How to Care for Your Sourdough Starter

A sourdough starter is like a pet: it needs regular feeding and proper care to stay healthy and active.

Learn how to keep your sourdough starter alive and thriving, whether you feed it daily or weekly. Simple tips for bubbly, bake-ready success! 🥖

Here’s a simple guide for both high-touch and low-touch maintenance.

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I have been handing out a ton of sourdough starter, and people have been asking me how to care for it. So I asked ChatGPT for a simple guide:

Can you please write a guide on how to care for a sourdough starter? Please include high touch (every day outside jar) and low touch (once a week in refrigerator) instructions, please also include how to store (airtight/sealed etc). Make it easy to understand and not too long

Enjoy and comment if you have any questions!

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High-Touch Method (Daily Feeding)

1. Storage: Keep your starter in a loosely covered jar at room temperature. Use a lid that’s not airtight or cover it with a breathable cloth secured with a rubber band.

2. Feeding Schedule: Feed your starter once every 24 hours.

   • Ingredients: Equal parts by weight of starter, flour, and water (e.g., 50g each).

   • Steps:

     1. Discard half of the starter (you can save this discard for recipes).

     2. Add fresh flour and water, then stir until smooth.

     3. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature.

3. Consistency: The starter should be thick, like pancake batter. Adjust with water or flour if needed.

4. Signs of Health: After feeding, it should bubble and double in size within 4–6 hours.

Low-Touch Method (Weekly Feeding)

1. Storage: Keep your starter in the refrigerator with a loose-fitting lid to allow gas to escape while preventing contamination.

2. Feeding Schedule: Feed it once a week.

   • Steps:

     1. Remove the jar from the fridge and let it warm to room temperature for about 1–2 hours.

     2. Discard half the starter.

     3. Feed it with equal parts by weight of flour and water (e.g., 50g each).

     4. Stir, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours to activate before returning to the fridge.

Additional Tips

• Smell Check: A healthy starter smells tangy and fruity. A sharp, unpleasant smell may indicate it needs feeding or has gone bad.

• Reviving Neglected Starters: If your starter hasn’t been fed for weeks, discard most of it, leaving about 1 tablespoon, and feed it daily until it bubbles actively again.

• Seal Tightness: Avoid airtight lids, as the starter produces gas that needs to escape.

By following these simple routines, you’ll keep your sourdough starter thriving and ready for baking whenever inspiration strikes!