Hi Vicki! Thank you so much for your interest in making your own sourdough starter. I completely understand the desire to use cups and ounces, but I’ve chosen to keep this recipe in grams on purpose because it’s the key to a healthy, successful starter.
Flour is the tricky part. One cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 150 grams depending on how it’s scooped, packed or settled in the bag. That difference throws off the flour to water ratio, and a starter and bread are sensitive to that balance. Too much flour and it turns stiff and sluggish. Too little and it gets runny and weak. Weighing removes all of that guesswork, so your starter performs consistently. The same goes for bread.
The good news is the kitchen scale I have linked to is incredibly affordable. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there are any adjustments or questions about weighing, and I hope you enjoy baking sourdough.

Hi Angela! I really appreciate you asking this question before diving in. I highly recommend filtered water for your starter. Tap water often contains chlorine or chloramine, which are added specifically to kill bacteria and microorganisms. Since your starter relies on wild yeast and good bacteria to thrive, that same chlorine can slow down fermentation or even prevent your starter from developing properly.

Spring water or purified/filtered bottled water are your best bets since both are chlorine-free. Spring water has trace minerals that help feed the wild yeast. Distilled water works in a pinch, but it lacks those minerals, so I wouldn’t use it for the full week of building your starter.

I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any other questions.

Hi Julie! This is such a great question. If it looks close to photo C, it often just needs another day sitting at room temperature. If it’s not yet bubbly throughout, hasn’t doubled in size within a few hours of feeding, and doesn’t have a light, airy texture, it will probably need a few more days of discarding and feeding. So at this point, discard half and feed it with 150 grams each of water and flour. Check it again the next day and repeat as needed until it catches up.

Thank you so much!

Hi Brittany! I am so sorry for the delayed response. I took a few days off. It is a wonderful sign that your starter is doubling so quickly. I recommend staying on schedule because the goal is to create consistency and building a stable culture. Once your starter is fully mature and you’re using it regularly for baking, you can absolutely move to a twice-daily feeding schedule if it’s consistently peaking at 12 hours. A starter like that is a very active and healthy starter! But for now, patience is your best friend. I hope this helps! Please keep me updated.

Hi Steve! Yes, absolutely! Once your starter has matured the refrigerator is a wonderful place to store it, especially if you don’t bake every day. I do recommend feeding daily (or at least 3-4 times a week) at room temperature for at least the first month or so. This just helps the starter build a strong and stable culture before being slowed down by the cold. Once refrigerated, it can be stored safely for up to 10 days before needing another feeding.
One thing to keep in mind: when you’re ready to bake again, pull it out of the fridge and plan on giving it about 2 feedings or until it’s back to its bubbly best. It just needs a little time to wake up after being cold.

I actually have a full post on maintaining your starter long-term that walks through the refrigerator storage process, feeding schedules and so much more. I think you’ll find it really helpful but don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions! https://www.thefedupfoodie.com/how-to-maintain-sourdough-starter/