Sourdough Starter 101: How to Feed It, Care for It, and Keep It Alive

Your starter is alive. That sounds dramatic, but it's the single most useful thing to remember about it. It's a tiny ecosystem of wild yeast and bacteria living in flour and water, and like anything alive, it needs a little attention to stay healthy. Here's everything I wish I'd known about keeping a starter happy.

What a starter actually is

It's just flour and water that's been left to ferment. Wild yeast from the air and the flour itself moves in, multiplies, and starts eating the sugars in the flour — which is what makes the bubbles you see. Those same bubbles are what makes your bread rise. No commercial yeast required.

Counter or fridge?

This is the question every beginner asks, and the answer depends on how often you bake.

Bake more than once a week? Keep your starter on the counter and feed it once a day.

Bake less than once a week? Keep it in the fridge and feed it once a week.

Don't bake every week, but want to be ready when you do? Fridge is your friend. The cold slows everything down, so it doesn't need feeding as often. When you're ready to bake, take it out and feed it the night before.

How to feed it

A feeding is just three things in equal weights: starter, flour, and water. The standard ratio is 1:1:1. So if you keep 50 grams of starter, you'd feed it 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Stir it all together until it looks like thick pancake batter, cover loosely, and let it sit.

On the counter, it should double in size within 4 to 8 hours. In the fridge, it'll happen much more slowly — that's fine.

Why you have to discard

Every time you feed your starter, you remove some of it first. This is called the discard, and yes, it feels wasteful. The reason is simple: if you didn't, your starter jar would overflow within days. You'd also be feeding more and more of it each time, which means going through pounds of flour a week.

Don't actually throw the discard away. It's gold for pancakes, waffles, crackers, biscuits, and all kinds of quick breads. Keep a discard jar in the fridge and add to it after each feeding — I'll do a discard recipe post soon.

Signs of a healthy starter

It doubles within 4 to 8 hours after a feeding.

It has lots of bubbles throughout, not just on top.

It smells tangy and a little fruity — like yogurt or beer. Sharp and pleasant, not unpleasant.

It floats when you drop a small spoonful in water (the float test).

Signs something's off

Liquid on top? That's hooch — totally normal, just means it's hungry. Pour it off or stir it in, then feed.

Pink, orange, or fuzzy spots? That's mold or harmful bacteria. Throw it out and start fresh. This is rare but it happens.

Smells like nail polish remover or paint? Also a sign it's hungry. Feed it and it should bounce back within a day or two.

Not rising at all? Could be cold, could be tired. Try feeding it twice a day for a few days in a warmer spot and see if it perks up.

When to put it in the fridge

Move it to the fridge after a fresh feeding, once it's started to rise but before it peaks. This way the yeast has food to last through the week. Then once a week, take it out, feed it, let it sit on the counter for an hour or two, and back in it goes.

Going on vacation?

A healthy starter can survive a week or two in the fridge with no feeding. For longer trips, you have two options: dry it out (spread some on parchment, let it air-dry, store the flakes in a jar — it'll keep for years and you can rehydrate it later) or freeze a portion. Either way, you don't have to bring your starter on the plane.

Don't overthink it

Sourdough is forgiving. You will not break it as easily as you think.

Its just flour and water!