The BIGGEST MISTAKE You Can Make With Your Sourdough Starter: Premature Discarding! 

After 8 days of discarding and feeding I found this series. It made SOOO much sense that I was over feeding it. I starved my “Rip Van Winkle” starter for 36hrs and placed it on top of the fridge where he’s a cozy 75 degrees. I just checked on it after 48hr starvation and it has doubled! Now I feel good about discarding and feeding it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in the videos. I can’t imagine the time/effort/commitment it takes to put them together.

After many years spent completing my doctorate program on RU-vid university I am certain that this video should be amongst the highest ranked of all time. Top quality production my good man! Bravo!!! And thanks for the knowledge. Now if I can only get my better half to agree with what you so eloquently explain. Sometimes the hands off approach is the best approach. 🙌👏👏👏

This was funny but true! Only one important addition to "give it more time" is "put in a warmer environment". A $23 thermostatically controlled 10" x 20.75" seeding heat mat in an old Coleman fishing cooler to regulate how fast I want Stella to ripen. Frozen water bottles will cool it if that's your need. 78 F really gets me quick and consistent and predicable results. Down to 65-70F if I need to kill time. The value of a thermostatically controlled proof box can't be overstated.

Thank you , i am a newbe and i am trying to start a new sourdough starter . The fifth day my starter stopped showing any bubbles. You were right i was over feeding . I stopped feeding for 2 days and did nothing, but i did stir once a day, THANK YOU ! On the seventh day i was going to throw my starter out. Today on the seventh day i have seen a lot of bubbles and decided to feed my starter. Thank you, in less than 4 hours, my starter has doubled in size. Thank you !

Oh my, i am so happy i found this video. I was in a sourdough starter group on facebook and i kept messing with my first starter cause i kept following bad advice. Feed it on the clock once a day, feed it twice a day, feed it 1:1:1, feed it 1:2:2, feed it like this or that. I threw out entire stuff a few times and started again. Now i waited for 48 hours, for the first time there’s activity, it doubled, and it started deflating, i just fed it now. I finally feel like i have a chance of succeeding! Thank you

Tom, THANK YOU! After being overwhelmed with all the sourdough misinformation out there, I saw a comment on TikTok saying to not listen to anyones advice on sourdough but yours. So I ran to your website and they were CORRECT! I'm on day 3 of my starter following all your advice. Your no-nonsense approach makes so much sense to me, and the guides are beyond helpful. Everything is going great so far in my jar- the false rise occurred & it smells like a** so now I'm just waiting for the first feed and discard! YOU ROCK!!!

Out of all the years trying to have sourdough starter your the ONLY one ive actually had sucess with your methods. THANK YOU and so much appreciated. I'm still learning. Like now I never thought about using the discard to make a batch for baking, instead I've been trying to bulk up my starter. 🤦‍♀️

Not only did I learn more from you than anyone else so far, but likely more important is that you filtered out a lot of misinformation. Thank you!

Okay, the Houseplant Example is killing me 🤣🤣🤣

Finally an expert that explains the right things! I knew I was somehow weakening my starter but no video I watched this part which is just what I needed to know that those 12 he feedings are actually a bad thing if your starter is not at the point of re-feeding. I will now start looking through your library to find out if it really makes a difference if your starter has whole wheat (or not) when trying to bake a white flour bread. 🥖 THANK YOU, MAESTRO!

I was one of them. Had a starter that started nicely but was "dead" later on (fed every 12h). Did what you said and gave it food with 1-2-2 once it reached it's peak. Two days later it's almost 3x it's size after 6h. Thank you!

THANK YOU ! THIS MORNING DAY 10 MY NEW NAME FOR MY SOURDOUGH STARTER IS RYEANNA 75 % MONTANA FLOUR AND 25 % RYE FLOUR THIS MORNING 8 AM TO 9 :30 AM DOUBLED IN SIZE AT 70 DEGREES THANK YOU ! YOU HAVE THE BEST INSTRUCTIONS I HAVE FOUND ON THE INTERNET. On day 14, I want to start baking with Ryeanna !!! She should be safe to use !

I just bought your book. Thank you for sharing so much knowledge in your book and freely across platforms. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am, just going from beginner to intermediate. You're an amazing performer, too! I love your sense of humor. I laugh out loud thinking about the Barnyard Tragedy!! I know, that's a different video, but I've been known to binge-watch your videos back-to-back!

Tom, your videos are genius! All the junk out there is enough to make a person insane! Thank you for bringing your scientific mind to the baking world, especially sourdough and sharing with the rest of us! I think all mean well but like you said, they are not taking into consideration the environment in which the starter is trying to survive. Bravo sir!

A must watch video for newbie sourdough bread enthusiasts. Great explanation!

Thank you so much! This is my second time trying to make a starter from scratch. The first time I don't know what went wrong I just threw it away. This time I have finally gotten the courage to make it once again. I tried to watch so many youtube videos but nobody was talking about this specific thing. Like they say I am supposed to maintain a 1:1:1 ratio on the feeding. But suppose I took 15g of water, 15g of flour on day 1. Then next day another 15g of flour and 15g of water. Third day I just give it a stir. 4th day I am supposed to discard and feed it for the first time. So now i have 15×4=60g of starter. To maintain a 1:1:1 ratio let's say I discarded half of it. So I have 30g of starter now. So I add 30g flour and 30g water for feeding. So now I have 30×3=90g of starter. But the next day just like you said I am supposed to discard 2/3 of the starter to maintain that 30g of flour and 30g of water measurements. Those people keep saying I should discard half of it and continue the 30g water and flour thing like it made no sense to me. It just ruins the 1:1:1 ratio. I can't thank you enough for answering my question!

As a sourdough newbie, I was happy to find this channel. I am so grateful to this guy! Not only for his sharing of his expertise, but for his brilliant method of instruction!! I love the explanations, modeling, recaps, charts, etc.... I am a happy subscriber.

This tip really worked in my case. What makes this advice so helpful is the fact that the most usual sourdough guideline goes in the opposite direction: feed it as much as you can. Thanks!

This is the best series of explanations of how to manage a sourdough starter that I have ever seen or read!. You must have a scientific background because your explanations are so precise and logical. My failures in the past are many, because I was impatient, and kept throwing in grapes and cabbage to quicken the growth, not realizing that all I needed was flour and water, and tincture of time. I also had no idea when to feed my starter, and what the ratios should be, and how they work. I intend to watch all your youtube videos as I wait a good two weeks or so for my starter to mature!

You’re much appreciated, Tom ! Thank you for all of your experimentation. Well done, sir!

I clearly have been making this mistake, discarding/re-feeding based off of a set time (24 hrs) rather than waiting for a true rise and doubling of starter volume in the jar. Also, I certainly have mistaken water separation for hooch. I've been doing this for about four days. So, I'm going to need to wait quite some time to let the yeast do it's thing, I think. Thanks for this very informative video, and confirming what I was already beginning to suspect!

Thank you for an informative and well researched video. Well worth watching all the way to the end. I can’t wait to watch more of your videos.

These videos are not only wonderfully informative and detailed, your sense of humor has me rolling!

I love your videos! This is exactly the information I needed! I can’t thank you enough. I’ve had so many failed attempts at my starter and now I know why!

Wow this video has been more helpful than anything else on starters I’ve watched in the last few days!!! Thank you

thank you, this is gold. I'll be referring to your videos from now on. I was so confused with the feedings and getting my starter weaker every time. I didn't understand why since I did what sooo many people told me. This makes so much more sense.

Given that a strong starter is the foundation of sourdough success, this video is essential viewing. I've never before seen the problem with premature discarding explained, and you do it with such clarity, finally reinforcing the message with a funny sketch. By the end, the principle of "not feeding a weak starter before it has peaked" appears so obvious, but of course it's not so obvious because so many of us make that very mistake. I'm so glad that I found the Sourdough Journey. You are a great teacher, explaining everything clearly, with a great sense of humour, and backing it up with meticulous experiments. I've learnt a lot from you, and as a result, made a lot of progress in my own sourdough journey. Thank you!

So glad I was able to watch this video. You explain the process so well and make the steps much more clear. There are several videos out there that provide conflicting information. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Will be watching all of your videos.

your analogy with the poinsetta plant was hilarious....and made so much sense!

You give all our attempts at making Starter HOPE! Thank you for your in depth knowledge and understanding of Sourdough Starter 😁👍💗

Glad I stumbled upon this video and the other (creating a sourdough starter video). I've been at this for past month before I discovered the videos and have had plenty of fails and some successes. This was a very informative video in understanding your starter better!

Excellent video. Very informative and easy to follow, especially for intermediate sourdough bakers. Thanks.

Great information for us newbies! I grew up in SW PA but have lived in central VA since 87. I smiled hearing your familiar accent :)

Now I get it!!! Thank you. Day 6 weak starter ( due to discard/feeding before peak). 20%rise after last feeding a day ago. So now instead of repeating my feed /discard cycle, I will wait and monitor for peak. Only then discard down to 30g and feed 30g:30g. Patience.... is difficult.

Oh my goodness!!! A sour dough video that builds confidence through education not do as I say because I said to confusion!!! SO thorough!!! Thank you!!! The house plant bit = brilliant & hilarious!!!😂

Thank you fo this lesson! I'm trying to "read" my stater and clearly my starter as been in every stage you have mentioned. Your my savior

So thankful someone shared this with me. I was over feeding and making it week based on a feeding schedule not waiting for it to rise. 😅

Uhrichsville Ohio here, I am so glad I found your channel. I was totally ready to give up and you have given me hope. Thank you.

This was just what I needed. Mine had water on top but never peaked, so I was very confused. Also, we keep our house really cold in the winter, so now things are making sense.

Wow! Absolutely the best explanation of starter science and how to maintain a healthy starter. Thank you from a SD newbie.

OMG - your videos and explanations are awesome, I'm learning so much, but being impatient gets challenging sometimes. But I'm trying to master reading my starter and waiting to understand all the stages so I feed when its ready.

Wow. So important this video is, it explains how the starter works. I never did that but I also never really understood what I was doing, even if I was doing the "right" thing. Thanks, thanks thanks Tom.

Wow! I started my about 7 days and there was a lot going on in the Beginning but then it slowed down. I noticed less bubbles. This makes so much sense!

The best explanation of how starter works by far. Thanks

Thank you! As a person with a science background my intuition was taking me there - I was feeding too frequently - your video confirmed my suspicions so thank you! I will watch more of your videos!

I wish I would have found this guy 5 days ago! Today I was discouraged and haven’t fed it but I see it’s what I needed to do! Hopefully it will kickstart it!

I’m obsessed. Just what I needed, in a way I could understand. So exciting to watch, popped up in my feed. 16 minutes in and I was thinking, he sounds like a science professor, and then you showed your lab trials. Subscribed! Thank you for helping me understand my what was once active starters issue. I created my own starter and it sat on day 3. In summation, I was doing too much. 😂

This was so informative and makes so much sense, now I know the WHY behind it and will not just blindly follow random advice hoping it works. THANK YOU!

This video was SO helpful to me! I have a new sourdough starter and was panicking, thinking I needed to discard and feed. Now i know to just give it time!!!!!!!!!

After watching this Tom, I need to change up my whole game now. I will bake this weekend and see any new changes. Haven;t been getting the oven spring I think I should. Thanks Tom

Great information! I’ve thrown out all the other starter recipes, as this is the only one that totally makes sense! Love your skits… and love how the plant guy has a dead plant on his counter…😂

This video has been the single most helpful video I’ve ever seen. I get it now. Thank you.

thank you sooooo much for this! I was about to give up on my sourdough adventure. It's exactly what I've been doing.

Phenomenal advice! I have been trying to get a starter going for the first time and while I had one starting to go, upon doing the advised discard method, it ended up stalling out. You sir have given me INVALUBLE info. Your video is a work of art and science. Highly commendable. My starter (sans discard) is now starting to build itself up. Thank you! Here is an example of where going against the grain and using practical logic has made the difference, between interweb bunk and sage advice. Kudos!

I watched your video on warmers (and coolers) for starter and dough and am deciding on which solution to implement for maintaining a desired temperature, as my kitchen is just too chilly. My starter grew mold before doubling in size - it just took too long. Your advice is so practical, and much appreciated.

This is excellent! I left my very young SDS on the kitchen counter today without doing the 12 hour discard/feeding and thought it would be ruined. Now I realized that it may not even be giving it enough time to peak. Thanks for the video.

Thank you so much for this informative video! ❤ You did an excellent job!! I’m eager to watch more of your videos.

After trying to find explanations of how to best nurture my starter, you have finally explained it with science - thank you! Most everyone else gives advice based on their experience (or dumb luck) with no explanation of the concept needed to understand how to develop a strong healthy starter. Thank you again for all of your hard work and for sharing your results with us!

Thanks for your video. When I first started making my first starter well over 2 years ago I probably threw out good beginning starter because I was expecting a quick rise and I should have gave it more time. Later I eventually figured it out and now I have a rather robust starter. All beginning sourdough bakers should see this video before they begin making a starter for future baking.

Tom you are the "Einstein of Sourdough" Thank you for all the Great content.

Brilliant, as always. Misinformation is the most frustrating thing getting into baking. Best thing is to find a good source. Once I started reading books by experienced bakers it all got much easier (your videos included)

I have been making sourdough at least weekly x 3 years. I have made the mistake occasionally thinking it would like more food (flour) the more frequently I fed. Not giving it time to peak Occasionally. SO glad I found this video. Thanks!

Thank you SO MUCH! Thanks to you, my first starter ever is a robust success!

Thank you for this video, Tom. I really appreciate your work in the name of sourdough culture. I’m very new to this. I did fall for that “feed and discard” mantra without knowing exactly what is truly happening to my 6 week old starter (which I nearly got rid of to start over with a new one). Today, I am going to sit out and wait for my starter to wake up and will do something else instead of feeding and discarding it to death. Thank you and merry Christmas

Such a spectacular video. I wish there wasn't so much contradictory information thrown around. It's amazing how people think they know things and it just gets regurgitated over and over and it's all wrong. It's hard to sift through the garbage and know what is actually correct. Your videos are what I'll stick to. Thanks so much Tom!

Awesome brother thank you! I just started mine and I will definitely give it time!🙏🙏🙏

Thank you very much for making this video. I am just starting out on Sourdough Bread making and this is what I have been doing with a sluggish Sourdough Starter for the last few days, so now I will just wait for the cycle to peak! Such a great analogy using the plant in place of the Starter 🤣

And by the way, my husband and I LOVE watching your videos! They are very informative and funny too 😂. We like the humor

I truly appreciate your content. Your content contains logical thoughts and has answers. We are all different and have different conditions. Your content allows us to analyze our methods.

On day 10 of my baby starter and it smells amazing! Thank uuuu for the solid how-to!!

Thank you so much for this wonderfully clear video. A friend of mine recently died and I am trying to revive a dried starter she gave me, and have been tearing my hair out trying to get it strong enough to double-I’ve had six jars on the go at any one time, all with different feeding ratios and flours, but the white flour one (which is what my friend always used) has just not been getting there, and the wholemeal one stalled out as well. This video explains so many of the difficulties I’ve been having! I’ve followed your advice and will keep my fingers crossed for good results.

Tom, you are the best! My starter wasn't doing anything even though I was diligently discarding daily. The funny thing was the contents of my several days old discard bin was doing gangbusters 🙂Hmm, should have been a clue. Your video and diagnostic of the problem was 100%. Your garden expert analogy made total sense and your logic and method for conveying information is among the best that I have seen on any topic. Thinking about it now it is obvious that by diluting the starter daily the yeast is working but the evidence is not there because they are simply not there in sufficient numbers to have their byproducts visible. Two days of doing nothing and the universe is unfolding as it should. Your interpretation of why this happens is also spot on, impatient and lack of experience. Not being able to 'read' the starter. If it hasn't risen, domed and fallen don't do anything, don't feed (maybe stir). Is one of your alter egos is a psychologist? Great content, expertly delivered. Hope your Poinsettia recovers.

You are terrific!! Hope everyone takes your advice. 😊

Thank you! I’m new to sourdough starters, I had the water separation and couldn’t figure it out. Your video is brilliant! Fills in so many gaps for me. I gave it a stir to get it going again. Patience is my new name. 😅 Now I understand the dynamics to this process and can’t wait to bake my first bread. New subscriber! 🙋🏼‍♀️

Amazing video. I have been making sourdough breads about 10 years but I feel like I just learned about sourdough after watching your channel 😅 Thank you

So glad I found this *after* I murdered my starter. I'd had a strong starter for 2 years, neglected it in the fridge for 6 months or so, and couldn't get it back going. Followed a prominent author's instructions about more frequent feedings at higher ratios, and actually got mold for the first time ever. I actually did have the thought once "Doesn't this water it down?" but didn't put it together. I then went to my backup dried starter, again from the same author, basically drowned it and then over diluted. Fortunately I kept about 15 grams of my backup in reserve and am trying now according to your instructions.

Your video on how to start sourdough was very clear and informative. I used your method more than 4 years ago. I use my sourdough to make a loaf of sourdough bread every other week. I keep the starter in the frig and feed only one time between baking. So that is only about once a week. It is very vigorous. Once when we were on vacation, I didn’t feed it for two weeks. I fed it and used it the next day. I was so surprised that it was still alive.

Very helpful! I’m starting my first starter! You’re right I over fed her I will wait before I feed again

This is amazing information. Thank you for making this video!

Hi Tom, this video has made all the difference in my starter! I’ve been doing exactly what you said not to do until now! This time, by giving my starter time to rise, it’s consistently more than doubled in size in shorter time even at 18C in my kitchen. Can’t wait to bake with it this weekend and see if my loaf improves! Thank you so much!

Wow, I didn't know this and now I am glad that I do. VERY helpful

This video made so much sense to me now. I'm at day 14 and my starter is now doubling. I followed some other You Tube channels (before I found yours) and really not understanding why my starter was so slow. I got to the instructions of feeding twice a day and it got worse. I backed off myself to only once a day, changed the location of my starter near the stove and while cooking dinner I noticed it bubbled and had risen alot. My problem is that I keep the house much cooler and it must take longer.

Thanks for knocking some sense into us newbies!

That’s a really good tip about using warm water for feedings when the kitchen is cold. Tom, lots of good tips here. I’m just a beginner and have made only one ‘sourdough’ boule so far, and many no-kneads, but now I’ve got a second and third starter that are ready to go. They all smell different! Can’t wait ‘til this weekend’s bake! Thank you thank you thank you! 🩷

Thank you! Thank you! This is so helpful.

Oh wow I want to learn about this subject and omg your really good, the accent 👍the info👍the way you deliver the info👍it’s all so good thankyou 👏

This video coincided with one of my regular bakes ( 100% whole wheat starter and loaves ). Employed the peak to peak method and the results were at least as good ( in terms of oven rise ) as before, perhaps a tad better. Thank you.

Thankyou so, I felt I was disrupting he peaking process by following the feeding plan in a recipe. I haven’t made a starter before, I previously used a starter from a friend. Now I’ll look for the signs and feed after the peak. Mines hasn’t peaked yet after 7 days. 🤞all will be good now. My goodness this can be so frustrating but I want to keep going 🤦‍♀️😊

Great video. This and others. I was making several errors to start out based on other info online. Once i corrected these, which included flour type mix, feeding cycle, temperature, excess starter, and more patience, i got my starter to rise 3x after a couple of 1:2:2 feedings. I was about at day 7 and CO2 bubbles but little to no rise. Now i just need to repeat this a few times to be confident it is reasy for baking.

Such solid advice! Thank you so very much!

That was great! I actually understood it all! Thanks!

Fantastic and very informative video. Thanks so much!

The other day, someone in a social media sourdough group insisted that hungry starter builds a better rise than a peaked starter. I just didn't understand her logic but she kept insisting that when she feeds her starter and it peaks, she gets less of a rise and when she uses hungry starter, the rise is much better. I'd love to see you debunk this myth too. Great job with this video, Tom. I've learned so much from you. Still trying to perfect the ancient grain sourdough. That's another thing I want to see you try someday.

Tom, your scientific details are as impressive as the folded behind you tea towels 😁 Thank you!

I am so happy I saw this before I started. makes so much sense

Oh my gosh!! Thank you. Last week I actually threw my starter out! I got so mad because it just didn't work for me!! I, indeed have been making this exact mistake. Well, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. Thanks again 😊

Super helpful episode. Thank you

OMG!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 2 years ago I was having more successful bakes with my starter. I didn't complete discard it all but started over. I've been doing what you described here. Earlier in the week, I added more flour to my starter just to thicken it because it was slack. It rose beautifully with great vigor. I discarded and fed. Nothing. I put in oven by the light and it rose half as much. Last night instead of discarding I split it into 2 jars. Very little has happened. Some bubbles in top and sides. I am now going to wait. Again! Thanks

Day 3 yesterday, mine doubled in size ..kept at 69ish° covered in back of cabinet..cant wait to check it today!! Feels a 🤏🏻 like Christmas!! Apparently mine is doing ok(?) 50/50 whole wheat and unbleached white(didnt do bread flour..started before I saw that) but from what I've been following so far..it's well on its "journey (?)"! 👍🏻💪🏻

This guy is the real deal. I think he just solved my starter problem.