How to Feed a Sourdough Starter

5 from 3 votes

How to Feed a Sourdough Starter

Feeding your starter is a simple process! Whether you're using a homemade or purchased starter, maintaining it takes just a few minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Total Time5

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: feeding

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Tatiana Kamakura

Ingredients

50 g sourdough starter for cups, see notes
50 g water
50 g flour

Instructions

Discard. You’ll need to discard some of your starter before feeding. So, let’s say you have 180g of starter, and you do daily feedings at the 1:1:1 ratio. Stir the starter, then discard everything but 60g of it.
Feed. Feed it with 60g of water. Stir until combined, then add 60g of flour. Stir until the starter is well mixed, scraping the sides of the jar as needed. Cover the jar with its lid.
Let it rise. Place your starter at room temperature (70-75°F/21-24°C) until it rises. It should double in size between 4 to 8 hours and show bubbles at the side of the jar and at the top of the starter.

Notes

If you bake frequently and keep your starter at room temperature (70-75°F/21-24°C), you should do daily feedings. Discard some of the starter and refresh it with fresh flour and water every 24 hours.

If you bake less often and have a mature, well-established starter, you can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week. Let it sit at room temperature for a few hours after feeding before refrigerating it again.

Feeding without a scale

If you don’t have a scale and cups and spoons are the only tools available, first learn how to measure flour when using cups. Don’t scoop or pack; fluff the flour and spoon it lightly into the cup.

Ingredient	1 tbsp	¼ cup	½ cup
Starter (not bubbly)	18g	70g	140g
Water	15g	60g	120g
Flour	8g	32.5g	65g

So, if feeding about ¼ cup of starter (70g) without a scale, I would add ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of water (75g) and ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon of flour (73g). Not exactly 1:1:1, but close enough to maintain proper hydration.

Nutrition