How to care for a no-discard sourdough starter

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Do you feel like your sourdough starter controls your life? Does your sourdough starter seem fussy and delicate? Would you like your starter to be resilient and ready to go when you need it instead? This post shows you how to care for a no-discard sourdough starter to create a robust, active, waste-free companion ready to make delicious sourdough when you are!

The step-by-step instructions explain how to keep maintain a healthy sourdough starter using this no-discard method, and I give an example of my own sourdough bread schedule. Disclaimer: I’m definitely a more casual sourdough baker and I don’t really stick to the traditional method. There are a lot of methods out there, and I don’t believe there is one right way. I believe you should do what works best for you!

What is a sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter, or levain, is a complex, living culture of microbes and wild yeast, and is used to leaven breads and other baked sourdough goods. The culture, thanks to the fermentation by the lactic acid bacteria, creates a distinct sour flavour and light, chewy texture in baked goods. Like many ferments, starters have been around for thousands of years and have been used by cultures all over the world for rising bread products. Conversely, commercial yeast has only been around for the last 150 years and became popular due to its convenient and shelf stable properties.

Sourdough starter, once developed can last indefinitely provided that it’s cared for properly. The active starter, when added to flour, water, salt and allowed the time to ferment, can create delicious sourdough bread that is full of bioavailable nutrients and arguably easier to digest that it’s commercial yeast counterparts. You can find my recipe for how to make a sourdough starter from scratch here.

How often do you really need to feed your starter?

This is the million dollar question…

Many people start their sourdough journey being told that their sourdough starter needs daily feedings (some even recommend twice daily). They are also told that they need to throw away the ‘discard’ each time until they’re ready to bake bread. I don’t believe this is quite true. I tried to keep up with the daily feeding and discarding for a long time, but it felt overwhelming and wasteful.

Now, after much trial and error, I keep my sourdough healthy starter in the fridge 24/7. I simply take out a small amount and feed it a couple of times before making bread (usually once a week). When I’m feeding my sourdough starter, any leftover ‘discard’ goes back into the same jar in the fridge. It really is that simple to care for a no-discard sourdough starter.

This jar of ‘discard’ keeps going on the little bit of food it gets when I add the leftover starter to it. If I don’t make bread for a couple of weeks, I like to pop a little bit of additional flour and water into the sourdough discard jar and give it a good stir, then pop it back into the fridge. This just gives it a little more food to keep it going.

Of course, you can feed your starter daily if you would like to, but you really don’t have to.

I make bread more than once a week, should I still follow this method?

Although this method is a good option for people who are only baking once a week or less, if you are baking bread a couple of times a week, it actually makes more sense to continue to feed your starter daily, as this will keep it nice and active and ready to go when you need it. You can still maintain a no-discard starter in this way by adding the ‘discard’ from the last feeding to a jar and keeping it in the fridge ready to use in sourdough discard recipes.

If using the daily feeding method, I would only feed your sourdough starter with smaller quantities of flour and water at each feeding, and then feed a greater amount when preparing to use your sourdough starter in a recipe (so that you have enough active starter to make a loaf of sourdough bread – check your recipe to see how much you will need and use that as a guide when measuring out your flour and water).

Can your sourdough starter really live in the fridge?

The short answer is ‘yes’! You may have been told that you can only leave your sourdough starter in the fridge for a short period of time (up to 2 weeks) or while you’re away and not able to feed it, and that you can’t make bread from sourdough starter that comes straight from the fridge.

I did exactly this when we went overseas for a couple of weeks, I fed it a little rye flour and water and popped it in the fridge, hoping that it would survive until we got home. To my surprise, it not only survived, but was so happy and active (lots of bubbles) when I got home. I took a small amount of discard from the jar, fed it in a clean jar a couple of times, and then used this active sourdough starter to make my simple no-knead artisan sourdough bread recipe. I was thrilled with the result and I’ve been using this method ever since.

Being kept in the fridge, the starter stays relatively dormant, slowly feeding on the little bit of flour and water from the leftover discard. Though dormant, it is ready to go when I need it. I also use the ‘discard’ from this jar to make my sourdough discard recipes, so none of it actually gets discarded – making it waste free!

If you aren’t making bread regularly, it’s a good idea to add a little bit of flour (about a tablespoon) and water to your discard jar and give it a good stir once a week. This fresh food will help to keep it happy.

What should you use to feed your no-discard sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter simply needs flour, water, oxygen and an optimal temperature to thrive. Beneficial microbes are introduced from the flour and air, as well as from the jar, your hands and even the spoon you use to stir it. These microbes are fermentation powerhouses.

The fermentation process occurs when yeast and bacteria work together to break down the sugars and gluten protein to produce carbon dioxide (air bubbles) and lactic acid (sour flavor).

I have found that using rye flour to feed my no-discard sourdough starter works so well. Sourdough starters are known to LOVE rye flour due to the higher nutrients, which creates a super happy and active starter. If your starter is a little sluggish, try feeding it some rye flour, it may help to give it a boost!

You can also use whole wheat flour, bakers flour, all purpose flour and spelt flour to feed your starter. I often go between different flours depending on what I have on hand. Generally, if I’m trying to achieve a really white sourdough loaf, I will feed my starter with white bakers flour. If I’m making a whole wheat load I will feed my starter with rye or whole wheat flour. You can use a digital scale to get the measurements right, or you can just eye-ball it like I do.

What if the starter gets ‘lazy’?

Sometimes, when you keep a sourdough starter in the fridge for a long period of time, it may become a little lazy (slow to rise, not super active when you feed it before baking), or it may become very hungry and start to smell of acetone. It may also get a clear liquid on top called ‘hooch’. This is not a cause for concern and your refrigerated starter is just fine. If this happens, I like to do a few days of feed and ‘discard’, keeping it out of the fridge between feeds to get it nice and active again. Once the starter has returned to it’s active state and is doubling within 6-8 hours, you can continue the no-discard fridge method.

If you do need to feed and ‘discard’ for a few days, you can save the discard and use it in many sourdough discard recipes such as my sourdough discard crackers.

My schedule for baking waste-free sourdough

To prepare to make your favourite sourdough recipe:

Day 1

Afternoon: Remove sourdough ‘discard’ from the fridge and add 2 tbsp discard to a clean jar. Add flour and filtered water, stir to combine. Place in a warm spot and allow to at least double in size. You can use luke-warm water to give it a kickstart if it’s a cold day. I like to place a rubber band around the jar at the level of the starter when just fed so that you can see how much it rises. Place the discard jar back in the fridge.

Day 2

Morning: ‘Discard’ approximately half from this new starter jar back into the discard jar in the fridge. Feed the new starter with flour and water, then place back in the warm spot and allow it to double.

Afternoon: Use the bubbly, active starter to make your sourdough dough. Add any left over sourdough starter back into your discard jar and stir it in – this helps to oxygenate and disperse the fresh discard throughout the rest of the discard. Place discard jar back in the fridge. This can remain in the fridge until the next time you make sourdough (up to 2 weeks). Follow the rest of your sourdough steps i.e. stretch and folds.

Evening: Once you sourdough dough has almost doubled, shape and place in lined banneton basket. Place this in the fridge overnight, covered with a damp tea towel.

Day 3

Morning: Remove from the fridge and bake, or wait until the afternoon/evening for a longer ferment and more tangy flavour. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

What to do with sourdough ‘discard’

I like to make a lot of sourdough treats at home, and there are SO many recipes you can use your sourdough discard in from biscuits and cakes to wraps and pastries. Check out my sourdough discard recipes for ideas.

My frugal tips

• Purchase your rye flour in bulk – this is so much cheaper than buying small bags. I use this brand from Amazon, it is great quality and organically grown.
• Don’t discard your ‘discard’ – throwing away leftover starter is wasteful of both food and money. Instead, check out my sourdough discard recipes.
• Share with your friends – do you have a friend who is keen to make their own sourdough? Why not share some of your starter/’discard’ with them? You can share your knowledge on how to care for a no-discard sourdough starter!