aka How to Stop Relying on Store-Bought Yeast and Bake Like You Actually Know What You’re Doing
Preparing Your Sourdough Starter for Baking
Let’s start with the non-negotiables. If your sourdough starter isn’t active, you’re wasting flour, time, and probably your dignity. You want it bubbly, doubling in volume within 4 to 6 hours after feeding. That’s your “yes chef” moment—it tells you this thing is alive, kicking, and ready to help your dough rise with intention.
To get there:
- Discard all but 50g of your starter
- Feed with 50g water + 50g flour (same type you’ve been using)
- Mix it until it’s a thick paste (think: somewhere between pancake batter and plaster)
- Let it chill at room temp and do its thing
If it doesn’t double in 6 hours? Not ready. Don’t bake. Just feed again. You don’t build a sourdough legacy on weak yeast.
Sourdough Basics
Here’s the deal. Most beginner recipes call for using 20–30% of the total flour weight as starter. So, if your recipe has 500g of flour, that’s 100–150g starter. Too little starter = sluggish rise. Too much starter = hyperactive, sour, pancake-ish dough that collapses on itself. Find balance.
But really, it’s not about numbers. It’s about intuition. If your dough is puffy, elastic, and jiggly like a memory-foam mattress when poked, it’s ready. If it’s flat and lifeless, it’s not. Don’t stare at the clock. Stare at your dough.
Sourdough Maintenance
Now, you want this thing alive and thriving—not a smelly science experiment.
Option 1: You’re baking daily
- Leave it at room temp
- Feed once a day (or twice if your kitchen feels like a sauna)
- Discard half before every feed
- Feed 1:1:1 ratio by weight (starter:flour:water)
Option 2: You bake like a normal human (once a week)
- Store it in the fridge
- Once a week, take it out
- Discard half, feed it, let it sit out for a couple hours
- Then pop it back in the fridge until you need it again
Consistency is key. You’re raising yeast, not a gremlin. Don’t starve it.
What Is Sourdough Discard?
That’s the stuff you remove before feeding your starter. It’s not waste—it’s pre-fermented flavor gold. It won’t rise bread, but it’ll make insane pancakes, waffles, crackers, flatbreads, muffins, cookies, and brownies with extra tang and complexity. If you’ve been throwing it out, stop. That’s like dumping espresso because you already had one shot. Wrong move.
Quick ideas:
- Mix with flour, salt, olive oil → roll thin → bake = crackers
- Add to pancake batter with a pinch of baking soda = instant rise
- Fold into cookie dough for tangy depth that slaps
Hydration & Consistency
Sourdough starter is like mood lighting—it’s all about balance. A 100% hydration starter means equal parts water and flour by weight. It should feel like thick batter—slightly elastic, loose but not runny.
Too watery? It’ll bubble like crazy but not build structure.
Too thick? It’ll ferment slower and be harder to stir.
Aim for Goldilocks: smooth, thick, scoopable.
Pro tip: use a clear container so you can mark the starting line and visually track its rise. Low effort. Big reward.
How To Use Sourdough Starter In Recipes
Let’s get into action. Here’s where that bubbling jar becomes bread, pancakes, crackers—whatever you’re flexing this week.
Bread
Use active starter (just fed, doubled) as 20–30% of flour weight. Combine with water, flour, salt, let bulk rise, shape, proof, bake. You’re doing what humans have done for 6,000 years—but probably with better ovens.
Pancakes/Waffles
Mix discard with egg, milk, baking soda, and flour. Pour on hot skillet. Flip when you see bubbles. Eat with butter and zero guilt.
Crackers
Stir discard with flour, herbs, and oil. Roll thin. Bake until crisp. That’s it.
Cookies/Muffins
Sub out part of the flour for discard. Reduce the liquid a little. Add baking soda or powder for lift. Sourdough flavor = baked goods with attitude.
Some Encouragement
There’s a learning curve here, but don’t overthink it. You’ll get weird smells, funky textures, inconsistent rises—it’s all part of raising wild yeast. Stick to a feeding schedule, watch your dough, and remember: a slightly over-fermented starter can still be rescued. A moldy one? Trash it, reset, try again.
One bad bake doesn’t mean you’re bad at baking. It means you’re learning.
FAQ
Q: What’s the difference between starter and discard?
Starter is active and ready. Discard is what you remove before feeding. One rises your bread, one spices up your pancakes.
Q: Can I skip discarding?
No. You’re just going to end up with a gallon of overfed goo. Keep it lean.
Q: Why didn’t my bread rise?
Your starter wasn’t active, or your proofing was off. Try again. Watch your dough, not your timer.
Q: How do I know my starter is strong?
It doubles in 4–6 hours, smells yeasty/tangy, and passes the float test. Yes, you can float a small scoop in water—if it floats, it’s ready to rise.
Final Thought
Using sourdough starter isn’t just about baking bread. It’s about understanding fermentation, watching your dough come alive, and creating food with texture and taste that doesn’t come from a box. You’re raising something wild. Feed it. Use it. Respect it. And you’ll never look at commercial yeast the same way again.
Want more unapologetically flavorful, hands-on recipes that make your kitchen feel alive? Email [email protected] and let’s talk about what your readers are hungry for next. Sourdough pizza? Pancake stacks? Let’s go.
