Maintaining a Sourdough Starter (Discard and No-Discard Method)- Grains & Greens Kitchen

Q: How do I know when my starter is ready?

A healthy starter doubles in size within 4–6 hours of feeding , has a pleasant tangy smell, and is full of bubbles. If it’s not rising consistently yet, keep feeding it daily.

Q: What should my starter smell like?

Good smells: Tangy, fruity, yeasty, or slightly sweet. Bad smells: Strong rotten egg, moldy, or anything truly foul—this could mean contamination. If in doubt, start fresh.

Q: Can I keep my starter without discarding?

Yes! Use the no discard method : Keep a small amount in the fridge (¼ to ½ cup), feed it only when needed, and use what you’ve built up for baking.

Q: Can I use my starter discard right away?

It's recommended to wait at least 7 days before using discard in recipes, as young starters haven’t fully developed a stable microbial balance. You can read more about the safety of young starters here !

Q: What if I forget to feed my starter?

One or two days? No problem—just feed it again. A week or more? If refrigerated, it should be fine! Just feed it a few times to wake it up. If stored at room temperature, it might be too weak to recover. But try reviving it anyway! Mature starters are very resilient, you might bring it back to life after all!

Q: There’s liquid on top of my starter—should I worry?

This is called hooch , and it’s a sign your starter is hungry. Stir it back in or pour it off before feeding. If it smells like vinegar or alcohol, that’s normal!

Welcome to Part 3 of the Simple Sourdough Series! So, your starter is alive and well—congrats! You’ve made it through the early days, and now it’s time to find the right way of maintaining your sourdough starter that fits your lifestyle! Whether you want a ready-to-bake starter on your counter or a low-maintenance version that hangs out in the fridge until you need it, this guide has you covered. We’ll walk through the two easiest maintenance methods, fridge vs. countertop storage, and all the FAQs that come up once you’ve got a mature starter on your hands.

Wide shot of a warm wooden kitchen counter with a turquoise herringbone tile backsplash. Golden measuring cups and spoons hang from hooks above. On the counter sits a jar of sourdough starter, a small blue Le Creuset pot for salt, and a blue Bunzlauer butter dish

I was a few years into sourdough when I first came across discard recipes. They all started with “don’t throw away your discard!”—which was confusing, because it solved a problem I didn’t have! But it did sound delicious, and I got curious!

My first starter had been a gift, but I couldn’t bring myself to toss flour every day. So after its first week living on the counter (and growing to the size of a small poodle), I moved it into the fridge and switched to a no-discard routine—without knowing discard could even be used for anything.

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter: Two Methods

So, how should you keep your starter going? That depends entirely on what works for you! Your starter’s not picky—daily or weekly, discard or no discard—it’ll adapt (eventually). The real question is what fits into your kitchen rhythm without driving you nuts. Let’s walk through your options:

Traditional Discard Method

Keep your starter at room temperature and feed it daily.
Before each feeding, discard half to keep the total amount manageable.
Young starters benefit from being kept at room temperature.

Pros	Cons
It’s always ready to bake with	Daily feedings will produce a lot of discard
Ideal if you bake daily

No Discard (Zero-Waste) Method

Once you’ve removed part of your starter for baking, store ¼ to ½ cup of your remaining starter in the fridge.
The night before your next bake, feed it with enough flour and water to create the amount of starter your recipe calls for.
Use what you need for baking, then return the remaining starter to the fridge.

Say you need 120g (1/2 cup) of starter for a bread recipe, you’ll feed your starter with 65g each and flour and water the night before. Use the 120g you need to make bread and put the remaining starter back in the fridge. You’ll have just as much starter as you did before and nothing got wasted.

Pros	Cons
Less waste, less maintenance	Needs a little planning ahead before baking
No pressure to use up lots of discard
Ideal if you bake less often, once a week or less

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter In The Fridge vs. On The Counter

The best way of maintaining your sourdough starter depends on how you’re planning to use it!

What’s Best For You?

Daily feedings will produce a lot of discard. If you love making larger discard recipes, like pancakes or waffles on the weekend, then you’re good to go!

If you just want to keep a starter for bread baking, don’t have additional time to spend in the kitchen, or don’t have enough mouths to feed with mountains of discard recipes all the time, then you will want to keep your starter in the fridge.

The best of both worlds

These days, I use a hybrid approach: My starter lives in the fridge most of the week. When I feed it, I add a little extra (around 40g total). That way, it slowly builds up—and every other week or so, I’ve got enough for a discard recipe. I’m never drowning in discard, but I still get to play around with it every now and then, just for fun!

What’s Best For Your Starter?

Sourdough starters are resilient! Once mature, they’ll adapt to your baking rhythm, no problem. The more often they’re exposed to temperature changes, the quicker they recover. My mature starter can peak in just four hours, even after several days in the fridge.

Your starter will be fine either way. After a short adjustment period, the fridge is as every bit as good as the counter.

What’s Best For A New Starter?

Young starters benefit from being kept at room temperature. The microbes are still finding their balance, and keeping it warm gives the yeast and bacteria a better environment to grow steadily and consistently.

A very young starter might also have more trouble adjusting to life in the fridge and may need more than one feeding to get back up to speed. This is totally normal—especially in the early weeks. Don’t worry! As it matures, it’ll bounce back faster.

If your starter is still a little sluggish straight from the fridge, it will need a little bit of extra TLC to revive:

Pull it out of the fridge a whole day before you want to bake. Feed it once to wake it up. Then feed it one more time at night, so you have an active, bubbly starter to bake with in the morning. You’ll only accumulate small amounts of discard this way—just enough to have fun experimenting with discard recipes.
If you really want (or need) to manage the amount of discard, you can also split one feeding into two. Let’s say you pull your starter out of the fridge in the evening. Feed it only half the amount you normally would and let it sit overnight in a warm spot. In the morning, feed it the other half and wait for it to reach its peak. Splitting the feeding this way gives your starter time to wake up. That overnight stretch slowly reactivates fermentation, and the second feeding gives it the boost it needs to peak right when you need it.

Troubleshooting FAQs

It might just need more time! Starters can take longer to show activity, especially in cooler environments. Keep feeding it daily, and try moving it to a warmer spot (21–24°C/70–75°F).

A healthy starter doubles in size within 4–6 hours of feeding, has a pleasant tangy smell, and is full of bubbles. If it’s not rising consistently yet, keep feeding it daily.

Good smells: Tangy, fruity, yeasty, or slightly sweet.

Bad smells: Strong rotten egg, moldy, or anything truly foul—this could mean contamination. If in doubt, start fresh.

If you don’t keep your starter in the fridge, discarding keeps it at a manageable size and ensures the right balance of wild yeast and bacteria. You can read more about it here!

Yes! Use the no discard method: Keep a small amount in the fridge (¼ to ½ cup), feed it only when needed, and use what you’ve built up for baking.

No! If you bake daily, keep it at room temperature and feed it daily. If you bake less often, refrigerate it and feed it once a week.

It’s recommended to wait at least 7 days before using discard in recipes, as young starters haven’t fully developed a stable microbial balance. You can read more about the safety of young starters here!

One or two days? No problem—just feed it again. A week or more? If refrigerated, it should be fine! Just feed it a few times to wake it up. If stored at room temperature, it might be too weak to recover. But try reviving it anyway! Mature starters are very resilient, you might bring it back to life after all!

This is called hooch, and it’s a sign your starter is hungry. Stir it back in or pour it off before feeding. If it smells like vinegar or alcohol, that’s normal!

If it’s been neglected for weeks or months in the fridge, it might still be salvageable! Scrape off any dark or dry spots, then feed it twice daily until it becomes bubbly again.

You can start with almost any flour, but some work better than others:

Whole wheat or rye kickstarts fermentation faster due to extra nutrients.

All-purpose flour is great for long-term maintenance—it keeps your starter mild and predictable.

Freshly milled flour is nutrient-rich but can make your starter more active and require more frequent feedings.

If you mill your own flour, you can start with it, then switch to all-purpose for easier upkeep!

A glass jar is best—it’s non-reactive, easy to clean, and lets you see the bubbles and rise. Pick one with extra room for expansion and a loose-fitting lid or cloth cover to let gases escape. Avoid metal or airtight containers, which can trap pressure.

Yes! Sourdough is easier to digest than regular bread, has lower gluten content, and contains beneficial acids that help your body absorb nutrients better. Plus, its natural fermentation supports gut health!

You’ve Got This—Happy Baking!

Whether you’re feeding daily or keeping it chill in the fridge, your sourdough journey is officially underway! I hope these posts have helped you feel more confident, less wasteful, and totally ready to experiment.

I’d love to hear about your sourdough adventures! Drop a comment to share your questions, triumphs, or anything else in between.

Thanks for reading, and happy baking!

Maintaining A Sourdough Starter