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Homemaking,  Sourdough

Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide

Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide- the easiest way to feed your sourdough starter. No scale needed. 1/2 cup sourdough starter, 1 cup flour, and 1/2-1 cup warm water.

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What to feed your sourdough starter

To feed your sourdough starter, you will need 1/2 cup active sourdough starter, 1 cup flour of your choice, and 1/2-1 cup warm water. Cover with a cheesecloth or loose lid and put in a warm place.

I begin by pouring 1/2 cup of my already active sourdough starter into a clean 32oz mason jar. The rest of my active starter I will use to bake with that day or store in the refrigerator as discard to bake with another day. I then pour 1 cup of unbleached, enriched bread flour into my mason jar. I also pour 1/2 cup warm, filtered water into my mason jar. I stir this with the end of a wooden spoon until I get a nice, thick, pancake batter-like consistency. Start off by pouring less water in and adding more if needed. It is based on how your starter looks, not exact measurements.

You want your starter to be fed and happy so that it doubles in size within about 12 hours.

When to feed your sourdough starter

The simple answer is to feed your sourdough starter everyday. This way, you can keep up a consistent discard supply to be able to bake everyday.

BUT you don’t necessarily need to feed your starter until you see a grayish/watery coating cover your starter. This is called hooch and it means your starter is hungry. See below for more information on this.

Ideally, you want your sourdough starter to double in size within 6 hours after feeding. It can take as little as 4 hours or as much as 12 hours for your starter to rise. When your sourdough starter is in a cooler place (68 degrees or less) it can take longer for it to rise. When your starter is in a warmer place (around 75/80 degrees) it will take a lot less time! I keep my starter in the microwave and it doubles in size within 4 hours. Another place you could leave it is in the oven with the light on. But BE CAREFUL not to preheat your oven with your starter inside. You’ll bake it!

Do I need to feed my sourdough starter everyday?

No, you don’t need to feed your starter everyday. If you like to bake everyday then yes! You should feed your starter everyday around the same time and bake with the discard or store it in the refrigerator for later.

If you only want to bake with your sourdough starter a few times a month, you can leave your starter in the refrigerator in between baking. This sort of puts your sourdough in a state of rest. It is still sourdough starter and will not go bad but it is not active. Be sure to store your starter in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake with it, pull it out of the refrigerator and begin feeding as normal. It may take a day or two to become really active but it will get there.

When feeding my starter daily and my starter does not rise as much as I would like it too, I will skip one day of feeding to let it get hungry. This usually helps it rise more the next time I feed it.

You will know your sourdough starer is hungry when it has a grey colored film on top. This is called hooch. It does not mean your starter is bad. You can pour the hooch out and feed your starter as usual or stir in the hooch and feed as usual. Either way, your starter is perfectly fine, just hungry.

When can I bake with my sourdough starter?

You can bake with your sourdough starter once it has doubled in size.

I feed my sourdough starter in the morning and by noon I am able to bake with it. I will normally use my active starter to bake bread. The discard that I have in the fridge I will use in other recipes.

You are able to bake with discard at any time. You will just want to make sure you are using “sourdough discard” recipes instead of active starter recipes. Discard specific recipes will most likely call for baking soda or baking powder to reactivate the starter.

sourdough starter on a cutting board with bread and a bread knife

What can I make with my sourdough starter?

You can make SO MUCH with sourdough starter! Before I began my sourdough journey, I had no idea what I could make with it. I thought it was just for sourdough bread. Once I began learning and experimenting, I realized that you can put sourdough in almost anything you bake. Here are a few of my favorite sourdough foods:

  • sourdough waffles
  • sourdough cinnamon buns (This is a family favorite. I get requests almost nightly to have it for breakfast the next morning.)
  • sourdough banana bread
  • sourdough chicken and dumplings soup

Here is a list of food I have not made yet but am dying to try out!

  • sourdough pop tarts
  • sourdough cereal
  • sourdough bread bowl for soup

What sourdough recipes do you love? Let me know below! I will try them!!


Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide

Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide

How to feed your sourdough starter daily to keep it active and bubbly!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
  • 1 cup flour - can be bread or all-purpose. I use enriched, unbleached bread flour.
  • 1/2 - 1 cup *warm* water. Enough to make the starter thick. I use filtered water.

Instructions

  1. Pour 1/2 cup sourdough starter into a new glass jar. You can discard the rest - bake with it or keep it in the refrigerator for another time.
  2. Pour in 1 cup flour
  3. Pour 1/2 cup WARM water and stir. If needed, pour more water until you have a thick, pancake batter-like consistency.
  4. Cover with a cloth, loose lid, or sourdough starter cover and keep in a warm place. I keep mine in the microwave.

Notes

Let the sourdough starter rise for 4-12 hours before baking with it. You want the starter to have at least doubled in size and be bubbly/active.


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