Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide
How to Feed and Maintain Your Sourdough Starter
A healthy starter needs regular feeds, a suitable temperature and a routine that fits how often you bake. Keep a small amount of culture for everyday care, then build up the quantity you need before making dough.
This guide is for an established starter that has already been rehydrated and is showing reliable activity.
A Simple Everyday Feed
A practical starting routine is a 1:2:2 feed. Ratios are written as starter : flour : water, by weight.
- 20 g established sourdough starter.
- 40 g flour.
- 40 g water.
This makes 100 g of starter — a manageable amount for routine care.
- Weigh 20 g of your existing starter into a clean jar.
- Add 40 g water and 40 g flour, then mix thoroughly.
- Scrape down the sides and mark the starting level with a band or marker.
- Cover with a lid that prevents drying while allowing pressure to escape.
- Watch how the starter rises, reaches its peak and begins to fall.
Weigh your feeds rather than judging by texture alone. Different flours absorb different amounts of water, so a thick or thin mixture does not tell you how strong your starter is.
Equal weights of fresh flour and water maintain a starter close to 100% hydration once it has settled into regular feeding.
If You Bake Frequently
Keep your starter covered at a stable room temperature. Begin by checking it morning and evening, and feed around its peak or after a modest fall, before it spends a long time exhausted.
A cool kitchen may mean less frequent feeding. In a hot kitchen, your starter may need more food or a cooler location.
If the 1:2:2 feed repeatedly peaks hours before your next planned feed, try a 1:3:3 feed:
- 20 g starter.
- 60 g flour.
- 60 g water.
This makes 140 g. The larger feed provides more fresh food per gram of starter and usually takes longer to peak at the same temperature.
Use the starter’s behaviour to set your routine rather than assuming every culture needs exactly one feed each day.
If You Bake Occasionally
Once your culture is healthy and established, refrigerator storage can reduce how often it needs feeding.
- Keep 20 g starter and feed it 40 g flour and 40 g water.
- Leave it covered at room temperature until fermentation has visibly begun — often around 1–2 hours.
- Place it in a fridge at 4 °C or below, away from the warmer door area.
- Use a weekly feed as a starting routine. Inspect it each time and feed sooner if its behaviour calls for it.
Use a lid that prevents the starter from drying out while allowing pressure to escape.
Bringing It Back Out for Baking
Take a small portion from the fridge and feed it at room temperature. Watch for a normal, vigorous rise before building the quantity needed for your recipe.
A recently refrigerated starter may need only one refreshment. A starter left for longer may need several feeds before it is rising reliably again.
The fridge slows fermentation; it does not restore a weak starter. Refrigerate an established, healthy culture and give it time to regain activity before baking.
Prepare a Starter Build for Baking
A starter build prepared specifically for a recipe is often called a levain. It is simply a measured feed made from part of your maintained culture.
For a 140 g build, mix:
- 20 g active starter.
- 60 g flour.
- 60 g water.
Leave covered at around 24–26 °C until well risen, aerated and near its peak. A strong starter may take approximately 6–10 hours at this ratio, but use its actual rise rather than a fixed deadline.
The first-loaf recipe in our eBook uses 100 g active starter. This build leaves 20 g to feed as your next reserve, plus a small allowance for what remains in the jar.
If you’re following a different recipe, check how much starter it requires and build enough for that amount plus a reserve.
Once your starter is ready, follow your chosen recipe or visit our sourdough baking guide.
What If Your Starter Seems Sluggish?
Low temperature can slow activity, but it is not the only explanation. Check your measured feeding ratio, flour, recent feeding history and actual temperature.
Keep conditions consistent and watch for changes over successive feeds. Large, frequent feeds can dilute a weak culture, so increasing the ratio is not always the answer.
If your starter has collapsed deeply and is sluggish, refresh it again and wait for a strong rise before using it in dough.
Keep Starter Care Simple
- Maintain a small amount: Build extra when you plan to bake rather than keeping a large jar all the time.
- Keep the jar easy to read: Clean the sides after feeding and change jars when the walls or rim become crusted.
- Keep a reserve: Never use your entire culture in a recipe.
- Use sound discard only: Save discard from a healthy, established starter for suitable cooked recipes. Discard early rehydration removals.
- Check for contamination: Discard the whole culture if it develops mould or suspicious coloured growth.
From Everyday Feeding to Your First Loaf — All in One Guide
For a detailed companion to starter care and baking, explore The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough.
Our beautifully illustrated 48-page digital eBook brings together rehydration, feeding ratios, refrigeration, starter readiness and every stage of your first loaf — from mixing and folding to shaping, proofing, scoring and baking.
With six recipes, troubleshooting advice and quick-reference charts, you’ll have clear guidance in one place to return to as your confidence grows.
Available to purchase separately as a digital PDF for your phone, tablet or computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to feed my starter every morning?
Not necessarily. Begin by checking morning and evening, then adjust feeding to its rise and fall. Temperature and feeding ratio affect how quickly it uses its food. Feed around its peak or after a modest fall.
What is the difference between 1:2:2 and 1:3:3?
The numbers represent starter : flour : water by weight. With 20 g starter, a 1:2:2 feed uses 40 g flour and 40 g water. A 1:3:3 feed uses 60 g flour and 60 g water. The larger feed usually takes longer to peak under the same conditions.
Can I bake straight from the fridge?
For the first-loaf method, refresh your starter at room temperature and confirm a vigorous rise before preparing your baking build. One feed may be enough after a short stay in the fridge; a longer break may require several.
Do bubbles mean my starter is ready to bake?
Bubbles show activity, but they do not prove the starter can lift a loaf. Look for reliable rising after feeds and use your baking build when it is well aerated and near its peak.
Can I use the removed starter in another recipe?
Discard from a healthy, established starter can be used in suitable cooked recipes. Keep it covered in the fridge and use a small batch within a few days. Do not save early rehydration removals or any starter showing suspicious growth, discolouration or a spoiled smell.
