How to feed your Sourdough Starter

Feeding your Sourdough starter regularly leads to consistent results when you bake. Sourdough takes longer to bulk ferment and proof than bread made with commercial yeast.

The key to success is to ensure your starter is vigorous (active and bubbly) the day before you plan to bake.

While I normally keep my starter at room temperature and feed it twice a day, when I am away I keep it in the refrigerator for up to nine days so far.

When I return, I take it out of the refrigerator and let it warm up overnight before feeding it the next morning.

I feed my starter with a blend of 50% Whole Wheat flour and 50% Organic Bread Flour.

When you are feeding your starter you want to work with a ratio of 1 part starter, 2 parts flour and 2 parts water. All of these measurements are in grams so we can maintain a hydration ratio of 100%. I like to keep 150g of starter so we need 30g starter, 60g water and 60g of starter blend.

The first step in feeding is to weight the hungry starter. In my kitchen, the 1 litre Weck jar I use weighs 490 grams.

Remove starter until you get down to 30g of starter in the container. So here we are looking for a final weight of 520 grams.

Tare your scale and then add 60g of spring water. You can use tap water, but let it sit out for a few hours to allow the chlorine to disperse. You can also use filtered or distilled water. Just be sure there is nothing in the water that interferes with the sourdough growth.

Tare your scale again and then add 60g of sourdough feed blend. You can use any flour you want, but Organic and Whole Wheat flours give the best results.

Mix the starter for about a minute ensuring you scrape down the sides of the container and it is well blended.

Cover the container and leave it out on the counter for the next feeding or return it to the refrigerator. Sourdough starter is anaerobic, so you don’t need to worry about the container being sealed. This also keeps out other critters who might want to make a meal out of your precious starter.

If you plan to keep your starter in the refrigerator, you need to take it out two days before you plan to bake to ensure your have a vigorous starter. Take it out in the evening two days before baking and then feed it in the morning and evening the day before you plan to bake. If you will need more than 120g of starter to bake, you will have to feed more flour and water the night before.

You should plan on having at least 30 or 40 grams left over from what you need to start the next batch.