Sourdough Starter Care & Feeding

How to keep a sourdough starter alive and active, whether it lives on the counter or in the fridge.

Ingredients

Weigh out the starter into a clean jar; discard (or set aside for baking) the rest.
- Add the water first, then the starter, then the flour — it mixes more evenly in that order.
Stir vigorously until no dry flour remains, scrape down the sides, and loosely cover the jar. It needs to vent, not seal.
Leave at room temperature until it peaks — roughly doubled, domed, and full of bubbles.
- A rubber band around the jar at the starting level makes it easy to track.
Use at peak, or feed again every 12 to 24 hours if baking 3 to 4+ times a week.

Before refrigerating, feed at a heavier ratio — for example 25g starter to 50g flour and 50g water.
Let it sit out until active (bubbly, starting to rise), then move it to the fridge.
Feed weekly. Pull it out, let it come to room temperature, feed, wait for activity, then either bake or return it to the fridge.

Use a jar with headroom — the starter needs room to rise even at fridge temperatures, and a tight lid can pop off or let pressure build. A loose-fitting lid or one turned to “burp” is safer than an airtight seal.
Only refrigerate right after a fresh feed, once it’s active and starting to rise, not straight after mixing. A cold, unfed starter takes much longer to show signs of life and is harder to judge.
Label the jar with the feed date. Fridge starters slow down but don’t stop — it’s easy to lose track of a week.
A skin, slight gray tint, or a thin layer of hooch after several days in the fridge is normal, not spoilage — stir it back in at the next feeding.

Missed a feeding by a few days? No problem — feed as usual, expect a slower rise, and give it an extra day if it looks sluggish.
For 2 to 3 weeks away, feed heavier before refrigerating (try 1:3:3) to stretch how long it lasts before it’s starved.
For longer trips, dry it out instead: spread a thin layer of fed starter on parchment or a silicone mat, let it air-dry fully at room temperature, then break it into flakes and store in a sealed container or bag at room temperature or in the fridge. Rehydrate with equal parts warm water, then resume normal feeding until active again.
A starter that’s been neglected for a month or more is usually still recoverable — expect a few feedings at 1:1:1 with discards before it’s back to peaking reliably.

Hooch (dark liquid on top): Starter is hungry. Stir it back in for a more sour loaf, or pour it off and feed right away.
Sharp, acetone smell: Overdue for a feeding — feed at 1:1:1 and it should bounce back within a feeding or two.
White film (kahm yeast): Scrape it off carefully, then feed as usual.
Any pink, orange, or fuzzy mold: Discard the whole thing and start over — don’t try to save it.

Weigh everything on a digital scale — volume measurements aren’t consistent enough for a starter.
New starters need daily feeding for 3 to 4 months before they’re established enough to move to the fridge.
Discard from a starter that’s at least a week old is safe to use in recipes that call for it.
Adapted from Pantry Mama’s starter feeding guide.