How to tell if your starter is ready?

The reason that sourdough seems complicated is the starter. But the starter isn’t that complicated once you appreciate it as its own little entity. Here are a few basic points to understand about sourdough starters that will help you master the basics of sourdough.

What is a sourdough starter?

Sourdough starter is a leavening agent. You’ve probably used leavening agents before. Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents as is store-bought yeast–often used in breadmaking. Sourdough is a living leaven–a small amount of fermented dough kept alive and used to make fresh dough rise.

How will I know my starter is ready to use?

Your sourdough starter needs to be active and bubbly when you add it to the recipe to ensure it works as a leavening agent. You’ll notice when you feed your starter it’s kind of flat and sits lower in the jar. Once you feed it (see below), it starts to get bubbly and rise in the jar. Feeding it essentially reactivates the fermentation process. After about 6-8 hours, it will start to drop back down in the jar. The best time to cook with the sourdough is when it’s at its peak height in the jar. It’s also at its peak bubbly level. You’ll notice it looks puffy, bubbly, and a little more active than after it has sat out on the counter for 24 hours.

How do I keep my sourdough starter alive?

Since you’re working with a living leaven, you have to keep it alive to make your dough rise–otherwise, your dough will be flat and lifeless. Fortunately, it’s probably the most low-maintenance living creature in your home. To keep it alive, feed the starter once a day or put it in hibernation.

How do I feed a sourdough starter?

Here’s how to feed it in less than 3-minutes:

1. Discard 1/4 cup of starter
2. Add 1/2 cup of flour
3. Add 1/4 cup of water
4. Stir it up
5. Put a lid on it

Sometimes, I struggle to feed the humans who live with me every day. I’m not looking for another mouth to feed. So I keep my starter in hibernation most of the week by putting it in the refrigerator. I take it out on Thursday or Friday night to feed it and get it reacclimated to life on the countertop and then bake with it on the weekends when I have more time (see sample schedule here). On Sunday night, Fontina the incredible sourdough starter goes back to the refrigerator for the week.

What is a good feeding schedule?

Remember, your sourdough starter is not a human that requires your constant devotion. It’s a resilient, low-maintenance contributor to the home. You should feed it every night. If you can’t do that, put it in the refrigerator. Here’s a couple of sample schedules you can follow to get the most out of your starter:

• Friday morning: take it out of hibernation and let it warm up on the counter.
• Friday afternoon: When you get home from work or kids get home from school, feed it and let it get bubbly
• Friday night before you go to bed: Mix up a loaf of bread
• Saturday morning: Bake your bread

• Friday night: take it out of hibernation and feed it. Use the discard to make waffles or pancakes for Saturday morning (my favorite overnight recipe)
• Saturday morning (around 8 AM): Make waffles and feed it again so it goes into turbo mode.
• Saturday afternoon (between noon-2 pm): Mix up some bread dough
• Saturday night: Bake bread

If you work from home or are around on the weekdays, I think the easiest way to get bread going is to feed it in the morning, mix it up around noon, and then let your bread rise all afternoon and evening and bake it right before you go to bed. If you aren’t able to tend to sourdough a few minutes here and there during the day, you might find it easier to limit the baking schedule to weekends. I mix mine up on Friday or Saturday night and then do the second rise and bake on one of the weekend mornings.

Can I make a sourdough starter?

Yes. You can get a sourdough starter in one of two ways.

1. You can ask someone who has an established starter to give you their discard. Take that discard and use the same feeding process outlined above. Once it’s good and bubbly, you’re ready to bake.
2. Alternatively, you can make your own–it takes about 7 days to get it ready. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to get your starter going from scratch.