What Is the Liquid on Top of My Sourdough Starter (Hooch) and What Should I Do?

That dark, watery liquid that sometimes collects on your starter is called “hooch.” Don’t be alarmed – it’s not poisonous or truly harmful. Hooch is a natural alcohol byproduct that yeast gives off when it has consumed all the available food (sugars in the flour) and become inactive. In simple terms, hooch is a sign your starter is hungry.

This comes down to preference. You can stir the sourdough starter hooch back into the starter before feeding – it won’t hurt anything. In fact, hooch will make the starter more sour in flavor because it’s basically alcohol and acidic waste from the yeast. Some bakers like that extra tang and will mix it in.

Alternatively, you can pour off the hooch (it might be an unappetizing brown or gray color). If the hooch layer is very dark or you just don’t want a thinner consistency, go ahead and decant it off the top and discard it. Then feed the thick starter underneath as usual.

Either approach is fine; the key is that you must feed the starter after noticing hooch, because it’s telling you it’s out of food.

Hooch can range from clear to gray, brown, even blackish if left a very long time. All those hues are generally okay (not mold). Surprising fact: “none of these colors indicate that your starter has spoiled,” note King Arthur’s experts. They’re just a result of how long the starter sat unused.

A gray hooch is common after a week in the fridge; a very dark hooch might appear after months. The only truly bad colors are pink or orange tints, which indicate bacterial contamination (see the mold/ contamination question if that’s the case).

Normal hooch, no matter the shade, is not a death sentence for your starter – it’s just a cue to feed.

The best way to avoid hooch is to feed your starter more frequently or store it colder. If you leave a starter at room temperature for a long time without feeding, hooch will form as the starter exhausts itself.

• If you’re maintaining starter at room temperature, plan to feed it daily (or even twice daily for peak performance).
• If you want to feed less often, keep the starter in the refrigerator; cold temps dramatically slow the yeast so it doesn’t produce hooch quickly.
• Even in the fridge you’ll eventually get hooch (after a few weeks). That’s your reminder to feed or refresh it.
• Some people also keep a thicker starter (higher flour ratio) so it has more food and is less prone to hooch.

In any event, a little hooch now and then is normal – just feed the starter and it will perk back up, happy as ever.

In short, hooch = “Feed me!” Pour it off or mix it in, then discard a bit of starter if needed and give your culture a nice meal of fresh flour and water. You’ll likely notice that after a couple of regular feedings, the hooch disappears and the starter smells fresh and yeasty again.

One more tip: if you find hooch developing frequently before your scheduled feeding time, you may need to either feed larger meals (more flour relative to starter) or feed more often. Adjust and see what keeps your starter strong and free of hooch.

As long as you respond to it, your starter will suffer no lasting ill effects from producing hooch – it’s a normal part of the sourdough life cycle.