I used to think my sourdough starter needed daily feedings, but a month in Portland changed my mind

For years I was a slave to the jar, feeding my starter every single morning like clockwork. I thought skipping a day would kill it. Then last winter, I stayed with a baker in Portland for a month who only fed his starter once a week, keeping it in a cold basement. He told me, 'You're just making it weak with all that coddling.' I switched to his method when I got home, and my bread got better. The flavor is deeper now, more sour and complex, because the microbes have time to really develop. It also saves me a ton of flour and effort. Has anyone else made the switch to less frequent feedings and seen a real difference in their final bake?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry1891mo ago

Guess my starter is just a high-maintenance diva then, unlike @wilson.sam's reliable workhorse. I tried the fridge method and my bread came out so dense you could use it as a doorstop. Had to go back to daily feeds just to get a decent rise. Maybe my kitchen is too warm or my flour is wrong, but that lazy starter life just didn't work for me. I'm back to being a slave to the jar, but at least my sandwiches aren't bricks.

william_martin951mo ago

Oh man, you just described my whole starter journey. I was the same, a total helicopter parent to my jar of goop. Turns out my starter wasn't weak, I was just annoying it with all my attention. Letting it chill in the fridge for a week makes it way more sour and interesting, like it finally gets some peace and quiet to figure itself out. The bread definitely tastes better now, less one-note.

wilson.sam1mo ago

Making it weak with all that coddling" is a bit much. My starter gets sluggish and flat if I don't feed it regularly. I get better rise with daily feeds.