3. Feeding & Maintaining Your Starter
1. Materials Needed: You’ll need your sourdough starter, flour (usually all-purpose), filtered water, a clean jar or container, and a kitchen scale (optional).
2. Feeding Schedule: Depending on your baking frequency and room temperature, you’ll typically feed your sourdough starter once a day or every 12 hours. However, you can adjust this schedule to fit your needs. I tend to be much lower maintenance with my starter and feed it every other day, the evening before I plan on baking.
3. Feeding Process:
a. Take your sourdough starter out of the fridge (if stored there) and discard (or use in another recipe) all but a small amount (about 1/4 cup) of the starter.
b. Add equal parts (by weight) of flour and water to the remaining starter. A common ratio is 1:1:1 (starter:flour:water). For example, if you have 50g of starter, add 50g of flour and 50g of water.
c. Mix the flour, water, and starter until well combined, ensuring there are no dry pockets of flour.
d. Optionally, you can transfer the refreshed starter to a clean jar or container. I do this on occasion when I want to freshen up my starter jar. It’s helpful to mark the level of the starter with a rubber band or marker to track its growth.
e. Leave the starter at room temperature, loosely covered with a lid or cloth. Allow it to ferment and double in size before the next feeding.
4. Maintaining Your Starter:
a. Keep your starter at a consistent room temperature, ideally between 70-80°F (21-27°C).
b. If you’re not baking regularly, you can store your starter in the refrigerator. Feed it at least once a week to keep it healthy. Before using it in a recipe, be sure to give it a few feedings at room temperature to reactivate it.
c. Look for signs of a healthy starter: it should be bubbly, have a slightly sour aroma, and rise and fall predictably after feedings.
5. Troubleshooting:
a. If your starter develops a layer of liquid (called “hooch”) on top, don’t worry. It’s a sign that your starter is hungry. Simply pour off the hooch or mix it back into the starter, and feed your starter as usual.
b. If your starter develops an off smell (like vinegar or acetone) or shows signs of mold, it may be contaminated and should be discarded. Start fresh with a new batch.
