Happy baker, it does sound like the sponge stage in this recipe is serving as a way of feeding your starter and assuring that it is ripe and ready to add to the remainder of your recipe. In our sourdough recipes often the recipe will call for "fed" starter, which means starter than has been fed and allowed to reach its peak of fermentation, at which point you want to add it to the recipe. Since you're maintaining your starter at room temperature and feeding it every day, it's likely very active and healthy and will perform very well in any of our recipes. You could give your starter a double feeding in the evening by keeping twice as much as you usually do and feeding it twice as much flour and twice as much water. Then, in the morning, you'll have plenty of starter to use in your recipe and to feed and maintain. I hope this helps. If you have more sourdough questions, we'd love to talk to you at the Baker's Hotline 855-371-2253. Barb@KAF

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