Beginner Guide
How Often Should You Feed Your Sourdough Starter?
Daily, weekly, or somewhere in between — feeding frequency depends entirely on where you store it. Here's the simple rule.
Feed your sourdough starter once or twice a day if you keep it at room temperature, or about once a week if you keep it in the fridge. The rule is simple: warmth means more frequent feeding, cold means less. Feeding frequency is about keeping the culture fed before it exhausts its food and turns overly acidic.
The feeding schedule
| Storage | Temperature | Feed |
|---|---|---|
| Counter | 68–78°F | 1–2× daily |
| Cool counter | 60–66°F | Once daily |
| Fridge | 38–40°F | Weekly |
| Long break | Dried | Not at all |
How to know it's hungry
A starter "asks" to be fed when:
- It has risen, peaked, and started to fall.
- A layer of liquid (hooch) appears on top.
- It smells sharply sour or like alcohol/acetone.
- It's been roughly 12 hours (warm) or a week (fridge).
Feeding ratios matter as much as frequency
A 1:1:1 feed (equal starter, flour, water) needs feeding again quickly because there's little food relative to the culture. A 1:5:5 or 1:10:10 feed lasts much longer. If you want to feed less often, feed a bigger ratio.
Do you have to feed exactly on schedule?
No — starters are forgiving. A missed feeding produces hooch and a sharper smell but rarely kills the culture. Just stir it back in or pour it off, feed, and it recovers within a feeding or two.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I forget to feed it for a week on the counter?
It'll be very acidic with lots of hooch and possibly sluggish. Discard down to a small amount and feed 1:5:5 a couple of times to revive it.
Can I feed once a day instead of twice?
Yes, especially in a cooler kitchen or with a larger feeding ratio. Twice daily is only needed in warm conditions for daily bakers.
Do I need to feed before every bake?
Yes — feed it 4–12 hours before mixing so it's active and at peak when you bake.
Keeping feeding consistent is what makes a starter reliable. SourdoughAI tracks your feeding schedule and tells you when it's actually time.