How to Feed, Maintain, and Strengthen Your Sourdough Starter

Feeding and caring for your sourdough starter is more than just a routine - it's the heart of incredible homemade bread. If you’ve already created your own sourdough starter (if not, check out our post on how to make sourdough starter), then this guide will take you one step further: maintaining its health, building its strength, and making your baking more predictable and successful.

The Basics of Feeding Sourdough Starter

Once your sourdough starter is about 6-8 weeks old and reliably doubles between feedings, it’s time to think about strengthening it further. Feeding your starter typically follows a ratio - commonly 1:2:2 (1 part starter, 2 parts flour, 2 parts water by weight). This basic routine keeps your culture healthy and ready to rise.

Best Practices for Feeding:

• Use filtered water, especially if your tap water contains chlorine, which in most cities does.

• Feed at consistent intervals, ideally every 12 hours if kept on the counter.

• Keep it warm: Room temperature (21-24°C / 70-75°F) is ideal.

• Choose quality flour: Unbleached bread flour works well, best if you buy organic.

Strengthening Your Sourdough Starter

If you want a stronger, more active starter - especially for high-rising breads - you can train it to be more vigorous using two methods:

1. Decrease the Inoculation (Amount of Starter)

Try adjusting your feeding ratio to something like 1:3:3 or even 1:4:4. This gives the bacteria more "food" to work through and builds a stronger, more resilient culture.

2. Lower the Hydration

Feeding your starter with less water (e.g. 1:2:2.5 or 1:2:3) creates a denser environment. It takes longer for the bacteria to work through the food, which "trains" them to become hardier and improves the balance of yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

3. Combine Both Methods

This is often the most effective approach. I use a ratio like 1:4:5 in cooler months, and 1:3.5:5 in the summer when fermentation speeds up. This combo keeps the starter strong and avoids the overly sour smell of an "overripe" starter.

Feeding sourdough starter is a bit like strength training: a little resistance makes it grow stronger.

Sourdough Starter Storage & Feeding Frequency

Keeping Your Starter on the Counter:

• Feed twice daily (morning and evening).

• Store in a shaded spot or even wrapped in a kitchen towel.

• Avoid direct sunlight and large temperature swings.

Refrigerating Your Starter:

• Feed once, preferably twice a week.

• Always bring it to room temperature before feeding.

• After feeding, let it sit out for 1-2 hours before placing it back in the fridge.

Pro Tip: Even if stored in the fridge, try to bring your starter to the counter for a few days before baking to build its strength.

Pro Tip 2: I highly recommend storing it on the counter. You will have a much more active and is far easier to manage than one kept in the fridge.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Not doubling?
  Try increasing the feeding ratio or switching flour types.

• Smells very sour or vinegary?
  That smell is part of the fermentation process. Most fermentation stops at the vinegar stage - we just keep sourdough in that mid-fermentation zone. If it smells like vinegar every time, your sourdough is hungry. Try feeding more often or using strengthening ratios.

• Liquid on top ("hooch")?
  That’s a sign it’s very hungry or even dead. Stir it in and try to feed it.

Remember, sourdough starter care is about consistency and observation. If something seems off, chances are a small tweak in feeding will fix it.

FAQ: Sourdough Starter Feeding & Maintenance

How often should I feed my sourdough starter?

If on the counter, twice a day; if refrigerated, once or twice a week. Skipping one feeding occasionally is fine if your starter is in excellent shape, but frequent misses will weaken the culture.

How do you feed sourdough starter from the fridge?

Take it out, let it warm for 1-2 hours, discard most, then feed with fresh flour and water.

What’s the best feeding ratio?

1:2:2 works for most, but 1:4:5 strengthens older starters.

Can you overfeed the sourdough starter?

Not really, but very large feedings may dilute the culture too much temporarily.

What flour should I use?

Unbleached all-purpose, bread flour, or whole grain varieties like rye or whole wheat. You can switch flours, but ideally, pick a good one early on and stick with it - most cultures prefer consistency. If you do switch, allow a few days, even a weak for your starter to adjust.

Why does my starter smell like acetone or vinegar?

That's a normal sign of fermentation. But if it always smells like that, it’s hungry - adjust feeding ratios and frequency to help.

How soon after feeding can I use my starter for baking?

When it doubles or triples in size and doesn't collapse. For full details, see our post on how to feed your sourdough for baking.

What’s the difference between feeding ratio and hydration?

The feeding ratio gives your culture more food per gram of starter, which makes it stronger and helps it reproduce well. Lower hydration challenges the microbes - it slows them down and helps toughen the culture. Lower hydration also extends the time before peak activity.

How do I scale up my starter for baking multiple loaves?

We’ll cover this in detail in how to feed your sourdough for baking post - check it out!

The Reward of a Healthy Starter

A well-maintained sourdough starter rewards you with better rise, flavor, and baking consistency. It’s your baking partner - nurture it, love it and it will serve you beautifully for years.

Once your starter is thriving, try it in our sourdough bread recipe or sourdough hamburger buns to see the difference it makes.

Need help creating your sourdough starter? Start here with our complete beginner's guide!

Other posts you might like: 

How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch: A Foolproof Guide

How to Make Homemade Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide

Folding Dough: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right

The Best Sourdough Hamburger Buns