Feeding your sourdough
Channel: An Amateur Bakes
Date: 2020-04-24

If you follow the feeding recipe in this video, you will end up with an 80% hydration starter, which is fine for recipes that use that. It will be MUCH easier, however, to maintain your starter at 100% hydration, which simply means the amount of water you add is equal to 100% of the amount of flour you add (by weight). I strongly suggest you feed and maintain your starter like so:

To maintain your starter if you're not baking regularly, keep a small amount (about 100g) in the fridge. Once a week, take it out and give it an hour to come to room temp. Add 50g each of flour and water, let it feed for 4-6 hours or until at least doubled. Then put 100g of that back in the fridge. You now have 100g of 'discard' which you can use in many ways, or is a small enough amount to throw away without being overly wasteful.

If you have 100g starter in the fridge and you need a certain amount for a recipe, combine flour and water to make the amount of starter you need, then add your 100g of starter to that. In 6-8 hours, you will have the amount you need PLUS 100g to go back into the fridge for later, without any wasteful need to 'discard half.'