Sourdough Starter Care Guide — Feeding, Storage, and Troubleshooting

If you're new to sourdough, the early days can feel a bit uncertain. A starter is a living culture and it behaves like one — it responds to temperature, flour quality, and how often you feed it. Once you understand those variables, it becomes predictable and easy to manage. This guide covers everything from the first feed through to long-term maintenance, storage, and troubleshooting.

A strong starter depends on five things:

• Stable temperature — ideally 20–25°C
• Proper hydration — equal weights of flour and water
• Regular feeding — at least weekly
• Quality ingredients — unbleached flour and filtered water where possible
• A clean container with light ventilation

Small changes in any of these can affect performance. Consistency solves most problems.

First feeding — fresh starter from the bag

For a full photo walkthrough of the first feed, see our Step-by-Step Starter Feeding Guide. The short version is below.

Step 1 — Prepare the container

Use a clean, wide-mouth glass jar. Round jars are easier to clean than angular ones. Our mason-type starter jars are built for exactly this.

• Place the empty jar on your scale and note the weight — you'll need to subtract it on future feedings.
• Mark the weight on the bottom of the jar with a permanent marker so you never forget it.
• Zero the scale before adding the starter.

Step 2 — Transfer the starter

Cut a corner off the bag and squeeze the starter into the jar, or use a silicone spatula to scrape it out. You should recover about 40–60g. Don't worry if you can't get every last gram — the culture will still perform well. Note the exact weight.

Step 3 — Feed at 1:1:1

Add equal weights of starter, flour, and water. For example: 50g starter + 50g flour + 50g lukewarm water. Our bamboo measuring scoop makes flour measuring easy.

Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains. Scrape down the jar walls — this matters, since contamination usually starts on old starter left on the sides. The texture should be a thick batter (wheat starter) or loose peanut butter (rye starter). You'll have about 150g total.

Step 4 — Ferment

Place the lid on loosely — not fully sealed — and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. 20–25°C is ideal. Colder rooms mean slower fermentation, so if your kitchen is cool, just give it more time and don't panic.

Within hours you should see bubbles forming. The starter will rise and develop a domed surface. Place a rubber band around the jar at the starting level if you want to track the rise easily.

The starter rises to a peak, then slowly collapses. The best time to use it is just before that peak. If you miss it, the starter will remain active for another 24 hours or so — it'll just be slightly more acidic. Most recipes need starter equal to about 20% of total flour weight. If you need more volume, build a levain (see below).

Reviving a dehydrated starter

Day 1

• Place the empty jar on your scale and zero it.
• Add 20g dehydrated starter.
• Add 10–15g lukewarm water and stir. Let it sit in a warm spot for 1 hour to rehydrate.
• Add 25g flour and 25g water. Mix well.
• Leave for 24 hours in a warm spot. You'll have about 80–85g of starter.

If there's no visible activity after 24 hours, don't panic. Some starters take 3–5 days to come back fully.

Day 2 and onwards

Discard half the mixture (about 40g), then feed with 50g flour and 50g water. Repeat daily. Always discard before feeding — this refreshes the culture and prevents excess build-up. Stir the starter once or twice during early revival to help any dry particles incorporate.

The starter is ready when it:

• Increases noticeably in volume after each feeding
• Produces visible bubbles throughout
• Smells tangy and slightly sour rather than sharp or acetone-like

Once it shows clear activity, keep the jar only half full after feeding to leave room for the rise.

Consecutive feedings and routine maintenance

Feed your starter on a regular schedule. Weekly at minimum. More frequent feeding keeps activity high — our starters are fed every 12–36 hours and stay consistently active.

Always discard about half before each feeding. This removes excess acidity and fermentation by-products, keeping the microbial balance healthy.

The standard feeding ratio is 1:1:1 by weight. For small maintenance portions that reduce waste:

• 20g starter + 20g flour + 20g water = 60g total

After 12–24 hours you can use it directly in dough, build a levain, leave it on the bench for another cycle, or put it in the fridge. A silicone spatula makes mixing and scraping the jar walls quick and clean.

Storage options

Bench storage

If you bake regularly, keep your starter at room temperature. Feed it at least once a week. More frequent feeding keeps it strong and predictable. After each feeding, scrape the jar walls clean — use a silicone spatula or a damp paper towel. Leaving old starter on the walls is the most common cause of contamination.

Fridge storage

Suitable for occasional bakers. Before refrigerating, feed the starter and let it ferment for 24 hours at room temperature first — then put it in the fridge. Cold temperatures slow yeast activity significantly. Bacteria remain partially active but slow down too. The culture eventually goes dormant.

You can safely leave a starter in the fridge for 2–3 weeks between feeds. Our tests show they can revive even after 8 weeks without feeding.

To bring it back before baking: remove from the fridge, let it come to room temperature, feed it, and wait 24–48 hours until full activity returns. Do not bake until it reliably doubles — an underactive starter produces a dense, gummy crumb.

Container guide

Use a wide-mouth glass jar. Our 500ml mason-type jars are the ideal size — large enough for a full feeding cycle without overflowing, with a built-in thermometer to track fermentation temperature.

• Round jars are easier to clean than angular ones
• Note the empty jar weight and mark it on the bottom
• Leave enough headspace for the starter to double or triple
• Keep the lid on but not fully sealed — gas needs to escape
• Do not use cloth covers — they increase contamination risk
• Clean with hot soapy water after each use. Vinegar removes odours if needed
• Replace lids periodically — replacement lid and band sets are available

Flour guide

Your starter performs best with quality, unbleached flour. Avoid cheap plain white flour, flour with additives, or self-raising flour. Use filtered water where possible — if you only have tap water, let it stand for 24 hours so the chlorine can evaporate.

Feed like with like:

• Wheat starter — use unbleached baker's flour (above 11% protein)
• Rye starter — use whole rye flour

For baking: use baker's flour as your base, add 10–20% whole wheat or rye for flavour, or type 00 for soft doughs like pizza or focaccia. Different flours absorb water differently, so adjust slightly if your mix feels too thick or too runny — aim for thick pancake batter consistency. For a full breakdown, read our Understanding Sourdough Flours guide.

Building a levain

A levain is a build made from your mother starter. It lets you scale up your pre-ferment volume and boost activity before baking. The typical ratio is 1:2:2 — for example:

• 40g starter + 80g flour + 80g water = 200g levain

Let it ferment until peak height, then use the entire levain in your dough. Most recipes use 20–25% levain relative to total flour weight. Prepare it a few hours before baking — many bakers build it overnight for morning use. If you're ready to use your levain in a recipe, our Classic Sourdough Bread is the obvious next step.

What your starter looks and smells like

Wheat starter

After feeding: shaggy, somewhat lumpy. At peak: creamy, airy, slightly domed. Overripe: more liquid, very sour. A nail-polish or paint smell means it's hungry and overdue a feed. Colour ranges from white to light beige. If it's too loose to observe the rise clearly, reduce the water slightly.

Rye starter

Thick and spreadable, like peanut butter. Produces large bubbles. Flavour is tangy with fruity undertones. Colour ranges from light to dark brown. Both wheat and rye starters ferment baker's flour well and can be used interchangeably in most recipes.

Troubleshooting

No rise or no bubbles

The most common complaint from new starters. Likely causes: infrequent feeding, weak or wrong flour type, low protein content, chlorinated water, cold environment, or simply not enough time. Fix: feed 1:1:1 consistently with strong unbleached flour, use filtered or rested tap water, keep the starter at 20–25°C, and be patient. If there's still no movement after 48 hours, stir the starter once and wait another 12 hours before feeding again.

Bubbles but no lift

Gas is producing but escaping without lifting the structure. The starter is probably too thin. Reduce the water slightly on the next feed and aim for a thick batter consistency.

Hooch — dark liquid on top

Hooch is alcohol produced during fermentation. It's a sign the starter is hungry. This usually means it's been a long time since the last feed. You can stir it back in for a stronger, more sour flavour, or pour it off for a milder result. Either way, feed immediately.

Strong alcohol or acetone smell

The starter is very acidic and undernourished. Discard half and feed at 1:2:2 (1 part starter, 2 parts flour, 2 parts water) rather than the usual 1:1:1. This dilutes the acid load and gives the culture more food. Repeat daily until the smell softens to a clean sourness.

Starter left a long time without feeding

If there's no visible mould: discard the top layer if it looks discoloured, transfer the clean portion underneath to a fresh jar, and feed at 1:1:1. Repeat for several days. Microbes go dormant in poor conditions but recover well with consistent feeding. This is one of the most resilient aspects of a sourdough starter.

White layer on the surface

Almost always just dried flour or lactic acid bacteria growing on the surface — not mould. If it's soft, stir it back in and feed as normal. If there's a foul smell alongside it, discard the top layer, transfer the clean portion, and refresh. For more detail on identifying contamination versus normal activity, read our Is My Starter Healthy? guide.

Mould, pink, or orange spots

This is genuine contamination. Discard the entire starter, clean the jar thoroughly with hot water and vinegar, and start fresh. If you received the starter from us and it arrived in poor condition, contact us immediately — we replace affected starters under our free replacement guarantee.

Starter rises then collapses quickly

The environment may be too warm, the starter may be underfed, or the ratio of starter to flour is too high. Try feeding at a higher ratio (1:2:2) and maintaining a more moderate temperature. The starter should take 6–12 hours to reach peak height at 20–25°C.

Starter doubles but bread is still dense

Doubling is necessary but not always sufficient. The starter needs to be reliably active — doubling within 6–12 hours at room temperature — before it's strong enough to leaven bread properly. If it takes longer, feed daily for a week, try a higher feeding ratio, or build a levain to boost activity before adding to your dough.

Summary — the habits that matter most

Maintain a regular feeding routine at room temperature until your starter is strong and predictable. Always discard before feeding. Keep the jar only half full so the starter has room to rise. Use good-quality unbleached flour and filtered water. Aim for thick pancake batter consistency. Don't bake until the starter reliably doubles, shows plenty of bubbles, and smells clean and tangy.

Once it's stable, it can live in the fridge with feeds every 2–3 weeks. If activity slows, bring it back to the bench for a few daily feeds and it will recover.

Sourdough is resilient. Minor changes in temperature, flour, or schedule are normal. Your starter will adjust over time. If you hit a wall, reach out to us directly — support is always available.

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