3 Starter Mistakes You Might Be Making

People always have questions about the sourdough starter. Elusive as it may seem at the beginning, sourdough starters are living things that just need a bit of love, patience and consistency to build and maintain.

"But isn't a sourdough starter just flour and water?"

Yes - but with information all over the internet, it can be hard to know who's advice to listen to. And chances are, you actually want to BAKE with your starter, not just have it sit on your counter looking (hopefully) pretty! (PS: If you need sourdough starter help, make sure you download our Free Sourdough Starter Workbook.)

So without further ado, here are 3 mistakes you might be making with your sourdough starter:

1. Temperature - consider this your first sourdough lesson. Temperature plays a HUGE role in sourdough, including your cute little starter. Starters like it warm, so find a warm spot in your home. Too hot? Your living starter will eat through all of its food quickly. Too cold? Your starter wants to hibernate and you will see little activity. Your starter is like Goldilocks and wants a temperature that is juuuust right.
2. Your starter is starving - Why do we recommend a 1:5:5 feeding ratio? The 1:5:5 feeding ratio helps ensure that there is enough food for your starter to thrive. When you first start your starter, I like to encourage students to use a 1:1:1 ratio until you see activity in your starter. This provides enough food for your starter at the beginning, but as it becomes active, it will need the extra food from the 1:5:5 feeding.
3. You feed your starter inconsistently - Make sure you stick to a regular feeding schedule. Your starter is a living thing like a pet! You wouldn't feed your dog only every few days and the same goes for your starter. Healthy starters get fed regularly!