Last Updated March 4, 2025

Meet Martha

The Rye Sourdough Starter established May 2024 in New Kent, Virginia

Cultivated using Joshua Weissman’s Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide

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WTF do I do with this starter?

• You probably received about 50g of my sourdough starter in a Mason jar. The jar is the ideal vessel for feeding your new starter, which came from my rye starter Martha.
  • Martha loves Organic Rye Flour, so if she doesn't rise or was in the fridge for a month and needs a refresh, feed her with a mix of rye flour!
• If you're not ready to feed it right away, place it in the fridge.
• How to feed: Martha likes the typical 1:2:2 ratio—for every 1 part of starter, add 2 parts flour and 2 parts water.
  • So for the starter you received from Amanda, add 100g flour and 100g of lukewarm water (50g:100g:100g).
  • To avoid killing the active yeasts, don't use hot water or bleached flours when feeding.
  • When the starter is sitting out on the counter or being brought to room temperature, keep the metal band around the Mason jar loose to prevent forming a seal. Make sure it's sealed when resting in the fridge. </aside>

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Basic Feeding Schedule:

For an Active Starter (Room Temperature):

• Feed once every 12-24 hours using the 1:2:2 ratio (50g starter + 100g flour + 100g water)
• Best time to use in recipes: 4-8 hours after feeding, when starter has doubled and is bubbly
• Keep jar loosely covered at room temperature (65-75°F)

For Maintenance Mode (Refrigerated):

• Feed once before refrigerating
• Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks between feedings
• When ready to bake again:
  • Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours
  • Feed and wait 4-8 hours until active
  • Feed one more time if starter seems sluggish

Signs Your Starter is Healthy:

• Doubles in size after feeding
• Smells pleasantly sour (like yogurt or beer)
• Has consistent bubbles throughout </aside>

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“Starter” Sourdough Terms:

Starter - A fermented mixture of flour and water that contains wild yeast and beneficial bacteria. It's used as a natural leavening agent instead of commercial yeast.

Feeding - The process of adding fresh flour and water to your starter to keep the microorganisms alive and active. Typically done using specific ratios (like 1:2:2).

Discard - The portion of starter removed before feeding to maintain a manageable quantity. Can be used in various recipes rather than throwing away.

Hydration - The ratio of water to flour in your starter or dough, usually expressed as a percentage.

Active/Ripe - When your starter is most active, usually 4-8 hours after feeding, showing lots of bubbles and approximately doubling in size.

• Baking Terminology </aside>

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Amanda's Favorite Flours and Tools:

• King Arthur Organic Rye Flour — this is what I used to make the starter from scratch
• Any non-bleached all-purpose flour — King Arthur is usually the brand I reach for. Generic all-purpose flours don't work as well when feeding the starter, though they're perfectly fine for recipes.
• Any non-bleached bread flour — currently I've been getting the generic brand at Costco
• Tools
• Videos and Other Resources </aside>

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Recipes:

Lazy Double Batch of Sourdough Bread

Discard - Buttermilk Biscuits

Discard - Hamburger Buns (external link)

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