Muscle Momma Sourdough

First off- What is Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water that, over time, becomes home to wild yeast and bacteria. These little microbes naturally leaven your bread, meaning they make it rise, without the need for store-bought yeast. It’s like a living, breathing pet that you nurture and feed everyday.

How do I feed and take care of it?

Sourdough starters like to be fed unbleached flour and water, everyday. But all sourdough bakers feed their starter differently—there isn’t a single right way to do it, but there is a general rule of thumb: you always want to feed your starter an equal or MORE amount of flour than there is starter in the jar. This makes sure the yeast are getting an adequate amount of food to eat and results in a healthy happy starter!

At first, the sourdough process may seem overwhelming, but with daily practice and feeding, it will all start to click!

Feeding Your Starter: The 1:1:1 Ratio

For beginners, the 1:1:1 ratio is the easiest way to get started. This means feeding your starter equal parts of starter, unbleached flour, and room-temperature filtered water every day. This simple ratio helps maintain balance and keeps your starter easy to manage. Measuring by weight (with a food scale) ensures consistency, helping your starter stay healthy and active.

How to Feed Your Starter:

In a clean jar, combine:

• 50g starter
• 50g unbleached flour
• 50g room-temperature filtered water

Mix well until you achieve a thick pancake batter consistency. Cover loosely and keep it on the counter.

Note: There isn’t a “correct” number of grams to feed your starter—these numbers are just an example. You can scale up or down based on how much starter you need for your recipes.

What About the Leftover Starter? (Discard)

After feeding your starter, you may have leftover starter in your old jar—this is now considered discard. Since you feed your starter daily, discard will accumulate unless you bake with it or remove some. You have two options:

1. Throw it away (if you have too much and don’t want to store it)
2. Store it in the fridge to use in other baking recipes (like pancakes, muffins, crackers, and more!)

Feeling Confident? Try the 1:5:5 Ratio!

Once you’re comfortable feeding your starter regularly, consider switching to a 1:5:5 ratio. This will improve your starter’s health and prevent it from becoming too acidic.

A 1:5:5 ratio means feeding 1 part starter, 5 parts unbleached flour, and 5 parts water. This provides more food for your starter, making it stronger and more active.

1:5:5 Ratio Example Feed:

• 10g starter
• 50g unbleached flour
• 50g room-temperature filtered water

If this seems overwhelming, stick with your 1:1:1 ratio until you feel ready to make the switch!

Do I Have to Feed My Starter Every Day?

No! If daily feeding feels like too much, or if you’re going on vacation, you can store your starter in the fridge with a secure lid. Here’s what I recommend:

• Baking multiple times a week? Keep it on the counter and feed it daily.
• Baking once or twice a month? Store it in the fridge and feed it before and after using it to bake.

When you’re ready to use it again, take it out and give it a feeding. It may take a couple of feedings at room temperature before it becomes fully active again, so be patient as it wakes up and gets back to its bubbly, happy self!

By following these steps, you’ll have a thriving sourdough starter ready to bake delicious homemade bread.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet or maybe your current starter isn’t as strong as you’d like… I sell a dehydrated sourdough starter that makes it easy to jumpstart your sourdough journey! My starter is well-established, making it quicker and easier to bake delicious bread. You can grab one here and get started on the right foot!

Now that you’ve mastered starter care, let’s dive into a my beginner sourdough recipe!