u/GlitteringDeal2598

When you take your starter out of the fridge, how do you know it’s actually awake enough to bake with?

This is the part I find confusing!

It can have bubbles, smell fine, and rise a bit, but I still don’t always know if it’s strong enough or if it needs another feed.

Do you usually go by:

how much it rises
how fast it rises
smell
bubbles
whether it has peaked
a fixed number of feeds
experience

And has anyone planned to bake, then realized their starter wasn’t ready yet?

Curious how people make that call.

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u/GlitteringDeal2598 — 9 days ago

▲ 59 r/Sourdough

Weekend bakers, how do you manage your starter between bakes?

’ve been keeping a few different starters, and I’m starting to realize that the hardest part isn’t keeping one alive. It’s fitting starter maintenance into a normal life.

I don’t bake every day, usually more like once a week or on weekends. But the starter still feels like something I have to think about all the time.

The parts I struggle with most are:

feeding it when I’m not planning to bake
feeling bad about discard
not knowing when to take it out of the fridge before baking
not knowing how many feeds it needs after refrigeration
wondering if it’s active enough to use
keeping track of multiple jars

For people who only bake once a week or less:

How do you manage your starter between bakes?

Do you keep it in the fridge most of the time? How far ahead do you usually take it out before baking? And how do you decide it’s ready to use again?

u/GlitteringDeal2598 — 13 days ago