The Basics of Maintaining a Sourdough Starter

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So, you have a sourdough starter, what now? This guide gives you tips on how to feed, store, and care for your starter so it stays bubbly, balanced, and ready to bake anytime. Don’t give up on your starter, just simplify the maintenance.

Caring for a sourdough starter doesn’t have to be complicated. At its core, it’s just a simple cycle: feed, wait, use or discard, store, feed, wait, repeat. Once you understand that rhythm, you’ll see how easy it is to keep your starter healthy and ready for baking.

Whether you made your sourdough starter from scratch or were given some by a friend, it can be daunting to know what to do next.

So, let’s go over the basics of maintaining a sourdough starter.

1. The Cycle of a Starter

Think of your sourdough starter as a living pet in your kitchen—it needs to be fed regularly to stay active. The cycle looks like this:

1. Feed – Give it fresh flour and water.
2. Wait – Let it ferment until bubbly and active.
3. Use or Discard – Use for baking or discard a portion.

After discard, you can either feed again right away or store in the fridge, but we’ll get to that later…

That’s it! The more you repeat this cycle, the stronger and more predictable your starter becomes.

2. A Reliable Feeding Ratio

There are endless opinions on starter feeding ratios, but I’ve found one that works well for both beginners and seasoned bakers.

• 1 part starter
• 3 parts water
• 5 parts flour

For example: 1 tbsp starter, 3 tbsp water, and 5 tbsp flour.

I keep mine on the thicker side—a thick paste-like consistency rather than a thin batter. It rises reliably, stays sweet-smelling, and is easier to manage than a thin starter.

Of course, this is just a rough ratio. What we’re going for can be simplified as:

• a little sourdough starter
• some water
• a little more flour than water

3. Why I Use Very Little Old Starter

When I feed, I only use a small amount (about 1–2 tablespoons) of old starter in a fresh feeding. This may seem like very little, but here’s why:

• Too much old starter can make the new batch overly sour or even sluggish.
• A small amount keeps the feed fresh, mild, and sweet.
• It gives you a more reliable rise with the right balance of yeast and lactic acid.

For context, I usually build enough starter for 2–3 loaves at a time, leaving just the scraps behind (about 1–2 tablespoons) for the next feed.

If you only need enough starter for 1–2 loaves, you can scale that back and keep just a couple teaspoons of old starter for your next feed.

See for yourself in the video below!

4. Flour: Keep It Simple

Don’t overthink the flour. Use the most accessible, affordable flour you have on hand and stick with it. Your starter likes consistency just as much as you do.

I often use all-purpose, but you could use bread flour, whole wheat, freshly milled, or a mix—whatever is easiest for you. The key is to keep it steady rather than constantly switching.

I suppose you could switch it up if you wanted to but it will make your starter less predictable, harder to read, and less reliable for your bakes.

5. When to Feed

There’s no single “right” time to feed your starter, but I prefer doing it before bed. By morning, it’s usually at peak activity—bubbly, risen, and ready to use for mixing dough.

This timing fits perfectly into my baking rhythm: I can mix the dough first thing in the morning, do my stretch-and-folds through the morning, and let it bulk ferment while I’m out or busy with other tasks. By mid-afternoon/evening, the dough is ready to shape and go into the fridge for an overnight proof. The next morning, all that’s left to do is bake—and nothing beats fresh bread for breakfast (with a generous amount of butter).

That said, the best feeding time is the one that works with your routine.

6. Seasonal Adjustments

Starters behave differently depending on the temperature in your kitchen. Here are a few tricks to keep it balanced:

• Summer (warm kitchens): Feed with cold water and make the starter a little thicker to slow things down.
• Winter (cold kitchens): Feed with lukewarm water and make the starter a bit thinner to speed fermentation up.

This simple adjustment keeps your starter predictable all year round.

7. Storing Your Starter

You don’t have to keep your starter on the counter all the time. If you’re not baking daily, store it in the fridge.

• It can rest in the fridge for a few days (even up to a week) before you feed it again.
• When you’re ready to bake, pull it out and give it a feed.
• If feeding straight from the fridge, make your water slightly warmer to help wake it up.

This way, you’re not tied to a rigid schedule—your starter can fit around your life.

My Routine:
I feed my starter at night so it’s bubbly and active by morning. In the morning, I use it to mix my dough, then save the little bit that’s left in the jar. That small amount goes into the fridge until the next time I want to bake—usually within 2–4 days. The night before I’m ready to mix dough again, I pull it out, feed it, use it in the morning, and store it in the fridge again.

8. Storage Vessel

The container you keep your sourdough starter in makes a big difference in how easy it is to maintain. I recommend a wide-mouth quart mason jar with a plastic lid.

• Wide mouth: Makes it easy to stir, feed, and scrape down the sides.
• Quart size: Gives enough room for the starter to expand without overflowing.
• Plastic lid: Won’t rust like metal lids can. Set it on the jar loosely so the starter can breathe without drying out or creating pressure.

Some bakers use bowls, old yogurt containers, or other jars, but I’ve found a wide-mouth quart jar is the simplest, most practical choice for everyday sourdough maintenance.

Final Thoughts

Sourdough starter maintenance is about finding a rhythm that works for you. Feed, wait, use or discard, store, feed, wait, repeat—that’s the cycle. Keep it thick and sweet, feed it with the flour you have chosen, and adjust with the seasons. Before long, maintaining your starter will feel second nature, and you’ll always have it ready for your next loaf.

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