Keeping a starter alive is one of the biggest concerns I hear from people that is stopping them from beginning sourdough. Here are some tips that I have found helpful.
after doing sourdough for a few years, I’ve found that it’s not black and white. Sourdough is more forgiving than most think, and everyone has their own way of doing it.
make sure you have a digital food scale. Washing sourdough out of measuring cups is a pain in the butt. A food scale is also more accurate. It makes it easier to find the right amount for you, so you have enough starter for your next thing to bake without being overloaded with discard. I’ve found my magic amount in a quart mason jar is about 135 g of each: starter, water, flour.
find the right ratio for your home’s temperature. Most of the year I find that a 1:1:1 ratio works best for me. The temperature of my home and the time it takes for the starter to peak work well for my starter and schedule. We don’t have air conditioning, so in the summer I will drop to 1:2:2. 1 part starter, 2 parts water and flour. When temperatures are higher, your starter will peak faster. If you decrease the ratio of starter, that slows it down.
find the right container for your starter. A wide mouth quart mason jar works great for me. I use the plastic reusable lids on top. It’s the perfect amount of starter to have enough to feed for the next recipe, and to have some discard left over. Jars also take up less space in the fridge than bowls.
use filtered water. Using tap water/city water can kill your starter due to all of the chemicals that are put into the water. We use a zero water pitcher on our counter that stays room temperature. We also have a clearly filtered pitcher in our fridge for drinking.
keep your starter in the fridge. Unless you plan on baking everyday and feeding your starter about twice a day, keep it in the fridge. I have gone over a week without using or feeding, and have had no issues. I’ve heard of people reviving starters that have been in the fridge for months. If I’m baking in the morning, I’ll pull my starter out and put it on the counter overnight. If I’m baking at night, I’ll pull it out of the fridge mid to late morning. My starter usually peaks around 8-10 hours. This is something you will figure out with your starter as you use it more.
I hope these tips are helpful and encourage you to begin your own sourdough journey!