Created a sourdough starter? Great! Now it’s time to maintain a sourdough starter. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think! With some simple guidelines, you can continue to enjoy and use your sourdough starter in various active and discard recipes.
My family and I have been enjoying sourdough for a little over a year now, with no plans to quit. Sourdough bread fresh out of the oven tastes (and smells) amazing!
Besides the health benefits over store-bought bread, sourdough has been a surprisingly easy kitchen staple ingredient to have on hand when making bagels, cinnamon rolls, tortillas, pretzels, and sandwich bread.
Many people seem to be very intimidated by sourdough because it is something to “keep alive”.
It’s one more thing to take care of, one more thing to think about in advance, and one more thing on your plate. I felt exactly the same way when I brought my starter home from a homesteading conference. (I didn’t even understand how to make my own starter!)
And even though it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I can honestly say it has been much easier for our family to have sourdough than to run to the store whenever we need bread.
I’m not a rigid meal planner and we don’t use sourdough for every meal. My sourdough starter spends more time in the fridge than on the counter!
But since I’ve begun this sourdough process, there have been A LOT of questions. I’ve Googled my questions, read through numerous articles from sourdough “experts”, saved tons of ideas to Pinterest, and bugged a couple of good friends – for weeks on end.
So hear me out because I’m not an expert – I still have tons of questions (that’s all part of the journey right?) but I also have worked through several mistakes and feel more confident and consistent when baking with sourdough.
That’s why I thought it might be helpful to share some of these common questions everyone seems to have about sourdough and provide a quick reference to jumpstart your journey!
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How to Feed a Sourdough Starter
“Okay, I have my starter…now what?!” – Yeah, that was me.
While some people research forever and then commit to sourdough, I made an impulse purchase and had no clue what I was doing.
I quickly had to learn how to keep my starter alive…which felt strangely stressful. And the internet is FULL of people telling you exactly how to feed your starter, and none of the information is consistent!
As frustrating as it was, I learned some good pointers from my research:
- There ISN’T one perfect way of feeding and maintaining a sourdough starter
- Sourdough is resilient
- Find a method that works best for you and your schedule
- Don’t overthink it
So here’s MY method (which has evolved as I’ve become more comfortable with sourdough).
Take your starter and dump 1/2 of it out ( this is called discarding). Then add one cup of flour and one cup of water. Mix well and put it up on a shelf with the lid cracked. The lid needs to be on so that dust, dirt, and tiny gnats stay out, but you can’t seal it closed otherwise yeast and bacteria can’t get in.
The consistency should be similar to pancake or cake batter. Some days I measure out exactly one cup of flour and one cup of water. Other days I just add 4 big heaping tablespoons of flour and pour some water from the faucet until it’s the consistency I like.
If you’re a strict rule follower then the 1:1 ratio is great. If you like to wing it, just mix more flour and water than what you have in the jar and you’ll be fine! (For example, if you have about 1 cup of sourdough starter in your container, mix at least 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water.)
That’s the beauty of sourdough. Simple, easy, and works with you.
How to Maintain a Sourdough Starter
Earlier I said that my sourdough starter spends more time in the fridge than anywhere else. That’s because I only discard, feed, and use my sourdough starter once or twice a week.
I have found this to be the most manageable for my sanity and our family’s schedule.
In the beginning, I was very overwhelmed trying to think of recipes with sourdough discard, how much bread I needed to make and not go to waste, or how I would incorporate sourdough into almost every meal.
If sourdough seems overwhelming then I suggest keeping your starter in the fridge between uses.
You don’t have to feed your starter as often (not like when you were first creating it) and there isn’t as much waste/discard either. Since I use my starter weekly I take it out and feed it then leave it on the counter for 4-12 hours before using it in an active recipe.
There have been weeks that I didn’t take my starter out of the fridge at all, and other times when I’ve taken it out, discarded it, fed it, and put it right back into the fridge. Contrary to what people think, sourdough doesn’t have to control your schedule!
Once you get more confident with all things sourdough, feel free to leave your starter on the counter and feed it every 12-24 hours after each use.
Find a Good Active Sourdough Recipe
This has been a game-changer for me. Rather than look for new recipes all the time, try a few until you find one you really like. Then focus on getting that recipe just right.
My husband likes artisan sourdough bread (the round kind with fun designs on top) over sourdough sandwich bread.
So I started there until I found our favorite version. I still try new active sourdough recipes when I have time, but knowing that I can produce a delicious loaf of bread each week takes the stress out of maintaining a sourdough starter.
Sometimes I add different ingredients to make flavored bread, and other times it’s plain. But it’s the same recipe so I know it will turn out great!
Maybe find out what your family likes best and start there. It could be sourdough cinnamon rolls, bagels, pancakes, biscuits, hamburger buns, or sandwich bread.
Find a Good Sourdough Discard Recipe
The same theory applies to discard recipes as active sourdough recipes. The nice thing about sourdough discard is that you don’t have to wait 4-12 hours before using it. Just take it out of the refrigerator and add it to your recipe.
Our go-to discard recipe is tortillas, for several reasons. We use tortillas for wraps at lunch and quesadillas or fajitas for dinner.
We also love sourdough discard bagels with different toppings and mix-ins!
It can be super entertaining to search Pinterest for different sourdough discard recipes and see what you like best!
Other Questions About How to Maintain a Sourdough Starter
Here are several questions I either Googled or have been asked by friends and family when it comes to maintaining a sourdough starter.
What do I do first with my starter after the 7-10 days of creating it?
If you haven’t made your sourdough starter yet, that’s okay. I wrote a whole post about how to make a sourdough starter from scratch.
Make a loaf of bread! You can search for a recipe or use my go-to artisan bread recipe. You’ll need a few specific bread-making supplies like a Dutch oven and parchment paper.
When I first started making bread I already had a Dutch oven, but I didn’t have the Banneton baskets or Dutch whisk. I just used what I had such as a plastic bowl as a proofing basket and a regular whisk. Don’t get overwhelmed by all the equipment!
When you are sure you enjoy baking with sourdough, treat yourself to a Banneton set – I got this for my birthday last year and have loved it!
When do you find time to bake sourdough?
The short answer? You make time. And you memorize the steps so it doesn’t feel so taxing.
The longer answer? Find your schedule and stick to it.
My favorite times to bake and enjoy sourdough are Saturdays and Sundays.
The most important lesson I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been baking with sourdough is to work backward (or plan ahead).
In order to have a loaf ready Saturday evening you’ll need to plan out the specific rise times based on your recipe.
So this means feeding your sourdough starter on Thursday evening and then mixing your dough Friday morning. Wait an hour, then shape your dough into a ball. Then wait another hour before doing at least 2 (if not more) stretch and folds before setting it out for the bulk ferment.
After the 8-10 hours of bulk ferment, you’ll shape your dough into two Banneton bakets seam side up and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Then Saturday morning, preheat your Dutch oven, bake your loaves (30 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered), and let cool for an hour before eating.
TA-DA! 🙃
If you’re still reading…thanks. That type of backward planning is exhausting for my brain. Which is why I stick to the same baker’s schedule so it’s less stress and more delicious bread.
Here’s a visual to help:
If you are home full time you can adapt this schedule for any day of the week. Or some people like to start their sourdough bread process on Saturday morning and enjoy fresh bread on Monday evening.
AND some people leave their bread in the fridge for up to 3 days before taking it out to bake it. That makes baking very convenient!
So if you bake bread once a week, you only have to feed your starter that one time. Hopefully you can see that it doesn’t take a lot to maintain a sourdough starter!
Should my sourdough starter look like…?
Besides resembling pancake batter, there are certain times a sourdough starter just looks weird.
So, if your sourdough starter is too…
- Chunky – add a little more water and stir it up
- Watery – add a little more flour and stir it up
- Crusty – scrape off the top and make sure the lid is cracked (leaving a lid off of your starter will develop the hard crust top)
- Sour smelling – feed it! You may want to discard and feed your starter a couple of times before baking to get some of the extra sour-y taste out.
If your sourdough starter has…
- Black liquid on the top – it’s called hooch. Think of it as yeast 💩. Simply pour it out and feed your starter.
- Orange or Black Mold – throw your starter away and make a new one. Leaving your starter on the counter for an extended period can cause this.
Can I use my sourdough starter right away?
If you’re making a discard recipe then you can take it out of the fridge and use it right away. If you are making an active sourdough recipe like bread then you should feed your starter and wait 4-12 hours before using.
How often should I feed my starter?
Depends on where you store it. In order to maintain a sourdough starter on the counter you’ll need to feed/discard every 12-24 hours.
To maintain a sourdough starter in the fridge, feed once a week if you’re not cooking with it.
Can I change the flour I feed my sourdough starter?
Yes! But I would avoid bleached flour altogether- the flour is stripped of nutrients. All-purpose unbleached flour is my go-to option but some people like bread flour or einkorn flour. Changing between flour types can add to the rise time of your starter or require more/less flour to get the pancake batter consistency.
5 fun recipes to help maintain a sourdough starter:
- Sourdough cinnamon rolls with buttercream icing
- Sourdough discard pancakes (or waffles)
- Beginner sourdough bread
- Sourdough discard bagels
- Sourdough hamburger buns
What other questions do you have about maintaining a sourdough starter? Drop a comment below and we can find out the answer together. Thanks so much for stopping by the homestead.
