal parts flour and water, whether it’s ½ cup or 2 cups. Weighing the ingredients helps keep the ratio accurate.

- Use your sourdough discard in pancakes, waffles, cakes, pizzas, flatbreads, or cookies.

- Learn your starter’s rhythm: how it rises and falls, and how it reacts to more or less frequent feedings. It’ll soon become second nature.

Ready to nurture your sourdough starter? Check out our Sourdough Starter Kit. It has everything you need to get started—grab your kit today.