How do you know when your sourdough starter is ready to bake with? And what exactly does "ripe sourdough starter" mean?
We've answered hundreds of questions on this topic, but in this case, it seems some pictures could well be worth a few thousand words. Let's take a look. 
Wake up your sourdough starter
Your starter has been tucked safely in the refrigerator for ... awhile. Ten days, maybe longer. It's separated, with a few tiny bubbles in the bottom, and a layer of grayish-looking alcohol on top. This is the sight that generates a lot of phone calls to our hotline. Can this possibly be OK? Is it dead?
Despite its current uninspiring appearance, this starter is still capable of doing great things. Just not quite yet.
Your sourdough starter's first meal
Stir everything back together (some people just pour off the top layer, which is OK, too), measure out 113g (1/2 cup) of starter and discard the rest, then feed the 113g starter with equal weights of flour (a scant 1 cup, 113g) and water (1/2 cup, 113g). Mix well, cover, and leave on the counter for 12 hours. Repeat the discard and feeding process every 12 hours, leaving the starter on the counter. After a few feedings, you'll see the starter becoming more and more active, doubling in size in a shorter time.
(Looking for ideas of what to do with that discarded starter? Visit this page to get a whole collection of recipe ideas.)
Get ready to bake
This is the same starter after a few days of the regular feedings described above. We stirred, discarded, and fed it with flour and water at 8 a.m. (2 hours ago). Now we're going to watch its development. See the number and size of the bubbles increasing?
Active, but not ripe, sourdough starter
The same starter at 1 p.m., 5 hours after feeding. It's beginning to expand, and has many more bubbles. If you watch it for a minute, you can see the bubbles forming and coming to the surface in slow motion. This is an active starter, growing and expanding, producing bubbles of carbon dioxide. But it's not yet ripe (at the top of its yeast and bacteria growth arc), nor at full strength for raising dough.
Ripe and ready to go
The same starter at 4 p.m., 8 hours after feeding. It's doubled in volume, and shows signs of just beginning to sag under its own weight. This is active starter that's also ripe, ready to be added to bread dough to perform its sourdough magic. After mixing it into dough, then some rising and folding, the dough can be shaped and refrigerated overnight to be baked tomorrow.
The best way to measure sourdough starter
An important thing to note about measuring sourdough starter: The more bubbles in it, the less a cup of active, ripe starter weighs. Measuring by volume can mean you have more or less starter in your cup, depending on where it is on its growth curve. That's not a deal breaker for your recipe, but having a different amount of starter than called for may change the rising times and finished size of your loaf. To be sure you have the lifting power you need, measuring ripe starter by weight is always a better choice.
Once you gain confidence that your starter is vigorous, you can move its "get ready" feeding to the evening, knowing your starter will be ripe next morning to mix into your dough.
Your sourdough baking adventures await. We have lots of ideas (more than 150 recipes) to help you navigate this tasty and rewarding style of baking. Be sure to visit our sourdough guide for more in-depth information about creating, maintaining, and baking with sourdough.
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March 6, 2022 at 2:45pm
My sourdough did everything, even rose out of my jar. When is it that I am supposed to make my bread with it. I made pancakes with it this morning, Wow best ever. Is it still good enough for bread, the next day or is that considered left over?
March 6, 2022 at 4:08pm
In reply to My sourdough did everything,… by Carol Meyer (not verified)
Hi Carol, when a bread recipe calls for "ripe" starter, this means starter that has been fed at room temperature and allowed to rise to its highest point. It's considered ripe when it's at that high point, or just beginning to fall. For a healthy, active starter it typically takes about 6-8 hours for the starter to double in size, which is also a good sign that it's ready to add to your bread recipe. Typically a starter will rise to its peak and then gradually fall. If allowed to fall completely it will return to the level it was right after feeding, although thinner in texture, with perhaps some frothy bubbles on top. So, to answer your question, if you starter has fallen significantly it is no longer considered ripe and you'd want to feed it again and let it rise before adding it to your bread recipe.
January 30, 2022 at 11:34am
Hi there!
So I’ve been working with sourdough for about a month now, and want to see if my process is correct🤣
When I first started I barely discarded. I just let it rise in the jar I was using and then when it was growing to the point it was almost overflowing I’d use it on something.
Recently because it’s consistently growing, I’ve been feeding in the am, then again in the PM but in the PM discarding to a larger jar that I keep in the refrigerator.
Mornings I just add in 30g of flour and 30g of water. So in the evening discard and I do 30g of starter, 30g of flour and 30g of water.
I think my confusion comes with the discard I keep in the refrigerator. Is this supposed to be fed as well? Or is my discard I add it’s “food”?
My other question is, I baked with my refrigerated discard (made poptarts) and they came out great. I’m looking to make rolls and the recipe calls for ripe (fed) starter. So will this be my starter on the counter? Or can I use the discard from the refrigerator ?
Just trying to get it all figured out, so far everything I’ve baked with the starter/discard has been good! Just want to make sure I’m on the right track !
Thanks
February 6, 2022 at 3:16pm
In reply to Hi there! So I’ve been… by Katlyn D (not verified)
Hi Katlyn, "ripe" starter means starter that you've recently fed at room temperature and allowed to rise to its highest point. It's considered ripe when it's at that high point, or just beginning to fall. If you're measuring your starter by cups, be sure to stir it down before measuring. When measuring by weight, there's no need to stir down the starter. Sourdough "discard" is the portion of starter you remove when it comes time to feed your starter (if you're not planning to bake with it), or starter taken directly from the refrigerator (without feeding). The discard you store in your refrigerator doesn't need to be fed, and can generally be used directly from the refrigerator in recipes that call for discard. I typically add to my "discard" container in the fridge for up to three weeks, and then dump that out and start fresh. Discard doesn't really go bad very quickly in the refrigerator, but it can separate and develop a dark liquid on top and tends to become a little funky flavored over time. Since you're always creating new discard, it makes sense to start fresh now and then.
January 28, 2022 at 9:32am
And here is me also with with help wanted! 🤣 Okay so I've attempted to make sourdough starter for two weeks now. I'm doing the exact amounts. Used a scale too,buuttt same results. I use while wheat flour and by the 5 day it looks like the one on the first picture, the one with the liquid on top. I can see the bubbles on top and it also has the smell it's supposed to. Every day I discard half of it and feed it with equal amounts of water and flour, but for the feedings I use all purpose flour. Everything looks and smells like it's supposed to,but it doesn't double and it's not spongy, just has the bubbles on top. I'm really confused as to what am I doing right. The only thing I can think of is temperature,but the thermometer says it's between 68 and 70, and I've read that these temps work. I am in Vermont and in the winter now it's pretty cold and dry and I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the dry air or it needs warmer temps than 70. I really want to make it.
The interesting thing is that I use the "starter" for pancakes and I only add eggs and milk to it and it works great without even adding baking soda or more flour, which is confusing. Last time I did add a little baking soda and the whole thing started to expand a loooott and I was confused, because it was working perfect for pancakes but not for bread. What is going oooonnn?
Thanks
February 5, 2022 at 1:54pm
In reply to And here is me also with… by Stanislava (not verified)
Hi Stanislava, finding a slightly warmer spot (75-80F) for your starter to dwell during the creation process can help speed things up a bit, although once your starter is fully developed it should function quite well at 70F. You might want to try boiling some water on the stove and then pouring that into a pyrex cup and placing it in your microwave, along with your starter. This will provide a nice warm spot for your starter to begin fermenting, and if need be you can change out the hot water now and then.
In addition, be sure that your feeding routine involves the equivalent of equal parts by weight, if you choose to measure the ingredients by cups. A typical feeding for our starter routine looks like this: 1/2 cup (113g) starter + 1/2 cup (113g) water + 1 scant cup (113g) unbleached all-purpose flour. Some folks make the mistake of feeding equal parts by volume (cups), which will result in a much more liquidy consistency that isn't likely to be able to show the same type of doubling behavior that you're looking for with our starter. Also note that at this point you may be ready to start feeding twice daily, instead of just once a day. If your starter still isn't rising after you've adjusted the temperature and varified that you're feeding correctly, then it's okay to wait until the starter begins rising before you switch to twice a day feedings. Once the starter begins to rise, however, it's important to feed twice a day, which will help keep the yeast active and vigorous.
Unlike bread, pancakes don't need a whole lot of rising power, which is probably why your pancake experiement worked, even without baking soda. It does sound like your starter is becoming more acidic since it reacted so actively with baking soda, and this is actually a good sign that your starter is progressing towards rising.
January 21, 2022 at 4:11pm
Help! I have attempted making a starter from scratch. The first time, at the end of the 7 days, it was runny, had a liquid develop so I threw it away. The second attempt, I started 2 different jars. Now I'm at the end of the 7 days feedings. One is bubbly and one is liquidity! I am so confused! I just don't know what to do! Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong or right!
January 24, 2022 at 1:45pm
In reply to Help! I have attempted… by Kim (not verified)
Hi Kim, it doesn't sound like any of your starters were worth abandoning. It's not at all uncommon for a starter to develop some liquid on top if it hasn't been fed recently, or to become more liquidy as it gets a little further along in the process. This is because as the starter becomes more acidic, the gluten begins to break down more visibly as the starter ferments. I would encourage you to be a bit more patient, as it sometimes takes longer for the wild yeast to kick in than our recipe suggests. A typical feeding for our starter is: 1/2 cup (113g) starter + 1/2 cup (113g) water + 1 scant cup (113g) unbleached all-purpose flour. At the stage where you are now you should be feeding twice a day, about 12 hours apart. Note that the ratio of ingredients in our starter is equal parts by weight. If you happened to be measuring equal parts by volume (cups), this can result in a starter that is much more liquidy in consistency and won't be able to show the same type of rising behavior we indicate in our recipe. If you're using our recipe and quantities it's easiest to see the type of doubling behavior we describe if you store your starter in a clear wide mouth quart-sized canning jar that is taller than it is wide.
November 14, 2021 at 1:51pm
I think I am on my 3rd week, and my sourdough starter is doubling in 3 hours so I was going to bake it tomorrow. I feed and discard it at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm each day. If I were to bake it tomorrow morning, when should I feed it? Thanks!
November 14, 2021 at 4:02pm
In reply to I think I am on my 3rd week,… by Titus (not verified)
Hi Titus, for most bread recipes you want to add ripe starter. "Ripe" means starter that has been fed at room temperature and allowed to rise to its highest peak. It's considered ripe when it's at this peak, or just beginning to fall. Since your starter is such a fast riser, I would feed it in the morning and wait to add it to your recipe until it's at its peak, or just starting to fall. If you're measuring by weight you can simply add the amount of ripe starter you need for the recipe, and then feed the remaining starter. However, if you're measuring by volume, be sure to stir down the starter before measuring what you need. If you're planning on refrigerating your starter after you feed the remainder be sure to let it sit out at room temperature for a few hours, or until it starts bubbling, before sticking it in the fridge.