Sourdough Corner

Meet Martha, my rye sourdough starter established in May 2024 in New Kent, Virginia. Cultivated using Joshua Weissman's Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide.

Last Updated: May 7, 2025
Watch Joshua Weissman's Guide

WTF do I do with this starter?

You probably received about 50g of my sourdough starter in a Mason jar. The jar is the ideal vessel for feeding your new starter, which came from my rye starter Martha.

How to feed Martha:

Martha likes the typical 1:2:2 ratio—for every 1 part of starter, add 2 parts flour and 2 parts water.

  • So for the starter you received from Amanda, add 100g flour and 100g of lukewarm water (50g:100g:100g).
  • To avoid killing the active yeasts, don't use hot water or bleached flours when feeding.
  • Use a rubber band to mark the starter's level after feeding, so you can track its growth.
  • Keep your starter in a warm place (around 75-80°F) for optimal fermentation.
  • Use a loose-fitting lid or cover with a cloth to prevent forming a seal. Make sure it's sealed when resting in the fridge.

For an Active Starter (Room Temperature):

  • Feed once every 12-24 hours using the 1:2:2 ratio (50g starter + 100g flour + 100g water)
  • Best time to use in recipes: 4-8 hours after feeding, when starter has doubled and is bubbly
  • Keep jar loosely covered at room temperature (65-75°F)

For Maintenance Mode (Refrigerated):

  • Feed once before refrigerating
  • Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks between feedings
  • When ready to bake again:
    • Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours
    • Feed and wait 4-8 hours until active
    • Feed one more time if starter seems sluggish

Signs Your Starter is Healthy:

  • Doubles in size after feeding
  • Smells pleasantly sour (like yogurt or beer)
  • Has consistent bubbles throughout

“Starter” Sourdough Terms

Sourdough Starter
A mixture of flour and water that's been fermented to cultivate wild yeast and beneficial bacteria. It's used as a natural leavening agent instead of commercial yeast.
Feeding
The process of adding fresh flour and water to your starter to keep the microorganisms alive and active. Typically done using specific ratios (like 1:2:2).
Discard
The portion of starter removed before feeding to maintain a manageable quantity. Can be used in various recipes rather than throwing away.
Hydration
The ratio of water to flour in your starter or dough, usually expressed as a percentage.
Active/Ripe
When your starter is most active, usually 4-8 hours after feeding, showing lots of bubbles and approximately doubling in size.

Baking Terminology

Levain
A portion of starter specifically built for a recipe, sometimes with different flour types or ratios than your regular starter.
Lamination
A technique where dough is folded repeatedly to create layers, resulting in improved structure and texture. Often used for pastries but also beneficial for some sourdough breads.
Inclusions
Additional ingredients incorporated into bread dough such as nuts, seeds, dried fruits, herbs, or cheese that add flavor, texture, and visual appeal.
Autolyse
A rest period where flour and water are mixed and left to sit before adding starter and salt, allowing for better flour hydration and gluten development.
Bulk Fermentation
The first rise after mixing the dough, where the yeast “eats” the sugars and produces carbon dioxide.
Stretch and Fold
A gentle dough handling technique that builds strength without excessive kneading, involving stretching the dough and folding it over itself periodically during bulk fermentation.
Scoring
Cutting the surface of bread dough before baking to control how it expands and creates an attractive pattern.
Crumb
The interior texture of bread, which can be described as open (with large holes), tight, or anything in between.

Amanda's Favorite Flours and Tools

Flours

  • King Arthur Organic Rye Flour — this is what I used to make the starter from scratch
  • Any non-bleached all-purpose flour — King Arthur is usually the brand I reach for. Generic all-purpose flours don't work as well when feeding the starter, though they're perfectly fine for recipes.
  • Any non-bleached bread flour — currently I've been getting the generic brand at Costco

Tools

Videos and Other Resources

Sourdough Playlist Collection on TikTok

My Go-To Recipes

Lazy Double Batch of Sourdough Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

  • 250g fed and risen starter
  • 750g water
  • 1000g bread flour (or all purpose flour, or mix)
  • 20g sea salt

Method:

  1. Kneed starter, water, and flour for 2-3 minutes. The dough will be shaggy, trust the process.
  2. Let stand for 2 hours covered.
  3. Add salt and stretch and fold the dough over on itself for 3-4 minutes. The dough will start to become more formed together.
  4. Let stand for 2 hours covered.
  5. Divide the dough into 2, and form two loaves with tension.
  6. Cover the loaves and let them rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour to overnight.
  7. Form the resting loaves into loaves again. (This is the time to add any inclusions or fillings to the dough)
  8. Bake at 450ºF for 30min covered and 20min uncovered in a dutch oven, or loaf pan covered in foil.

Discard - Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 270g all-purpose flour
  • 2 TB baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3/4 cup + 1 TB of milk
  • 3/4 tsp white vinegar (added to milk to make "buttermilk")
  • 113g sourdough discard
  • 1 stick frozen butter - grated / shredded

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425ºF
  2. Mix all ingredients except butter (and 1 TB of buttermilk) to form a dough.
  3. Add grated butter and roughly form dough.
  4. Laminate the dough by folding the dough over itself at least 3 times before cutting out biscuit shapes.
  5. Coat biscuit shapes with the reserve 1 TB of buttermilk.
  6. Bake for 18-20min.

Discard - Hamburger Buns

View the recipe on Pantry Mama's website →

💡 The Pantry Mama has a lot of other great recipes too, but you can add discard to anything to give it extra flavor.