I started and stopped using a sourdough starter many times over my 30 years of bread baking until I read William Alexander's book "52 Loaves". Levain makes a superior loaf in flavor, texture, keeping quality etc. But you already know that which is why you're reading this blog! His method of maintaining the starter doesn't involve ANY discard. 8 hours before you want to start mixing, add equal amounts of flour and water to the starter in your fridge to equal what is called for in your bread recipe. Mix it well, cover, and leave it on the counter for 8 hours or so. I usually do this overnight or first thing in the morning depending on my schedule. (Read Martin Philip's article about not being a slave to your bread). Measure out what the recipe calls for and put the remaining, refreshed starter back in the fridge. I maintain about 100 grams. It might be true that more frequent bread baking results in a more vigorous starter but my usual every 10 days or even 2 weeks has ALWAYS made great loaves. Reading about maintaining the levain, all those builds and discards, keeping the schedule etc. intimidates many potential sourdough bakers.

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