How to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter: Best Beginner’s Guide
Come learn how to feed your sourdough starter to keep it healthy and happy! This beginner’s guide will cover the basics to maintain a sourdough starter: when and how often to feed it, where to store it, and how to feed starter by weight (grams) or by volume (cups) to get it active and ready for baking.
We’ll also explore some best practices and frequently asked questions – like the best type of flour to use, the meaning of “peak activity” or “hooch”, and troubleshooting tips. By the end, you’ll feel confident and comfortable caring for your sourdough starter.
Don’t worry, it’s easier than you imagine! I’ve been baking sourdough for over 10 years now, so I’ll share tons of tips to make it as simple as possible.
NOTE: This post was originally published in October 2019 but has been significantly updated since.
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Need a starter? Learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch or how to make a gluten-free sourdough starter here. We also offer an easy organic dehydrated sourdough starter in our shop. It’s foolproof, reliable, and super active!
What is “Feeding” a Sourdough Starter?
Feeding a sourdough starter simply means adding fresh flour and water to the starter – typically in a 1:1:1 ratio or equal parts by weight, such as 100 grams of starter, flour, and water each. In doing so, it makes the starter get active, bubbly, and rise over the next several hours.
You need to feed a sourdough starter before making bread (unless you’re following a recipe that calls for “discard” or inactive starter) as well as occasional feedings to keep it alive, especially when you’re not regularly using it for baking.
Most times you’ll discard a portion of the existing starter before mixing in fresh flour and water, but sometimes you won’t (explained more below).
After feeding, your starter should have the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Why Sourdough Starter Rises And Falls
Here’s the quick science behind feeding a sourdough starter:
There are beneficial lactic acid bacteria and yeast living within a starter culture. When provided fresh flour and water, they consume and ferment the carbohydrates in the flour, creating acid and carbon dioxide in the process. This causes the starter to bubble and rise, and is what makes sourdough bread rise naturally too!
Yet when they run out of food, the microbes get hungry, decrease in activity (the starter deflates), and become ineffective at making bread rise. Yeast will also produce a dark liquid called “hooch”, which is harmless but a sign that your starter is hungry!
If left unfed for too long, the beneficial microbes may starve and die off completely.
Supplies Needed
- Sourdough starter
- Water: It’s best to feed sourdough starter using filtered, non-chlorinated water if possible. A basic carbon filter helps! I like to use warm water (not hot) to help increase activity.
- Flour: Most bakers feed sourdough starter with bread flour or all-purpose flour, though using half whole wheat or rye flour can boost activity and rise! We primarily use bread flour with some whole wheat at times. It’s also possible to maintain a starter using einkorn flour, or certain GF flours like brown rice flour. (See gluten-free notes below.) However, I suggest gradually transitioning to a new flour to let the starter acclimate.
- A glass jar or container. Store sourdough starter in a container that’s large enough for it to double or triple in size after being fed. The jar should be covered with a loose-fitting lid (e.g. finger tight) but not completely air-tight so gasses can escape. We keep our starter in a modest 1 liter (quart) flip-top glass container (gasses escape even when the lid is closed). If you plan to bake several loaves at once, consider using a larger 2 liter or half-gallon container.
- A kitchen scale and/or measuring cups
- A small silicone spatula is handy, both for mixing the starter and for cleaning up the sides of the jar
Feeding a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
We’ve successfully made a gluten-free sourdough starter using brown rice flour – which is what we usually feed it with too. However, feel free to experiment with any combination of brown rice, white rice, sweet rice, or buckwheat flours. They all work to keep the starter active and happy!
However, I do not suggest feeding a gluten-free starter using a GF 1-1 baking or all-purpose flour. In my experience, the additives and gums found in those flour mixes make the starter a bit funky.
Before Feeding: Warm Up
Sourdough starter is most happy and active around 70-80°F.
So, if you store your sourdough starter in the refrigerator like we do, you may want to let it warm up to room temperature before feeding it. It’s not required, but will help it get active and rise faster! I like to take my starter out of the fridge the night before I plan to make dough.
You can also help warm up a cold starter by feeding it with warm water (not hot) and/or using a starter warming plate – which are especially handy during the colder winter months! We use ours to keep our bowl of proofing dough warm too.
Before Feeding: Discard
In many cases, you’ll need to discard a portion of your original starter before feeding it. This helps you get the desired amount for feeding – such as 1/2 cup or 100 grams of starter, explained below.
Removing or discarding some of the “mother” culture also helps it maintain a healthy acid balance, and prevents your starter container from becoming overly full. The jar needs plenty of empty space for your starter to rise!
The only time you DON’T want to discard first is when there’s only a small amount of starter left in the jar already (like if you recently used most of it in a recipe).
Never get rid of your entire starter!
PRO TIP: To discard, simply scoop out and remove a portion of the starter until the desired amount remains in the jar. You can put discard in the compost or trash, use it in a discard recipe, or gift it to a friend – but do NOT put it down the sink! Sourdough starter can harden in drain pipes and cause serious plumbing issues.
RELATED: Don’t waste that discard! Come see the 15 Best Sourdough Discard Recipes including sourdough granola, discard crackers, our sourdough pancake recipe and more. Plus, here are 6 other clever ways to use discard – besides baking.
How to Feed Sourdough Starter by Weight
- To feed sourdough starter by weight, simply weigh and combine equal parts of starter, flour, and water – such as 100 grams of each (or 200 grams each for a larger starter/multiple loaves). Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- This is considered a 1:1:1 ratio which is a great starting point for beginner’s and to get a starter active for baking.
- You can also experiment with other ratios such as 1:2:2 (e.g. 50 grams starter, 100 grams flour, 100 grams water) which will result in a longer, slower fermentation time – ideal for long term refrigerator storage or when you don’t want your starter to peak too quickly (such as feeding it overnight).
- Weight is the most precise and consistent way to feed starter, especially since various flours have different weights.
Feeding Sourdough Starter by Volume (Cups)
This is how I like to feed my starter. It’s quick and easy!
- To feed sourdough starter using volume measurements, mix together 1 part starter, 1 part water, and just under 2 parts flour (1:1:2). For example, 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup water, and a scant cup of flour. I’ve found that this is very close to a 1:1:1 ratio by weight.
- If you want to bake multiple loaves at once, simply scale up: such as 1 cup of starter, 1 cup of water, and just under 2 cups of flour.
- To feed, we typically mix it all up right in the starter jar. However, some bakers choose to measure everything out into a separate bowl, mix it together, and then put it back or into a fresh jar or container. Baker’s choice!
- Either way, I suggest to keep the sides of your starter container fairly clean (scrape with a spatula), and change it out or wash it on occasion. Built-up gunk on the sides of the jar can more easily lead to mold.
PRO TIP: Over time, I’ve learned what a 1/2 cup of starter looks like in the jar (about a knuckle or 3/4-inch deep in my particular container) so now instead of measuring every time, I simply eyeball the starter volume and only measure the flour and water. It doesn’t need to be precise! Measure once, observe, and save yourself one messy step.
When to Feed Sourdough Starter
There are two key times to feed sourdough starter: to get it ready and active to use in a sourdough bread recipe, or for general maintenance to keep it alive between bakes. Let’s explore both!
Feeding Starter Before Baking
- For baking, feed your sourdough starter about 4 to 8 hours before making dough and leave it at room temperature (70 to 80°F is ideal) to rise and reach peak activity before mixing it into your bread recipe. (In my experience, gluten-free sourdough starters peak and fall more quickly than traditional wheat starter.)
- Peak activity is when the starter has at least doubled or tripled in sized and is no longer rising, but before it starts to fall back down. Don’t rush this step! It’s best to use starter when it has reached full peak activity or even just after (when it starts to fall back down, but hasn’t fully deflated yet) instead of mixing it into your dough too early.
- Note that it can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours for a starter to fully rise and reach peak activity. The exact time depends on numerous factors including the age and strength of your starter, when it was last fed, ambient temperature, and how you store it. Warmer temperatures increase activity, and cooler temperatures slow it.
- A slow, sluggish starter that hasn’t been fed recently (e.g. after several weeks or more in the fridge) will benefit from being fed twice before baking with it. To do so, let it warm to room temperature, feed it, and then let it fully rise and begin to fall again before discarding and feeding it a second time.
PRO TIP: If your starter has peaked but you aren’t quite ready to use it yet (life happens!), I’ve found that you can simply put it in the refrigerator at peak and then pull it back out when you want to use it (within 12 hours). This adds some nice flexibility in your baking schedule!
How Often to Feed Starter for Maintenance
How often you need to feed your sourdough starter depends on where you store it, and how often you bake. If you bake weekly, that’s all the feeding it may require! Yet if you go longer between bakes, you’ll want to do some maintenance feedings too.
Some serious bakers store their starter on the counter so it’s basically always ready to use. However, starter stored at room temperature must be fed daily (or even twice per day) to keep it alive!
On the the other hand, most beginners and casual bakers store their sourdough starter in the refrigerator. (That’s what we do!) When it’s cold, starter activity greatly slows and essentially goes dormant, so it only needs to be fed about once every week or two to keep it perky.
Truth be told, we often go several weeks (or even months) between feedings when we aren’t baking a lot… but I don’t necessarily recommend it, especially with a new starter! A healthy, established starter can tolerate a little neglect. Yet the longer you go between feedings, the more sluggish the starter will be when it comes time to bake, so you’ll need to feed it a couple times (as opposed to just once) before use.
PRO TIP: To do a maintenance feeding, simply take the starter out of the refrigerator, discard a portion, feed it, and then let it sit at room temperature for just a few hours to rise slightly before putting it back in the fridge. You don’t want it to fully peak and deflate however, or you’re basically putting it away hungry again!
Storing Starter in the Refrigerator vs Room Temperature
Here are a few notable differences between a storing sourdough starter in the refrigerator compared to room temperature:
- As we already explored, storing starter at room temperature is high-maintenance and requires daily feedings, more appropriate for serious and frequent bakers.
- Starter that is stored in the fridge will only need to be fed once every week or two (or even less frequently), ideal for casual bakers and also when you’re away from home on vacation.
- Starters will develop a different flavor profile depending on where they’re stored. According to a sourdough expert I heard on NPR’s Science Friday, starter regularly stored at room temperature will have a more sweet, mild flavor while refrigerating starter encourages more complex sour and tangy notes due to increased acetic acid production.
- Refrigerated sourdough starter can also lead to more gut-healthy bread, as acetic acid is key in improving the digestibility of gluten and other nutrients.
Hooch: A Sign Your Starter Is Hungry
When a starter hasn’t been fed in a while, it will develop a layer of dark liquid called “hooch” on top. Hooch is a harmless, naturally-occurring fermentation byproduct (an alcohol) produced by yeast when it has consumed all of the available food.
Hooch is very acidic and smells like vinegar or nail polish remover. When encountered, you can either pour off the hooch or simply mix it back in (especially if you like your starter on the sour side), then discard and feed your starter as usual.
PRO TIP: If it’s been several months since you’ve last fed your starter, it may need to be fed differently for a few days to get back on track and rise again. Please see our guide: Is My Sourdough Starter Bad? How to Revive Old Inactive Starter to learn more! It also covers signs that a starter has gone “bad”, such as mold.
Example Feeding and Baking Schedule
I thought it may be helpful to share our usual baking routine. So, let’s assume we want to bake a loaf of bread on Sunday morning:
- Take the starter out of the refrigerator on Friday evening and let it come to room temperature overnight. (If it hasn’t been fed in several weeks, I’ll feed it once Friday night as an initial “wake up” feeding too.)
- Feed the starter on Saturday morning, allowing it to come to peak activity (usually 5-6 hours)
- Make dough using the starter on Saturday afternoon or evening – let it sit for 4 to 5 hours at room temperature to bulk ferment, stretch and fold, etc
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator to cold-proof overnight, and bake on Sunday morning
You’ll develop your own feeding routine and baking schedule with time!
Frequently Asked Questions
A number of factors can influence rise. Ensure the starter has been fed, but don’t repeatedly feed it several times in one day – which can actually weaken it! Keep the stater in a warm location (70-80F). Try feeding half white and half whole wheat or rye flour to boost activity. Be patient.
If your sourdough starter is bubbling but doesn’t rise within a few hours of being fed, it may be too wet. When starter is too runny, the air bubbles easily rise up and OUT of the mixture instead of being trapped inside. To fix this, simply stir in more flour to thicken it up. Add just a couple tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached: a thick pancake batter that isn’t easy to pour.
A strong, healthy sourdough starter will readily double in size within a few hours after being fed, smell pleasant and tangy (slightly acidic), and have a strong web-like gluten structure when it’s stirred at peak activity.
RELATED: If your sourdough starter still isn’t rising well, don’t give up! Pop over to this guide: 9 Ways to Make Sourdough Starter More Active.
That concludes this lesson on feeding sourdough starter.
I hope you found this article to be useful and interesting! Feel free to ask questions in the comments, and please leave a review below if you found this helpful. Now that you know how to maintain your sourdough stater, it’s time to get baking!
Don’t miss these related posts:
- Simple No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Easy Sourdough Discard Cracker Recipe
- Sourdough Granola Recipe (Discard or Active Starter)
- Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
- 20 Best Sourdough Add-Ins and Topping Ideas
- Best Sourdough Starter Names: 60 Punny Ideas
How to Feed Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
Feeding Starter by Weight (1:1:1)
- 100 grams sourdough starter
- 100 grams water (room temperature or warm, and non-chlorinated filtered water recommended)
- 100 grams flour *Note that using whole wheat or rye flour (instead of white) can help increase starter activity.
Feeding Starter by Volume (1:1:2)
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup water (room temperature or warm, and non-chlorinated filtered water recommended)
- 1 cup (scant, just under a cup) flour
- *Scale up as needed to maintain a larger starter with the same ratios
Instructions
Introduction
- "Feeding" sourdough starter is simply adding fresh flour and water to an existing starter. This may be after you use some starter in a recipe (to build its volume back up), to get a starter ready to bake with, or as a maintenance feeding between bakes.
- The frequency depends on how you store it. Starters stored in a refrigerator can be fed once every week or two (or even monthly, once mature and established). Starters stored at room temperature must be fed daily.
- Some bakers combine the starter, fresh flour, and water in a bowl and then transfer it into a clean container each time. Others simply mix fresh flour and water right into the starter jar. Either way, try to keep the sides of the starter jar fairly clean, and change it out or wash it on occasion. Built-up gunk in the jar can more easily lead to mold.
Before Feeding
- Warm up: Starter is most active at 70-80F. If store your starter in the refrigerator, allow it to warm to room temperature for several hours or overnight before feeding. You can also quickly warm up a starter by feeding with warm water (not hot) or using a warming plate.
- Discard a portion: scoop out and remove a portion of the starter until the desired amount remains in the jar. Compost, trash, or use it in a discard recipe – but do NOT put it down the sink! (If there's only a very small amount of starter in the jar, you don't HAVE to discard first – simply feed it.)
- Now, add more fresh flour and water to the remaining starter, either following the "weight" or "volume" instructions below
How to Feed Sourdough Starter by Weight
- To feed sourdough starter using weight, simply combine equal parts starter, flour, and water. For example, 100 grams of each. Or for a larger starter/multiple loaves, 200 grams of each. This is a 1:1:1 ratio, ideal for beginners or activating a starter to bake.
- You can also experiment with other ratios such as 1:2:2 (e.g. 50 grams starter, 100 grams flour, 100 grams water) which will result in a longer, slower fermentation time – ideal for long term refrigerator storage or if you don't want your starter to peak too quickly (such as feeding it overnight).
How to Feed Sourdough Starter by Volume (Cups)
- To feed sourdough starter using volume measurements, simply combine 1 part sourdough starter, 1 part part water, and just under 2 parts flour. For example, 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup water, and just under 1 cup of flour. (This is very close to a 1:1:1 ratio by weight).
- To scale up for a larger starter/multiple loaves, use 1 cup starter, 1 cup water, and just under 2 cups flour.
Preparing Starter to Bake
- For baking, feed your starter about 4 to 8 hours before making dough. Leave it out at room temperature (70 to 80°F is ideal) to rise and reach peak activity before mixing it into your bread recipe.
- Peak activity is when the starter has at least doubled or tripled in sized and is no longer rising, but before it starts to fall back down. Don’t rush this step! It’s best to use starter when it has reached full peak activity or even just after (when it starts to fall back down, but hasn’t fully deflated yet) instead of mixing it into your dough too early.
- Note that it can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours for a starter to reach peak activity depending on the age/strength of your starter, when it was last fed, ambient temperature, and how you store it. Warmer temperatures increase activity, cooler temperatures slow it down.
- A slow, sluggish starter that hasn’t been fed recently (e.g. after several weeks or longer in the fridge) will benefit from being fed twice before baking with it. To do so, let it warm to room temperature, feed it, and then let it fully rise and begin to fall again before feeding it a second time.
Maintenance Feedings
- Take the starter out of the refrigerator, discard a portion, feed it, and then let it sit at room temperature for just a few hours to rise slightly before putting it back in the fridge. You don’t want it to fully peak and deflate however, or you’re basically putting it away hungry again!
179 Comments
Debbie
Hi Aaron…Maeve rehydrated well and was bubbly, but now it’s just smooth without any bubbles. I fed her yesterday and again this morning, but no bubbles. Is she resting in peace or is there something I can do to revive her? Have yet to bake a loaf!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Debbie, I am assuming the starter smells yeasty or slightly of alcohol? If so, your starter is at least alive, if you aren’t seeing any bubbles, your starter may be too wet. If a starter is more wet, it will have a more difficult time rising and bubble won’t typically form or last. If your starter does smell like it is active, if it’s in a quart or liter sized jar, discard down to 1 to 2 inches of starter remaining in the jar before feeding it one scant cup flour and a 1/2 cup water. You may need to add a tad more water to reach the desired consistency but it shouldn’t be too wet and thin, nor should it be too dry. Once you do so, just leave it on your counter for 24 hours and see how much rise the starter produces. Hope that helps and let us know how it goes.
Nathan Taylor
I’m so confused! New to sourdough. I reactivated a dehydrated gf starter and successfully baked a loaf of bread a few weeks ago. I put the remaining starter in the fridge and now would like to bake again. I’m confused about the feeding. I discarded half, mixed the remaining starter (a cup) with a cup of water and 2 cups flour. I read that I should feed it again before baking. I now have 4 cups of starter and this is where I’m confused. How do I feed it again. Based on the 1:1:2 ratio obviously doesn’t make sense (the way I’m interpreting it anyway). Do I take out a small amount of starter, mix it with some water and flour and put it back in? Please advise. I’m so confused. I don’t need more starter, my bread recipe only calls for 2 cups of flour.
Nate
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Nate, if you want to feed your starter twice before baking, you just repeat the discard and feed as you did the first time (waiting to discard until the starter is fully active while also wanting the starter to be fully active when you use it in most bread recipes). With sourdough baking, you will be discarding a lot of sourdough starter in general, we used to feed our starter twice before baking but now just feed it once which is more than adequate if you are using sourdough on a weekly basis. We just take the starter out of the fridge the night before we intend on using it allowing it to come to room temperature before discarding and feeding the following day before using it in our recipe. Hope that helps and reach out if you have any other questions, have fun baking!
Caitlin H
Hello. I am very new to having a starter. What do you mean by scant flour? And does it matter how much you discard when feeding it? And how long can you keep the discard for before either cooking it or giving it to chickens? Thank you for so much for the great article. I’m looking forward to more of your posts and articles.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Caitlin, by scant, we just mean short of the called for amount, you will be able to tell the texture you want your starter after feeding once you do it a number of times as you may need to add a tad more water or flour to reach your desired consistency (we usually end up adding a tad more water if anything). When discarding, if our starter is in a quart (Ball jar) or liter sized container with flip top, we like to discard until there is about an inch of starter left in the jar, after feeding and before it rises and becomes active, the jar usually is almost half full. Your starter discard can be as old as you’d like for either baking or giving to your chickens. The longer it sits, the more sour it will become so for baking, we typically don’t like using really old discard. Hope that helps and have fun baking!
Cathy
How much of the starter do I keep to continue having a starter?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Cathy, if your starter is in a quart or liter sized jar, we would typically be sure to leave at least an inch or two of starter in the bottom of the jar. Hope that helps and have fun baking!
Marlene
Your article has been very helpful! If I were to store it in my refrigerator and feed once a week but say no baking for a month, how much would I discard and feed weekly?
Thanks so much!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Marlene, if you aren’t baking every week, you can probably feed your starter every two weeks and it would be just fine. We would discard and feed as if we were making a recipe, since you are leaving it in the fridge, just take it out the night before you want to feed it so it can come to room temperature. Hope that helps and have fun baking!
Jeanette
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about the different storage options. I recently took a break on baking multiple times a week with the starter and put it in the fridge for a week. I now know what to do to get it going strong again. I love making sourdough sandwich bread with it. I appreciate all the articles you have on your site. I have thoroughly read them, even multiple times. When we finally make the decision to get chickens and start that up, I’ll be coming back here to read up on that.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
That is so great to hear Jeanette and we are grateful for your support!
Katie
Thank you so much for this wonderful post as well as your GF boule loaf recipe. So helpful as I’m wanting to get into GF sourdough baking! Question – I used a combo of brown rice, buckwheat, millet and sorghum for the very first feeding of my starter (I read both recipes and forgot with the starter you recommended just brown rice or buckwheat). I’ve fed it twice now and did just brown rice for the second feeding. It seems to be doing fine! Do you think it’ll be okay? Is there a reason to not feed it those other flours (besides the fact that they seem more expensive)?
Also, a note – I used the Living Jin sourdough culture to start it, which claims only one feeding is needed before baking (I believe it) but I’m doing two to be safe. I would recommend this product to others! Found it on Amazon. And it’s gluten free!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Katie, you can likely feed your sourdough starter a variety of GF flours, yours should be good to go! We found that buckwheat seemed to provide a more active starter but it definitely has a stronger flavor overall compared to brown rice or some of the other GF flours. Good luck!
Katie
Thank you Aaron! Going great so far! Just made y’all’s granola recipe this morning (fermented overnight) and it’s delicious!! Yall should write a cookbook…I’d buy it.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
That’s great to hear and thank you so much! We love the sourdough granola recipe and wish we made it more often, have fun baking!
Karen
Thanks for these comprehensive but not overwhelming instructions! I’ve read a bunch of things that make the process sound complicated, which turned me off from even trying sourdough, but I recently read somewhere that if Ma Ingalls could maintain her starter in a covered wagon then we can do it in our kitchens. That reframe led me to research a little more, and I’m glad I happened upon your article. I’ve got a starter going now, and will bake my first loaf in a week or so. Just wanted you to know that I appreciate you!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Karen, thank you so much for the kind words and you are right, sourdough in general can seem overwhelming at the beginning but it’s not really all that difficult once you get going. Same thing goes for sourdough bread, the process seems like a lot at the beginning but it’s not really difficult once you are actually doing it. Good luck on your first loaf and have fun baking!
Cindy Arnold
Can spelt flour be used to make sourdough bread?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Cindy, yes you can use spelt flour in your sourdough bread recipes but you may only want to use around 25-50% or so of your total flour amount to start off and adjust the amount of spelt for future loaves depending on how the first one turned out for you. Hope that helps and have fun baking!
Marian
Hello! I am wondering if I can divide my starter into 2 containers and transition one from gluten to non-gluten.
Thanks, Marian
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Marian, absolutely you can, good luck!