renee If you started a sourdough starter full of good intentions and then you realized you’re not trying to raise a high maintenance pet…. you’re not alone.
The good news? You can absolutely keep a sourdough alive without feeding it every day. I’ve been doing it once a week for a while now (sometimes once every couple of weeks), and it’s still bubbly and active, and makes great bread.
Here’s exactly how to feed a sourdough starter once a week and keep it happy.
Why Feeding Your Sourdough Starter Weekly Works
Daily feedings are really only necessary if your starter lives on your countertop all of the time. But most of us aren’t baking every single day and that’s ok.
Once your starter is mature (about 7 -10 days old and reliably bubbly), it’s totally fine to store it in the fridge between bakes. The cold slows down the fermentation, so it doesn’t eat through all of it food so fast.
How to Feed a Sourdough Starter Once a Week (Step-by-Step)
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Your sourdough starter
- All-purpose or bread flour
- Filtered or dechlorinated water
- A clean jar
- A spoon or spatula
- A kitchen scale (helpful but optional)
Weekly Feeding Steps:
- Take your starter out of the fridge and let it warm up for an hour or two.
- Discard all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of starter.
- Add equal parts starter, flour, and water by weight or eyeball it if you’re not using a scale. (For example: 25 grams starter + 50 grams flour + 50 grams water.)
- Mix it until there are not dry bits left.
- Let it sit at room temperature for about 6 -12 hours, until it gets bubbly and starts to rise.
- Pop it back in the fridge until next week.
Thats it. No fuss. No daily check-ins. And yes, it really works.
Can You Skip a Week of Feeding?
If you open your jar and see a layer of gray liquid on top (thats call hooch), dont panic. Just pour it off or stir it in and give it a sniff (sour = good, moldy or rotten = not good). If it passes the sniff test, feed your starter like usual.
Even after 2 or 3 weeks in the fridge, a healthy starter usually bounces back with a good feeding or two.
How to Reactivate Your Starter Before Baking
When you’re planning to bake, take your starter out of the night before. Give it on or two feedings at room temperature until its active and bubbly again. This helps it rise your dough properly.
Bonus: Free Sourdough Starter Tracker
If you want to keep track of your feedings without having to guess, I made a free printable Sourdough Starter Log for you. It’s cute, clean, and looks right at home on your fridge.
Click here to get the free Sourdough Starter Log
You’ve Got This
Don’t let sourdough stress you out. Feeding your starter once a week is plenty for most home bakers. If you’re keeping it in the fridge and giving it fresh food every 7 days or so, you’re doing great.
So, if you’ve been wondering how to feed a sourdough starter once a week without killing it, now you’ve got a method that works.
Got questions? Drop them in the comments.
Got a starter name? I want to hear it.
Happy Baking!
-Renee, The Pickled Farmhouse
