How to Maintain a Room-Temperature Sourdough Starter

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Maintaining a Room Temperature Sourdough Starter ensures it's always active and ready for baking. A room temperature starter requires regular feedings and attention.

If you're an avid baker who uses sourdough frequently, keeping your starter at room temperature is a convenient way to have a strong and active culture at all times.

Sourdough starter in a jar with a rubber spatula.

If you need help creating your own sourdough starter check out this post: How to Create and Maintain a Small Sourdough Starter

Other sourdough storage methods include Storing Sourdough Starter in the Refrigerator or using the Sourdough Scrapings Method.

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Why Keep Your Sourdough Starter at Room Temperature
What You Will Need
How to Feed a Room Temperature Starter
FAQs
Expert Tips
Sourdough Discard Recipes
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Why Keep Your Sourdough Starter at Room Temperature

A room-temperature starter is always ready for baking with just a quick feeding. It's ideal for frequent bakers (baking daily or every few days).
Regular feeding keeps the yeast and bacteria population robust, leading to a better rise in the flavor of your bread.
Unlike refrigerated starters, which require multiple reactivation feedings, a room-temperature starter remains consistently active.

When feeding your sourdough starter, you will need to use a 1:1:1 ratio (starter: water: flour) by weight.

Example: 50g starter, 50g water, 50g flour.

What You Will Need

Healthy Established Sourdough Starter

Flour:

All-purpose flour works well for feeding.
Whole wheat or rye flour can boost activity if the starter seems sluggish.

Unchlorinated, Filtered Water: Chlorine and chloramine, which are commonly used to treat city water, can stop the fermentation process. The purpose of adding these chemicals to water is to kill pathogens, but they will also kill the beneficial bacteria and yeast in your starter.

You can learn if there's disinfectant in your water, what type is used, and how well your utility follows disinfection rules by obtaining a copy of your utility's consumer confidence report.

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency's website to view your local Consumer Confidence Report.

If you must use city water, let it sit out overnight before adding it to your sourdough starter. This length of time should be sufficient to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

If your city uses chloramine, leaving the water out on the counter won't do much. It is best to stick with filtered water.

A Clean Jar or Container with a Lid: I like to use 1-quart glass canning jars.

Digital Scale: When baking and creating a sourdough starter, accurate measurements are important.

The absolute easiest way to maintain this ratio is to always use a digital kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. When starting and maintaining a sourdough starter, accuracy matters. Weight measurements are more accurate than volume measurements.

This scale from OXO is the one I use after it was recommended by Alton Brown. What makes this scale great is that the display pulls out to make viewing measurements easier when using a large bowl.

Rubber Band: A rubber band is useful for marking the height of your starter so you can keep track of how much it has risen since its last feeding.

For more information, check out my blog post on choosing the best containers for storing sourdough starters.

I also have a sourdough gift guide that lists all of my favorite sourdough products.

How to Feed a Room Temperature Starter

To keep your starter healthy, it should be fed at least once a day. In warmer weather, you may need to feed it twice per day. Here’s a simple feeding routine:

Jar filled with sourdough starter on a scale.

Step 1: Remove about half of your starter and discard it or use it in a sourdough discard recipe.

Sourdough starter, water, and flour in a glass jar.

Step 2: Add equal parts flour and water by weight. For example, if you keep 20g of starter, add 20g of flour and 20g of water.

Top down view of sourdough starter in a glass jar.

Step 3: Stir well to incorporate all ingredients.

Sourdough starter in a glass jar with a rubber band marking its current level.

Step 4: Keep the starter in a clean jar at room temperature, loosely covered to allow airflow but prevent contamination.

Signs of a Healthy Starter

Bubbly and Active: Your starter should rise and fall predictably after each feeding.
Mildly Tangy Aroma: A healthy starter smells pleasantly sour, slightly yeasty, and not overly acidic.
Doubling in Size: A well-maintained starter should double in volume within 4-6 hours after feeding.

Troubleshooting Common Sourdough Starter Issues

The starter is Too Runny: Add slightly more flour or use bread flour or another high-protein flour to help create structure to maintain a thicker consistency.
Not Bubbling or Rising: Your starter may be underfed or kept in a too-cold environment. Increase feeding frequency or move it to a warmer spot {70-75°F (21-24°C) is ideal}.
Overly Sour or Hooch Formation: If liquid (hooch) collects on top, your starter is hungry. Stir it in or pour it off and feed more frequently.
Mold or Off Smells: If your starter develops mold or smells rotten, discard the entire starter—it’s unsafe to use. This is one of the reasons I keep a dehydrated starter on hand as an insurance policy.

Adjusting for Different Baking Schedules

Daily Baking: Feed your starter every 12 hours for optimal activity.
Occasional Baking: Feed once daily and use the discard for other recipes like these sourdough buttermilk pancakes or these sourdough discard cheese crackers.
Skipping a Day: If you miss a feeding, give it an extra feeding the next day to restore balance.

FAQs

How often should I feed my room temperature starter?

To keep your starter healthy, it should be fed at least once a day. In warmer weather, you may need to feed it twice per day.

What is the best temperature for maintaining a starter?

The ideal temperature range is between 70-75°F (21-24°C) to keep the yeast and bacteria active.

Can I skip a feeding if I’m not baking?

You can skip a day occasionally, but your starter may become sluggish. Refresh it with extra feedings if needed.

Why does my starter smell like alcohol?

This is due to hooch formation, meaning your starter is hungry. Stir it in or discard it and feed it more frequently.

How do I know if my starter has gone bad?

If you see mold, pink/orange streaks, or smell anything foul (like rotten eggs), discard and start fresh.

Expert Tips

Always use clean utensils to avoid contamination.
Maintain a consistent feeding schedule to keep the starter predictable.
Adding warm water can help speed up the fermentation process if your house is chilly. But use caution. When adding water, make sure it is not hotter than 110°F (43°C). Water temperatures above 110°F (43°C) will kill your starter.
Mark your container with a rubber band to track how much the starter rises after feeding.
Adjust the hydration as needed. If your kitchen is very warm, a slightly thicker starter can slow down fermentation and prevent over-acidification.
Monitor your water source. If you suspect your tap water contains chlorine, switch to filtered or dechlorinated water to avoid harming the microbes.
Keep a backup starter. Dehydrate a small portion of your starter as insurance against accidental spoilage.

Sourdough Discard Recipes

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