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You are here: Home » Q & A » #AskWardee » Can I Feed My Sourdough Starter Different Flours? #AskWardee 021

Learn how to make your own sourdough starter... get it going in just 5 minutes! Click here to download FREE instructions!

Can I Feed My Sourdough Starter Different Flours? #AskWardee 021

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“Can I feed my sourdough starter different flours? If so, how often?” Watch, listen, or read to learn how often you can change flours while still keeping your starter happy!

“Can I feed my sourdough starter different flours? If so, how often?” Pam F. asks on today’s #AskWardee. I’m sharing my answer below!

I broadcast #AskWardee live each Wednesday at 10am Pacific (1pm Eastern) on Periscope and Facebook Live. Both the podcast and video replay of this week’s show are below. Enjoy!

Subscribe to #AskWardee on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app.

The Question

Pam F. wants to know:

Do you always have to feed the same kind of flour each day such as wheat, spelt, etc.? Or can you change that daily or weekly? I noticed that you said you could bake with any kind of flour. but can you feed it with different kinds of flour? We grow our own grains so I am wondering how to change flours when you need to in the starter and how often you can change it when added to the starter?

My Answer

Yes, you can feed your sourdough starter different flours.

The sourdough starter’s organisms are looking for a food source, and that is starch. Starch is in all the grains, so any will do. Our friend Katie from Kitchen Stewardship even feeds her starter with leftover oatmeal. That’s frugal!

There are some things to keep in mind:

1. How Is Your Starter Handling It?

When I have changed flours (wheat to spelt to einkorn), the starter took to it right away. Others report that their starter took it hard. 😉 And then took a few feedings to bounce back.

What are the best flours for sourdough? Any flour with starch should be suitable, but some may work better than others.

2. Don’t Neglect The Starter When Changing Flours.

Keep it warm and keep feeding it regularly.

Why?

IF the starter is going to be shocked by the new flour, you don’t want it to be stressed in any other way.

3. Change Flour As Often As Needed, Or As Often As Your Starter Can Handle It.

There are no rules other than:

  1. Your needs and desires — what flour do you have on hand?
  2. The starter’s needs — what experience has it shown you it can handle?

4. Also…

Although it might go without saying, I’m going to say it anyway.

Because you can feed your sourdough starter with whatever flour you’d like, this also means it might be different from the flour in the recipe. And that’s fine — yes, you can feed your starter with a different flour than you use in the recipe.

(However, if you’re gluten-free, you’d want to stick to gluten-free flours for feeding and for the recipe.)

For more information about feeding your starter, check out Feeding Your Starter…More Than Just Flour!

Helpful Links:

  • Free Sourdough Starter Video and Instructions
  • Free No-Knead Sourdough Bread Instructions
  • Is Aged Flour *Really* Better For Sourdough? #AskWardee 122
  • When is a Sourdough Starter Ready for Baking?
  • How To Freeze Your Sourdough Starter {Best Way} #AskWardee 059
  • Can I Use Reverse Osmosis Water For Fermenting, Culturing, & Sourdough? #AskWardee 138

What Is The #AskWardee Show?

The #AskWardee is the live weekly show devoted to answering your niggling questions about traditional cooking: whether it’s your sourdough starter, your sauerkraut, preserving foods, broth, superfoods or anything else to do with Traditional Cooking or your GNOWFGLINS lifestyle.

I share tips and resources, plus answer your questions about Traditional Cooking!

The Details

When: Wednesdays at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern

Where: @TradCookSchool on Periscope or Traditional Cooking School on Facebook

What If You Can’t Make It?

Don’t worry. You can catch the replays or listen to the podcast!

  • Come back here to AskWardee.TV; all replays will be up within hours of airing live; the print notes are always posted at the same time I go live.
  • Go to @TradCookSchool on Periscope or Traditional Cooking School on Facebook to view the replay.
  • Subscribe to the #AskWardee podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app. While you’re there, be sure to leave a rating and review!

Want To Get YOUR Question Answered?

Here’s how to submit your question. If we answer it on #AskWardee, you’ll get a gift!

Or, you can…

  • Tweet your question to @TradCookSchool on Twitter; use hashtag #AskWardee
  • Send an email to wardee at AskWardee dot tv — add #AskWardee to your email so I know it’s for the show

Please do NOT add future questions for #AskWardee to the comments of this post because they might get missed!

Do you ever switch flours with your sourdough starter? How does your starter handle it?

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: #AskWardee Fermenting & Culturing Q & A Sourdough Videos

About Wardee Harmon

Wardee lives in the Boise area of Idaho with her dear family. She's the lead teacher and founder of the Eat God's Way online cooking program as well as the author of Fermenting, Sourdough A to Z, and other traditional cooking books. Eat God's Way helps families get healthier and happier using cooking methods and ingredients from Bible Times like sourdough, culturing, and ancient grains.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie says

    June 4, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Hi warden have a question on eating black beans can you have them when having a thm s meal like a fourth a cup

    Reply
    • Vicki Henry says

      June 11, 2020 at 12:37 pm

      Hi Katie,

      I verified with Dawn and she said you can have up to 1/4 c in an S meal but that’s your only carb source for the meal.

      ~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team

      Reply
  2. :D says

    July 12, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    Can you feed ypur starter with multiple flours: 15g rye, 15g white ww and 20g ap flour?

    Reply
    • Peggy says

      July 15, 2020 at 11:13 am

      Hi, :D,
      If you are mixing flours you will want to keep an eye on your starter and see how it is handling it. 🙂
      ~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team

      Reply
  3. Vic says

    July 17, 2020 at 7:42 am

    HI! In the sourdough starter instructions, the measurements are given for the flour and water needed to feed the starter. Can you provide the weight instead of measurements? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Peggy says

      July 22, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      Hi, Vic,
      I am sorry but we don’t use weights. We are aiming for a thicker starter but our recipes and methods are not dependent on being so exact. We go by feel. 🙂
      ~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team

      Reply
  4. Claudia says

    May 7, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    Hello! I am Peruvian American and so we love quinua, amaranth and kañihua flour (none of these grains contain gluten) so my question is if I could mix those up with my sourdough starter.
    Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Danielle says

      May 8, 2021 at 7:15 am

      Hi, Claudia.

      Since those are gluten-free flours you would want to create a gluten-free starter and use those. Feeding gluten-free grains toa a gluten starter is not advisable.

      ~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team

      Reply

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