Jump to content on this page
Why am I throwing away (discarding) so much sourdough starter?
What if I’m away and can’t feed my starter for several weeks?
Regular feeding will keep your starter healthy and active for a lifetime. In fact, it will outlive you if you look after it. That’s how Mojo Risin (my starter) is over 100 years old.
There are 2 reasons we feed our starter in the baking the cycle:
In between baking, feed your starter every 7-10 days to keep it strong and active by following the feeding ratios below and storing it in the fridge.
When Preparing your starter for baking, feed the starter using the same ratios below. This time, after feeding, leave it on the bench to speed up the activation processes so it’s active enough to bake with. See Preparing your starter for baking page for more information.
Feeding schedules and ratios
1. Scoop 20 grams of starter from the jar and place into a clean jar. Throw what’s left in the original jar in the bin, compost or use the leftover starter in a discard recipe like my Anzac biscuits. For more information on discard, see the FAQ page.
2. Add 50 grams of rye flour and 75 grams of room temperature filtered, distilled or spring water to the new jar.
3. Mix until smooth, cover with a cloth and leave on your bench for one hour to start the activation process.
4. Remove cloth, screw the lid loosely on the jar and store in the fridge to slow down the activation process and keep it fresh.
To bake, follow the Preparing your starter for baking instructions.
Why am I throwing away (discarding) so much sourdough stater?
Each time you feed your starter, you’re only keeping 20 grams and discarding what’s left in the old jar. You’re probably thinking, what a waste of starter!
If you don’t discard what’s left, you’ll end up with unused jars of starter in your fridge. Also, if you feed your discarded starter, you will waste a lot of expensive rye flour for a starter you will never use.
That being said, there are recipes that call for discarded starter such as my Anzac biscuit recipe.
The discarded starter is not strong enough to make a loaf of bread (because we haven’t fed it) but it is strong enough to use in discard recipes. If you search the internet for ‘sourdough discard recipes’, you will find a plethora of recipes to use up some of your discard.
What if I’m away and can’t feed my starter for several weeks?
Don’t panic. Your starter should be okay. However, you may see liquid on top. This harmless liquid is called ‘hooch’. Hooch appears when the starter is hungry. To remedy this, pour or scrape off the hooch and do the following:
1. Scoop 20 grams of starter from the jar and place into a clean jar. Discard or compost what’s left.
2. Add 50 grams of rye flour and 75 grams of room temperature filtered, distilled or spring water to the new jar.
3. Mix until smooth, cover with a cloth and leave on your bench for a couple of hours (or until bubbles start to appear).
4. When bubbles start to appear, it’s healthy again and you can store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. If there is no activity after you have fed it, follow steps 1 – 3 until bubbles appear.
Read next: Preparing your starter for baking.
If my work has helped you on your sourdough baking journey, and you can’t afford a paid subscription (I get it, it’s tough right now), please Buy me a coffee – only $5.00 AUD because I love coffee as much as I love sourdough!! Tx