How To Feed Sourdough Starter —rsquo; The Weekly Practice That Keeps Us Whole

Robert and Naomi's thirtieth wedding anniversary approaching in 1997+30=2027, reflecting on the journey from affair to this. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.

I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.

The soup is the anchor, yes — but every anchor needs something it can hold to. For me, that something is the starter on the back of the counter, the one I feed every week without fail, the one that has outlasted harder seasons than I care to name. If she-crab soup is the Sunday I show up for my family, the sourdough starter is proof that I showed up the week before that, and the week before that — a quiet, living record of continuity. Here is how I keep it fed, because keeping it fed is how I keep going.

How To Feed Sourdough Starter

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes (plus 4–8 hours rise) | Servings: 1 active starter (enough for 1 loaf)

Ingredients

50g sourdough starter (existing, unfed)
50g unbleached all-purpose flour (or a 50/50 mix of all-purpose and whole wheat)
50g room-temperature filtered water (about 75°F)

Instructions

Discard. Remove all but 50g of your existing starter from the jar and discard the rest (or reserve for pancakes, crackers, or a friend’s kitchen).
Feed. Add 50g flour and 50g room-temperature water directly to the jar with the remaining starter.
Stir. Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains and the starter is smooth and evenly combined. Scrape down the sides of the jar.
Mark and wait. Place a rubber band or piece of tape at the current level of the starter so you can track its rise. Cover loosely with a lid or cloth and leave at room temperature (68–75°F).
Watch for peak activity. After 4–8 hours your starter should double in size, show bubbles throughout, and have a domed top. At peak rise, it is ready to use in a recipe or be refrigerated for later in the week.
Refrigerate (if not baking today). Seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator. Feed again in 5–7 days. Repeat every week, without fail.

Nutrition (per serving)

How To Feed Sourdough Starter —rsquo; The Weekly Practice That Keeps Us Whole