So you’ve adopted a new kitchen counter pet. Read below to find out how to keep it alive and how to use it occasionally.

How do I keep my new counter pet alive?

Keeping your sourdough starter alive is an easy every day task. I recommend giving it a name first so you have a good connection with it. Remember it is a living being. (And it’s easier to yell a name than sourdough starter when you’re frustrated with it.)

There are 2 ways of keeping a sourdough starter going. The stiff and the liquid method.

For the stiff method you want to discard or use all but 5 grams of starter. Once you’ve got your 5 grams separated add in 12 grams of water and 20 grams of flour and knead it into a nice little ball. Put your lid back on and forget about it until tomorrow.

For the liquid method. Discard or use all but 5 grams again. For the liquid version you will then use a 1:5:5 ratio. So if you start with 5 grams starter you mix in 25 grams water until it’s nice and milky, then add 25 grams flour and mix again until you get a nice smooth consistency. Put your lid back on and forget about it til tomorrow.

Do I have to discard every time I feed my starter?

Kitchen counter pets are a use it or loose it situation. That is why I prefer to keep a small stiff starter. I don’t feel as bad tossing a smaller amount. If you just keep add ing flour and water you will, in time, build a giant acid monster and your starter will start to kill it self off.

How do I know when my counter pet is ready to work?

When a starter is “ripe” it is ready for use. From liquid you can use your starter directly in a recipe. From stiff we need to do a little more prep and work. Usually, when a starter is ready, it has at least doubled, is bubbly, has a pleasant sour aroma, and has a looser consistency than when you fed it.

In a liquid starter, and the mixture will be loose and have lots of bubbles and a pleasant sour aroma.

In a stiff starter, it will relax to fill more of the container and start to rise, forming a dome. When its ready, the dome will flatten out and have a bubbled or crackled texture.

How do I get my stiff starter ready for use?

The night before you’re going to bake use a 1:10:10 ratio to create a recipe ready starter. For example if you need 200 grams of starter for your recipe I would use 10 grams of stiff starter, 100 grams of water, and 100 grams of flour. Mix it up in a larger container and cover. Let it set over night. You will know it’s ready when it is showing the signes discussed above.