You should cover your sourdough starter loosely to let gases escape and prevent drying, but avoid a tight seal to prevent pressure buildup, which can cause the jar to explode. A lid resting on top, a jar with the ring on but not fully tightened, or even a cloth secured with a band works, but for fridge storage, a slightly tighter (not airtight) lid is better to keep out cold air and moisture.
A loose lid will also stop it from drying out too much. You don't want to screw the lid on tightly because sourdough starters emit gas which can build up in the jar and cause it to explode (and that's a mess you don't want to have to clean up).
The biggest mistake with a sourdough starter is impatience, primarily by using it before it's strong enough (weak starter) or discarding too much/feeding inefficiently, which weakens it further, leading to flat bread; you must give a new starter weeks to mature and consistently feed it at its peak for proper leavening power. Other common errors include using chlorinated water, incorrect water temperature, or ignoring temperature for sluggish activity.
An overfed starter can be too diluted and it will be very watery. Your workers are there, they are just overwhelmed with too much food and water.
A good sourdough starter is active and bubbly, showing significant rise and aeration within hours of feeding, passing the float test, having a pleasant tangy aroma, and a stretchy, gooey consistency, achieved through consistent feeding with quality flour (whole grain helps start, white for maintenance) and water in a warm environment (around 78-85°F) using a reliable ratio (like 1:1:1 by weight). It's a balance of wild yeast and bacteria, thriving with regular feeding and proper hydration.
Any non-reactive container can hold sourdough starter. We have heard of bakers keeping sourdough in ziplock bags and plastic to-go containers. Mason jars and old sauerkraut jars are popular favorites. Crocks are very traditional.
You can keep a “peaked” starter in the refrigerator for about 12 hours (sometimes more), and still use it directly in your mix. You do not need to let it come up to room temperature. If your starter is well past peak (a few hours) and visibly falling, you can give it a “refresh” feeding to reactivate it.
Banneton proofing baskets are simple to use. Once the banneton has been prepped for use, following the above steps, it can be used to hold your dough. Simply place the shaped sourdough into the banneton with the seam up – meaning the top of the dough is sitting on the button of the banneton.
Just close the lid lightly, not tight. It is a myth that your starter needs more air than is in the jar. It does not need to breath, it's an anaerobic process, yeast don't breath. You need a lid, just loose enough to let gas out.
Covering your dough with a plastic bag will stop it from drying out and delivers great results no matter how your fridge functions.
You would then remove it from the fridge for feeding ahead of preparing the dough. Can I leave my starter out overnight? Yes, if you have just fed it. Since the night is rather long, feed it in a 1:4:4 ratio so that's not over fermented by the morning.
Premature discarding and overfeeding will weaken your starter and elongate the process. Don't discard and re-feed a weak starter before it shows increasing bubble activity or height from the previous feeding. If you don't see more bubbles or a faster rise each day, skip a feeding, and give it more time.
Whatever vessel you choose, the lid should fit securely, to avoid potential spills and prevent contamination. But the lid shouldn't be airtight, because starters emit gasses that can build up in the vessel and cause a messy blowout. For easy and convenient sourdough storage, we sell a few different sourdough crocks.
A young starter doesn't need to be fed more often than once a day. It needs time to ferment. If you feed it more often, and are not seeing increasing activity (bubbles) each time, then you're actually diluting the microorganisms that are trying to grow in it.
If I want to start preparing the dough first thing in the morning, I feed the start last thing in the evening before going to bed. In case I am not able to prepare the dough any longer as per the plan, I would pop the starter in the fridge and use it later in the day, without an additional feed.
Signs of an Overfed, Weak Starter
Use more starter – More starter means more yeast and bacteria working in your dough, which shortens fermentation time.
Your starter should be fed daily if sitting at room temp. If it's been two weeks without being fed I would personally throw it out. Chastity Boyd Sanders that's what my gut was telling me to do. If you are leaving it on the counter, it needs to be fed once daily around the same time.
A cold starter will rise very slowly. A warm starter will rise quickly, but it can also collapse quickly because the gluten content breaks down more quickly in warm temperatures. What temperature will kill my starter? If your starter reaches a temperature of 130F/54C, the yeast cells will die off.
How to store crusty sourdough bread overnight (24 hours or so) If you're not going to serve your loaf until the next day, let it cool completely on a cooling rack, then place it on a cutting board or on your counter. Cover it with a cake cover or a large bowl, something big enough for air to circulate.
The biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough is impatience, specifically baking with a starter that isn't strong enough or rushing fermentation, leading to flat, dense bread; they often try to bake too soon, don't let dough proof long enough, and fail to develop dough strength or learn to "read the dough" (look/feel) rather than just the clock, plus starting with overly high hydration is a common pitfall.
Fermenting and rising are pretty much the same thing and refer to yeast eating through the flour and excreting the carbon dioxide which makes the dough if h expand. Colloquially, bulk ferment is the first stage of the ferment and proofing is the last stage where it rises into the shape it's going to be baked in.