How to Feed a Sourdough Starter - Everything you need to know(1)
                     How to Feed a Sourdough 
Starter - Everything you need 
to know
Sourdough baking isn’t an exact science as 
there is an art to it too. A sourdough start is 
a live culture of yeast and microbes you use 
to raise bread. It is called a starter, and this 
article will explain how to maintain your very 
own starter culture.
 Be warned - you’ll get hooked on the fantastic flavor 
and texture of homemade bread. Baking with 
sourdough is fun and rewarding. Once you get the 
routine down, it is pretty easy to maintain. Read on for 
the basics of feeding the sourdough starter. 
 Key Terms
One of the first things is to learn are some of the terms. As I read through cookbooks, 
people use many words interchangeably, and was confusing. Here are a few of the 
basic terms:
Starter - When talking about sourdough culture, the starter is also called,  mother 
dough, the mother, starter dough, sourdough start, mother sponge, start, levain, 
Leaven, yeast culture, natural yeast, wild yeast, seed sour, or fermenting dough. Wow. 
The starter uses naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast to raise bread. The lactic acid 
produced by the lactobacilli gives the bread a more sour taste and improves storage. 
Original starter cultures can last for many years.
Proof - Allowing the starter to sit in a warm spot after it is fed is called proofing, but 
other terms for proof are sit, rise, ferment, and/or to culture. Some starters proof 
faster than others.
Feeding-The starter must be fed flour and water regularly to remain active. Some 
people refer to feeding as refreshment.  Some people refer to a fed starter brought to 
full strength as Leaven. 

Essential to Successful Sourdough 
Starters
There are a few keys to success. You must find 
a warm spot (yeast likes 70°- 85° F) and cover 
it to keep it free of contaminants such as dust, 
bugs, hair, or other types of foreign 
substances. 
Feeding is a must - To create a strong culture, 
you feed it and let it sit. This means you let it 
sit in a warm spot to give it a chance for the 
good bacteria and yeast to grow, usually 
taking about 8-12 hours.
Typically you feed a start every couple of days 
or weekly if it is refrigerated. Starter kept on a 
warm counter will need to feed about twice a 
day may be as much as every 6 hours.
But starter is pretty forgiving and can be 
brought back when neglected. If you let your 
start sit too long, it will get a dark liquid on 
top. This liquid is called Hooch and can be 
poured off or stirred back into the culture if it 
hasn't been too long without feeding.
Watching it is the only way to time feeding as 
the process is variable. Check it after a few 
hours (if kept in warm spot) to see if it is 
starting to bubble. Make sure you don't cover it 
with a tight lid. The growing yeast produces 
gas that builds up pressure in the container. 
Pickle Pipes with a Tough Band make great 
covers.

Refrigerate or Not?
If you use your starter less than every couple 
of days, it is better to keep it in the 
refrigerator. Refrigeration puts the yeast into 
hibernation, so it won't need to be fed as 
often. You'll need to "wake" it up when you 
take it out to use. Depending on how warm it 
is in your kitchen and what variety you are 
using, it may take three feedings to bring the 
yeast back to full vigor before you can bake 
with it.
 Let your starter sit a few hours in a warm 
place after being fed before you put it back in 
the fridge. You will have more than 4oz of 
unfed Sourdough Mother starter. Most people 
call it 'left over's or 'discard.' If you feed all of 
the starts twice a day, pretty soon, you'll have 
more than you can handle (think," "The 
Sorcerer's Apprentice" LOL).
Leftovers
Leftovers can be used or gifted; frozen or 
dried to be used later in other recipes. It is 
always good to keep a backup in case 
something were to happen to your main 
Mother. These two recipes are for maintaining 
a mature sourdough mother starter. If you 
are rehydrating a new start or working with a 
weak start you'll need to take a week to bring 
it to maturity.
Source: https://bit.ly/3oEWkDQ