Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter

Once your sourdough starter is lively and thriving, it requires ongoing care to ensure its longevity for years to come.

Refrigerator Storage for Occasional Use:

• Storing your starter in the refrigerator slows down its fermentation process, so feeding once every week will be enough.
• If I want to use my sourdough I bring it out of the refrigerator a day or two before I need it and I feed it once each day before using it. I then feed it again after using it in my recipe and pop it back in the refrigerator with a lid.

Counter Storage for Daily Use:

• The bacteria in the starter are active at room temperature, meaning they need more frequent feeding if kept on the counter.
• Leaving your starter on the counter requires daily feeding with flour and water. This routine is ideal if you're baking daily and using up the starter regularly.
• However, for most people who don't bake daily, I recommend storing the starter in the refrigerator between uses to maintain its freshness and reduce the frequency of feedings. This also saves you from using up your ingredients constantly. 

*Float Test: The float test consists of filling a cup of water and dropping a dollop of sourdough starter. If the starter floats then it is ready to bake with, if it sinks then it needs more time to activate.