While getting your sourdough starter started is a beast of its own, how to give it the love and attention it needs is a piece of the puzzle that’s oftentimes overlooked.

One of my good friends Sydney (aka “Syddough”) from up here in Ohio turned 24 a couple of weeks ago. To get her started on her sourdough journey, I gifted her a jar of Rufus II (my almost 1-year-old starter) and made a mindmap to document the sourdough starter journey (pictured above).

In case it could be of any use to someone also wanting to bake sourdough but finds themselves confused on how to maintain their starter, find said mindmap attached above. Feel free to save it, zoom in, and reference it when needed.

I’ve been told my handwriting looks like it could be its own typeface because of how distinct it is, so for the sake of translating, I’m also writing out the ‘Pro Tips’ and ‘How to Feed Your Starter’ sections below.

Pro Tips

Leave your starter at room temp for an hour or so after taking it out of the fridge when you’ve let it rest between active periods – it will be much easier to feed!

Instead of putting discard* down the drain, store it in a glass-sealed container for up to three months and add to baking recipes for extra flavor.

* discard = the starter you need to remove from the container each time before feeding it so it doesn’t overflow and has room to grow

How to Feed Your Starter

1. Remove about 1/2 of the starter in your container (aka the discard!!! – how full circle)

2. Add about 1/3 of a cup of flour and 1/6 a cup of lukewarm water to the starter

3. Mix well with a fork

4. A thick, almost doughy mixture should form – if this isn’t the case, add more flour and do so until it reaches this point

💘 Hanna