Sourdough Starter Maintenance
Once you have created an active sourdough starter, looking after your starter is just as important as creating one. This post will run you through all you need to know about maintaining your sourdough starter.
Feeding your starter
Always measure by weight, not volume, for consistent results. A kitchen scale makes a big difference. A pretty standard starter feeding uses a 1:1:1 ratio. This means equal parts starter, flour, and water by weight. For example, 30 g of starter, 30 g of flour, and 30 g of water. This creates a 100% hydration starter, meaning it has equal parts flour and water.
You can adjust the feeding ratio to change how fast the starter grows. Ratios like 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 still have equal parts flour and water, so they are also 100% hydration starters. The only thing that changes is how much food the starter has to consume. Remember that the more flour and water you feed it, the slower it will rise because there’s more to eat through.
You can adjust the feeding ratio to change how fast it grows:
- 1:1:1 → ready in about 4 hours
- 1:2:2 → around 6 hours
- 1:3:3 → around 8 hours
- 1:4:4 → around 10 hours
Warmer rooms speed it up, cooler rooms slow it down. To track growth, wrap a rubber band around the jar to mark the starting level.
Stiff (low-hydration) starters
A stiff starter is fed less water, usually around 50% to 60% hydration. For example: 50 g flour and 25-30 g water. This thicker texture ferments more slowly and produces milder flavours. It’s great for enriched doughs like brioche, panettone, or sweet rolls, where too much acidity can weaken gluten. You’ll feed a stiff starter using roughly 1 part starter to 2 or 3 parts flour, and about half that amount of water by weight. For example, 1:2:1 → 10 g starter, 20 g flour, 10 g water (about 50% hydration)
Making a stiff starter:
1. Mix until a firm dough forms.
2. Knead lightly to smooth it out before placing it in a clean jar.
Let it rise at room temperature until it at least doubles in size before using.
Maintaining a starter in the fridge
Once your starter is well established, you can store it in the fridge to slow down fermentation. Feed it first, then refrigerate it in a sealed jar. You can let it sit at room temperature for an hour or two before refrigerating, so the yeast can start feeding a little before the cold slows them down. That helps keep the balance of yeast and bacteria healthy.
That said, starters are very forgiving. If you’re short on time, you can put it straight in the fridge after feeding, especially if it’s already well established.
Before baking
When you’re ready to bake, take your starter out the night before, give it an extra feed, and let it rise at room temperature until it’s active again. This is separate from the feed you’ll do when making your dough. It gives the starter time to warm up and build strength.
A well-maintained starter often doesn’t need this extra step. I usually take mine straight from the fridge, feed it once, and use it when it’s bubbly and doubled in size.
If your starter has been sitting for a while, it can build up acidity. A small amount is good for flavour, but too much makes the starter sluggish and the dough harder to work with. That’s when an extra feed helps to rebalance it. If your starter smells normal and rises well after one feed, you can skip the extra refresh.
Room temperature sourdough starter maintenance
Keeping a starter at room temperature means it stays active and ready to bake. The yeast and bacteria thrive between 21 °C and 26 °C (70-79 °F), but this also means more frequent feedings.
- At 1:1:1, feed it at least twice a day.
- At 1:3:3 or 1:4:4, once every 24 hours usually works well (depending on room temperature).
Regular feeding keeps the acids balanced and the gluten strong. Missing feedings can cause mould.
How much starter to keep
After baking, you can rebuild your starter from a small amount. Around 30-50 g of leftover starter is enough. Feed it 1:1:1 or 1:2:2, place it in a clean jar, and refrigerate or keep it on the bench. Even a teaspoon of starter can be built back up with a few feedings.
Save any leftover discard in a separate container for discard recipes like pancakes, banana bread, or waffles.
Mature vs young starter
A young starter is one that’s been fed and used within about 6 hours. It’s less acidic and produces doughs that are soft and stretchy.
A mature starter that’s gone longer between feedings develops more acid. Too much acid weakens gluten, making dough sticky and hard to handle. Regular feedings help maintain a balanced starter that’s strong but not overly sour.
Covering your starter
Cover your starter loosely to let gases escape but prevent it from drying out. A balanced jar lid, compostable plastic wrap, or damp cloth works well.
If the top dries out, peel that part off and use what’s underneath. Keep the starter out of direct sunlight. If your climate is dry, place the jar inside a covered container to help hold in some humidity.
When refrigerating a starter you can use a sealed lid. The rise and accumulation of gas will be much slower when it’s cold.
Seasonal tip:
In hot weather (above 26 °C / 79 °F): Feed more often or use a higher feeding ratio, like 1:3:3 or 1:4:4, to slow fermentation. You can also keep your starter in a cooler spot or refrigerate it between feeds.
In cold weather (below 18 °C / 64 °F): Feed less often or use warm water in your feed (around 25-30 °C / 77-86 °F). Keep it somewhere slightly warmer, like near a warm appliance or in a turned off oven with the light on. A yoghurt maker also works well for this. Fill it with warm water and set your jar inside so it stays gently warm without overheating.
Wow. I learned tons. Thank you
So when storing the fridge you do weekly feedings at least?
Yup 🙂
Hi Elien, I would like to try your starter recipe. I have never made a sourdough starter before. so I am a little bit confused with your ratio of 1:1:1 and 1:2:2. Could you explain it for me? Thank you Anthony.
Hey Anthony, it’s best if you read this post first on starting a starter 🙂 that explains it all https://homegrownhappiness.com/starting-and-maintaining-a-sourdough-starter/
thanks so much for this info on starter. I’m just starting today!
I wish I could print off the starter info. Is there a way to do that?
Thanks so much for your help with understanding sourdough! I’m newbie to sourdough bread and you’re knowledge is appreciated!
so I feed my starter 1,1,1, put the extra in disgard. starter doubled now in fridge. when I’m ready to make bread what is my first move with the starter. I’m a wee bit confused. thanks
Jeanne
Hey, if your starter is established you can just take it from the fridge, feed it and use it when doubled 🙂
If you keep starter in the fridge how long should you go before you need to feed it?
Hey 🙂 if I am not using my starter, I usually go around 1-2 weeks between feeds. That being said, sometimes I have left it even longer, since once they are established starters are really forgiving, but one to two weeks keeps it happiest and makes sure it stays strong for baking.
Hi was wondering about converting yeasted bread recipes to sourdough recipes? About how much sourdough starter do you need to raise a recipe that calls for 500g of flour? (obviously taking away from the recipe the flour and water of the starter)
Thanks 🙂
Hey, 🙂 for 500 g total flour, a good starting point is about 20 percent starter. That’s 100 g active 100 percent hydration starter. Since that starter contains 50 g flour and 50 g water, you would reduce the main dough to 450 g flour and reduce the water by 50 g to keep everything balanced. If you want a slower, longer ferment, use 50 to 75 g starter. If you want it to move faster, you can go up to about 125 g