What do I do after I have activated my sourdough starter?
What's next? Here is how to go from having an active sourdough starter to baking your first loaf of bread!
First things first: The starter is NOT for one time use! You can use it again and again for years!
Please note the activation instructions are NOT the bread recipe! They are just to get the starter active!
Some customers who are brand new to having a sourdough starter have thought that the purpose of the 7 day activation process was to make a single loaf of bread! And if they wanted another loaf that they would have to start again at day 1 or even with a brand new packer of Kensington Sourdough starter!
Happily, this is not the case! You only have to bring it back to life once, and then it can (and should!) be used again and again.
Baking
When the starter is active and doubling in size after feeding, then you can bake! How? Each recipe will have a first step where you mix some of your active starter with flour and water! For example in this recipe from My Weekend Bakery, you start with mixing 15 grams of your starter with 115 grams each of flour and water! Other recipes will call for using much more starter!
You will take that portion from your sourdough starter when it has been fed and doubled in size! How long this will be after feeding depends on your environment, but will be a few hours at least. You never use ALL of the starter, as long as some is left in the jar you can regenerate it by feeding it.
Key point 1: You only have to activate the sourdough starter once! Then it will be active and usable for as long as you wish to keep it alive!
Key point 2: The recipe you choose will tell you how much starter to use as a first step!
Question: How do I feed it on Day 7 and after day 7?
The day 7 instructions are actually how you will feed it each time from Day 7 onwards! Lets break it down step-by-step:
Step 1: Discard
Remove starter from the jar until there is approx. 100 grams remaining. This is half a cup of starter. How much you remove will depend on how much you had used for baking!
Step 2: Feed the starter flour and water in a 1:1:1 ratio of Starter:Water:Flour.
As we have 100 grams of starter in the jar, we want to then feed 100 grams of flour, then 100 grams of lukewarm water!
Please see the Tips and Troubleshooting article for more help with selecting flour and water.
After the starter is active for a few weeks, you might choose to feed it 1:2:2 which will also work fine! You can also start with 50 grams or 150 grams or any amount you choose! It is the ratio that is important. The little bugs need a good ration of fresh food to starter to really thrive.
Key Point: The discard and feed always go together! You need to discard down to a smaller amount of starter before feeding.
How to store your sourdough starter:
Depending on how ofter you use it, you will either keep in on the counter or store it in the fridge.
IF you are baking frequently, then it makes sense to keep it on the counter and discard and feed daily. You can use what you discard for other recipes such as pancakes or crackers.
If you only use it once every 1-2 weeks you can keep it in the fridge, and only pull it out when needed. After taking it from the fridge, let it warm up a bit, discard and feed, then use it when it has doubled! If you are away for longer than a few weeks then freeze some in a jar. Be careful that the jar does not explode as it thaws!
Please also see our article on the no-feed method for keeping it in the fridge.
Other helpful information:
If you are brand new to sourdough baking and have stumbled upon this page, please start with our article What is a Sourdough Starter (and why you should want one).
Some more answers to common questions can be found in our FAQ section.
Our recommendations for baking tools and items you (might) need to get started can be found here!
Want to try for yourself? Come take a look at kensingtonsourdough.ca!
Want to see some customer creations for yourself? Please follow us on Instagram @kensingtonsourdough