Your Sourdough Starter: A Complete Guide

A sourdough starter is, at its heart, remarkably simple: flour and water mixed together and left to ferment. But within that simple mixture, something almost magical happens. Wild yeasts present in the flour and the environment begin to colonise the mixture, along with beneficial bacteria called lactobacilli. Together, these microorganisms create a symbiotic culture that can leaven bread without any commercial yeast.

The wild yeasts produce carbon dioxide, which makes bread rise. The lactobacilli produce lactic and acetic acids, which give sourdough its characteristic tangy flavour and that wonderful complexity you simply cannot achieve with commercial yeast. These acids also act as natural preservatives, helping sourdough bread stay fresh longer than conventional loaves.

What makes a starter truly special is that it's unique to you. The specific strains of yeast and bacteria in your starter depend on your local environment, the flour you use, and even the bacteria on your hands when you mix it. This is why sourdough from San Francisco tastes different from sourdough made in Melbourne—each region has its own microbial signature.

Many bakers develop a deep connection with their starters, giving them names and caring for them like pets. There are starters that have been passed down through generations, carrying with them decades or even centuries of baking history. Your starter, once established, can last indefinitely with proper care.

Once your starter is established, maintaining it becomes second nature. How you feed and store your starter depends on how often you bake. There's no single "right way"—the best method is the one that fits your lifestyle and baking schedule.

For Regular Bakers: Room Temperature Storage

If you bake several times a week, keeping your starter at room temperature makes sense. It will need daily feeding, but it's always ready for baking at a moment's notice. This is how professional bakeries maintain their starters.

Feed your starter once or twice daily, depending on your kitchen temperature. In summer, when it's warm, you might need to feed twice a day to prevent it from over-fermenting. In winter, once daily is usually sufficient. A standard feeding ratio is 1:1:1—equal parts starter, flour, and water by weight.

For Weekend Bakers: Refrigerator Storage

Most home bakers don't bake every day, and that's perfectly fine. The refrigerator is your starter's best friend. Cold temperatures slow fermentation dramatically, meaning you only need to feed your starter once a week—or even less frequently.

After feeding your starter, let it rise for about an hour at room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator. The cold won't harm it; it simply slows everything down. When you want to bake, take the starter out the night before, feed it, and let it come to room temperature and become active again.

Long-Term Storage and Backup

What if you're going on holiday or won't be baking for a month? Your starter can survive extended neglect in the refrigerator—up to a month or more is usually fine. It might develop a dark liquid on top called hooch, but that's just alcohol produced by hungry yeast. Simply pour it off or stir it back in, then resume feeding.

For ultimate security, consider drying some of your starter. Spread a thin layer on parchment paper and let it dry completely over a few days. Crumble the dried flakes into a jar and store them in a cool, dry place. This dried starter can be reactivated months or even years later by mixing it with flour and water and resuming regular feedings.

While you don't need much to maintain a sourdough starter, having the right equipment makes the process more enjoyable and consistent. Here are our recommendations: