In order to keep a sourdough starter alive at home, you need to establish some sort of sourdough starter maintenance routine – a plan for how often to feed the starter, how much to feed it, and where to store it. I’ve been maintaining my sourdough starter for years with absolutely no discard. I’m going to show you how you can do the same thing!
Many sourdough starter guides on the internet will tell you to feed your starter every 24 hours, even if you’re not actively baking, and to throw away the excess sourdough starter (“discard”) after every feeding. Sure, it is possible to save the discard and make delicious pancakes, cookies, and brownies, but what if you didn’t have to deal with that “discard” at all? In this article I’m going to share how to maintain your sourdough starter with no discard and no waste.
How to Maintain Your Sourdough Starter With No Discard
- Store about a tablespoon of leftover starter in a jar in the fridge.
- Remove the jar the night before you want to make bread.
- Feed your starter based on the amount that you will need for your recipe (see the “Feeding Guide” above).
- Let the starter activate and reach its peak overnight while you sleep.
- In 6-12 hours the starter should have doubled in size.
- Use the starter that you need for your recipe.
- You should have about one tablespoon of starter left in your jar.
- Return the jar to the fridge and store the leftover starter for the next time you want to bake bread.
How This Method Works
I call this method my “no-discard” method of sourdough starter care, because it actually produces zero discard. The method works on two principles: (1) you only store a small amount of starter in the the fridge, and (2) you only feed/refresh that starter with the exact amount of flour and water that you need for your next recipe. Following these two principles makes this method very convenient and practically zero-waste.
While it’s a great method and it works for me, this maintenance routine might not be best for everyone. Let’s go through who the “no-discard” method is perfect for, and who it probably won’t work so well for.
Who will this method work for?
If you are a home baker who likes to bake sourdough bread once or twice a week (maybe even less), this method will work perfectly for you. This method is designed to be a no-nonsense approach to sourdough starter maintenance. You’ll only keep a small amount of starter on hand at all times, you’re fridge will be the starter’s home base, and you’ll only remove your starter from the fridge if you actually want to use it. No excessive refreshments, no discarding, and no waste. It’s a truly no-nonsense method that has made feeding my sourdough starter so simple.
Who won’t this method work for?
This method would likely not work well for professional bakeries where the bakers need their starter to reach its peak within 3-4 hours and with great consistency. My method allows the starter to rise slowly overnight. It’s a trade-off of speed for convenience. The slowness doesn’t bother me, since the starter is always ready to use the morning after I feed it, and it makes great bread. I’ll take that any day over refreshing my starter three or four times just to make one loaf of bread.
But, if you’re baking in higher volumes and require a more quick and active starter, I would suggest a maintenance routine where you’re refreshing your starter more regularly. Consider this great article on starter maintenance from The Perfect Loaf.
How Much Starter Do You Need to Store in The Fridge for the “No-Discard” Method?
To follow this method of sourdough starter maintenance, you only need to keep a tablespoon of starter in a jar in your fridge at any given time – just a tablespoon! No need to store 200 grams of starter in the fridge anymore. If you want a number in grams, anywhere between 5-25 grams of starter will work fine.
So, to get prepared for this, just scoop out a spoonful of starter into a clean jar, close the lid, and pop the jar into your fridge. That’s realistically all of the starter you will ever need to keep in your fridge.
Feed Your Starter The Exact Amount That You Need for Your Recipe
The other beautiful thing about this method is in the mathematics – you just need to feed your starter the exact amount that you need for your recipe.
So, let’s say you need 100 grams of sourdough starter for a loaf of sourdough bread that you want to make, like my favorite recipe here. The night before you want to make bread, you’ll just take your starter jar out of the fridge (it’ll have your tablespoon of leftover starter inside), then you’ll feed that unfed starter 50 grams of water plus 50 grams of flour. (Take the amount of starter you need in grams, feed it half that amount in water and half that amount in flour). Mix your starter/flour/water together until no dry clumps of flour remain, mark the top of the starter with a rubber band, and let the starter rise overnight.
One tablespoon of starter 
Adding 50g of water
Adding 50g of flour 
Everything mixed together
If you need a different amount of starter for your recipe, consult this “Feeding Table” to see how much to feed your starter.
Feeding Table
| Amount of starter you need for your recipe | Leftover Starter from the Fridge | Water | Flour |
| 100 grams | 5-25 grams (small amount) | 50 grams | 50 grams |
| 150 grams | 5-25 grams (small amount) | 75 grams | 75 grams |
| 200 grams | 5-25 grams (small amount) | 100 grams | 100 grams |
| 250 grams | 5-25 grams (small amount) | 125 grams | 125 grams |
| 300 grams | 5-25 grams (small amount) | 150 grams | 150 grams |
How Long Will My Starter Need to Rise?
We know that our starter needs to rise, ideally to its peak, before mixing it in to our final dough. So, how long will it take your starter to reach its peak using the “no-discard” method? As with anything in sourdough, the answer is, “it depends.” But, you can generally expect that your starter will be ready to use in about 6-12 hours.
Starter, just fed Starter, 8 hours later
That’s why I just mix my starter up in the evening, let it rise all night while I’m sleeping, and use it in the morning. It’s always about doubled-in-size. Even if it’s a little under its peak or past its peak, it’s really not a big deal. For me, the starter always produces great bread, and the convenience of the overnight slow rise wins out.
Conclusion
Here is my “no-discard” method of sourdough starter maintenance broken down into eight steps:
- Store about a tablespoon of leftover starter in a jar in the fridge.
- Remove the jar the night before you want to make bread.
- Feed your starter based on the amount that you will need for your recipe (see the “Feeding Guide” above).
- Let the starter activate and reach its peak overnight while you sleep.
- In 6-12 hours the starter should have doubled in size.
- Use the starter that you need for your recipe.
- You should have about one tablespoon of starter left in your jar.
- Return the jar to the fridge and store the leftover starter for the next time you want to bake bread.
That’s how to maintain your sourdough starter with no discard! Thanks so much for reading this article. I really hope you find this method useful, especially if you’re a home baker who is keeping massive amounts of unused starter in your fridge, or if you’re feeling bad about how much discard you throw out. Feel bad no more! You now can live discard-free!
Try out some of my favorite sourdough recipes:
- Good Sourdough Bread (my favorite recipe)
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
- 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread That Is Actually Good
If you’re still at the beginning of your sourdough journey and would like to make your own sourdough starter from scratch, download my free Sourdough Starter Guide. It will walk you through every step you need to take to build your own starter with only flour and water.