Everything you need to know about feeding a sourdough starter
Feeding your sourdough starter is a crucial step in creating a strong starter, and also a necessary component for ongoing maintenance. In this blog post, I'll discuss what feeding a sourdough starter means, sourdough starter feeding ratios, and the feeding schedule for sourdough starter creation and maintenance.
What does feeding your sourdough starter mean?
Feeding a sourdough starter is the process of discarding around half of the existing starter, adding fresh flour and water to it to help maintain its activity and provide it with necessary nutrients. Think of your sourdough starter like a pet. Your pet needs food and water to survive - just like your starter. Think of the fresh flour and water as the starters necessary ingredients to continue to survive. Your starter will use these ingredients to maintain it's healthy bacteria, but after a day or so, it has "eaten" everything and will be hungry for more. By continuously feeding it, you will create a strong starter, which will create a nice rise in your sourdough bread.
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough starter is the portion of your starter that you will remove when you feed it.
Why do I need to discard sourdough starter every time I feed it?
In order to maintain a manageable level of starter, you will need to discard about half of the mixture every time you feed it. If you never discard the starter, you would end up with hundreds of jars full of it, which would be difficult to use and to maintain. Discarding your sourdough starter also allows good bacteria to grow because removing the starter and replacing it with fresh flour and water will provide the necessary nutrients to strengthen it. I know this part sounds wasteful, but once your starter is established, you can use the discard in so many recipes to ensure it never goes to waste!
What is a sourdough starter feeding ratio?
Don’t let a little math stop you! A feeding ratio is simply the amount of flour and water that you will add to your existing starter when it's time to feed it. Most feeding ratios will look like this: A : B : C
A = Existing starter (what’s in the jar after you discard it)
B = Flour
C = Water
1:1:1 feeding ratio
Use the same amount of starter, flour, and water.
Example: 30 grams starter, 30 grams flour, 30 grams water
1:2:2 feeding ratio
Double the amount of fresh flour and water from the existing starter.
Example: 30 grams starter, 60 grams flour, 60 grams water
Feeding ratios can impact how fast your starter rises. The larger the feeding ratio, the slower it will rise, the smaller the feeding ratio, the faster it will rise. I typically stick to the 1:2:2 feeding ratio for sourdough starter creation and maintenance as I have found this works best for me!
How often do I need to feed my sourdough starter?
Creating a sourdough starter
When you're starting to create your sourdough starter, you’ll want to make sure you feed your starter around the same time every day. I recommend in the morning so you can watch activity throughout the day, but do what works best for your schedule! Note: Please don’t go more than 24 hours without feeding your starter as you build it!
Maintaining a sourdough starter
Daily
If you'll be using your starter frequently, you can leave it out on the counter. I recommend feeding it around the same time every day. If you keep your sourdough starter on the counter, try to make sure it gets fed every 24 hours. If you're not baking bread, you can still feed it in small amounts every day to keep it strong.
Weekly
If you will only be baking bread about once a week, you can store your starter in the refrigerator. To do this, feed your starter, cover it, and place it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to bake, pull it out, feed it, and it should rise right back up!
That's everything you need to know about feeding your sourdough starter!
