Is your sourdough starter ready to bake?
Learn the signs of a starter that is ready for bread: a predictable rise after feeding, bubbles throughout, and a pattern you can recognise in your own jar.
THE BAKER’S JOURNAL / 13 GUIDES
Sourdough starter care.
Feed, observe and care for your culture. Start with the jar in front of you, then build a routine you can repeat.
PUT THE KNOW-HOW TO WORK
Work out your next feed.
A free tool to keep the maths beside the method.
Sourdough Starter Feeding Ratios for When You Want to Bake
Compare 1:1:1, 1:2:2 and 1:5:5 feeds by weight, build the amount you need, and find a peak window that fits when you want to mix dough.
How to Feed Sourdough Starter by Weight
Feed an established starter with three 20 g weights. See when to tare, what to do with discard and whether to use the counter or fridge.
When Is Sourdough Starter at Its Peak?
Read the rise, high-water mark and fall in your starter jar. Learn how to log a peak window when the starter rises while you are asleep.
Sourdough Starter Bubbling but Not Rising? What to Check Next
Diagnose a bubbling but flat starter by age, the jar’s high-water mark, temperature and feeding changes. Test one variable at your next feed.
How to Store Sourdough Starter in the Fridge Between Bakes
Keep an established starter between bakes and plan a Thursday refresh, a Friday check and a Saturday mix, with a fallback if it rises slowly.
How to Revive a Neglected Sourdough Starter
Know when to discard an old starter, how to refresh a familiar mature jar and what to record before relying on it to raise a loaf.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Make a sourdough starter from flour and water using a 50 g feeding method. Know what to record each day and how to judge when it can raise bread.
Sourdough Starter Mold and When to Throw the Jar Contents Away
Know when fuzzy growth, pink or orange streaks and uncertain patches mean you should discard the whole starter and clean the jar.
A Printable Sourdough Starter Feeding Log
Print a one-feed starter log with weights, temperature and rise checks. See a filled-in overnight example and learn how to record a missed peak.
Sourdough Starter Hooch and What to Do With It
Check whether liquid on your starter could be hooch or water separation, when to stir or pour it off, and when to discard the jar.
How to Keep a Small Sourdough Starter and Still Have Enough to Bake
Keep a small sourdough starter between bakes, calculate builds for 60 g or 150 g of ripe starter, and track how much discard you produce.
Levain vs Sourdough Starter and When to Build One
Learn when to use ripe starter directly, when to build a levain, and how to move 120 g of levain from jar to dough without using up your starter.