Hooch, or a liquid layer on top of a hungry sourdough starter, is a huge source of debate in the sourdough community.
To stir it in or to pour it out – that is the question!
I have some answers and statistics based on an analysis of 168 sourdough bakers’ opinions, sourdough educators, thought leaders, and academics.

What Is Hooch?
Hooch is an alcohol byproduct that forms when the natural yeasts and bacteria in your sourdough starter consume the available nutrients and begin to starve.
When you break it down, hooch literally consists of:
- Water
- Ethanol
- Other organic alcohols
- VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
- Starch, sugar, and even some undigested flour suspended in the mix
This liquid can range in color from clear to dark brown, depending on how long the starter has been neglected.
As it sits, the particles oxidize, which is why it gets darker over time.
It often has a sour smell and many claim it contributes to the tanginess of your sourdough.

Related: 282 Best Sourdough Starter Names: Ideas & Inspiration
Hooch Advice from Sourdough Educators and Experts
Sourdough experts like Ben Starr say to always stir hooch back in as it contains vital bacteria needed to regrow your starter.
Others like Tom Cacuzza of The Sourdough Journey say to pour it off:
“I’ve never seen any scientific research that says ‘your starter is always better if it contains a bunch of ethanol.'”
–Tom Cacuzza of The Sourdough Journey
Finally, when analyzing the hooch-y opinions from sourdough bakers across the world, there was one bit of text referenced several times.

It’s a hooch explanation from Chef James Bridges of Sourdough Geeks, which I think is worth reading in full (you can read the full post here).
Here is an excerpt:
“[Hooch] serves to protect the culture underneath from contamination as the culture goes into survival mode. The stress that the yeast undergo at this point actually physically deforms them, and they often behave erratically once the culture is refreshed as a result.
So what is the best course of action for a starter which has developed hooch? That really depends on what stage of hooch development it has reached.
If there is a thin layer of clear liquid forming on the top, it is probably fine to just give it a normal refresh or two at ambient temperature to knock back acidity and re-establish healthy fermentation.
If there is a thicker layer of darker liquid on top, […] the best course of action is to discard the hooch that has formed, and to give a small portion of the starter a large format feed. This will immediately raise the pH, and will allow a significant amount of new yeast growth to make up the majority of the new yeast population. Another large format feed should restore the culture to a healthy pH level, and correct balance between yeast and lactic acid bacteria populations.”
–Chef James Bridges of Sourdough Geeks
The reasoning for pouring off the hooch makes a lot of sense to me – more than the argument for stirring it in.
But let’s keep gathering opinions and take a look at what academics and published authors have to say.
What Academics Have to Say About Hooch
I accessed as many books, articles, and periodicals as I could from my library’s database; 6 sources advise to stir it in, 2 say to pour it out, and 1 says you can do either.

Here’s a closer look at those quotes:
“Whenever I see this liquid, I remove it, if possible, along with any discolored starter present. Some bakers choose to stir it back into their starter, which can add a more sour flavor to the dough. However, in my opinion, hooch is wasted energy and isn’t always ideal to use.“
Raffa, E. (2020, January 1). Simple SOURDOUGH: Here’s a beginner’s guide to delicious homemade bread with minimal kneading. Grit, 138(1), 18.
“Don’t worry if a murky liquid forms on top – this is ‘hooch’ and is a by-product of the yeast feeding. It’s actually ethanol and is said to be where the term ‘hooch’ for alcohol originates. Just pour it off when you’re discarding before feeding again.”
The story of sourdough; This is bread with a history that stretches back thousands of years, that had fallen out of favour before making a well-deserved comeback. (2021, April 22). Olive: eat in, eat out, eat away, 112. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A659236872/ITOF?u=18551_mcpls&sid=ebsco&xid=a212076f
“At some point, a light brown liquid, called hooch, may form on top. This is a normal development in a healthy culture. Just stir it back into the mixture.“
Keiley, L. (2002). Breads Alive! Mother Earth News, 194, 64.
“Starter can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks without feeding. You’ll likely notice a dark liquid forming on the top of the starter after a few weeks. That is normal. Before the first feeding, stir the liquid back into the starter. (Or, take a swig. It’s hooch!)”
Reiley, L. (2016, June 22). FROM THE ROUND UP; Brett Wiewiora and Christina Cann channeled their love of baking into Gulf Coast Sourdough & Wild Yeast Breads, leavened by sourdough starters Bilbo and Samwise. Tampa Bay Times [St. Petersburg, FL], 4. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A488936025/ITOF?u=18551_mcpls&sid=ebsco&xid=ee420522
“Sometimes the starter separates and a dark liquid forms on top. Bakers call this a ‘hooch’. This is perfectly normal: just stir it back in.“
Davies, T. N. (2005, July 2). Blessed are the breadmakers The cultural revolution starts here With its excellent texture and unexpectedly low GI, sourdough bread is enjoying a long overdue revival. It is also dead easy to make. Daily Telegraph [London, England], 010. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A133729690/ITOF?u=18551_mcpls&sid=ebsco&xid=239dde11
“You may also notice a watery liquid forming on the top, known as the hooch. You can mix this back in or just add a little less water during the next feeding. If there is too much hooch, or you have not used your starter in some time, you can pour that off and feed your starter.”
Sourdough Bread-Making: Easier than you think (Photos). (2013, July 30). Los Angeles Examiner (CA). Available from NewsBank: America’s News Magazines: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNP&docref=news/147E2F981669CEE8.
“At some point, a light brown liquid, called hooch, may form on top. This is a normal development in a healthy culture. Just stir it back into the mixture.”
Keiley, L. (2002, October-November). Breads alive! (mother’s kitchen). Mother Earth News, 64+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A94011419/EAIM?u=18551_mcpls&sid=ebsco&xid=8775dce8
“[A] liquid will form on the top. It is called hooch, and it’s OK. Stir it and be on your merry way.“
Dupps Truesdell The Journal Gazette, K. (2014, March 26). Sourdough 101: Starter course Many lessons when growing, using base from scratch. Journal Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN), p. 1D. Available from NewsBank: America’s News Magazines: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNP&docref=news/14CCEDF7ACA18980.
“If you forget, or if your starter begins to look or smell odd (a layer of liquid, called ‘hooch,’ usually forms on top of a stored starter; just stir it back in when you feed it), regular and frequent feedings should bring it back into balance.”
For Starters. (2008, February 27). Tampa Tribune [Tampa, FL], 1. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A176201358/ITOF?u=18551_mcpls&sid=ebsco&xid=791dca6b
I actually didn’t find these sources to be that useful as no in-depth explanation is given on the why.
I’m fine with advice in either direction, but I want reasoning as to why I’m doing it.
Related: The Oldest Sourdough Starters (And Why It Doesn’t Really Matter)
Hooch Opinions From the Sourdough Community
The general sourdough community is pretty split, with severe opinions in either direction.
Based on an analysis of 168 sourdough bakers’ opinions, here’s the consensus on whether or not you should stir in your hooch:

- Stir the hooch back in: 43.45%
- Pour it out: 36.90%
- Either way: 17.86%
- Depends on how much there is: 1.79%
Advocates for stirring it back in give three main reasons for doing so:
- Better flavor – stirring it back in leads to a more sour-tasting starter.
- Vital for the starter’s health – hooch contains important bacteria that will keep your starter strong if mixed in.
- Key for maintaining the starter’s hydration – if you pour off the hooch, you lose a good amount of water content, which can throw off the hydration of your entire starter.

And those who advise pouring the hooch out give their reasons for doing so:
- Bitter flavor – the hooch doesn’t add a sour flavor; it’s actually bitter, which is not pleasant. One baker said, “Pour it in a shot glass and enjoy it. Then tell me why you want that awful taste in your bread….”
- Hooch itself is waste, which is kind of gross – hooch is technically a waste product consisting of water, ethanol and other organic alcohols, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), so why would you mix it back in?
- pH level issues – if you stir a lot of hooch back into the starter, the starting pH of the next batch of dough will be lower. That means there will be less time for fermentation before the pH drops too much, which can weaken and eventually ruin the gluten structure in the dough.
Related: I Let My Sourdough Starter Mold: Here’s What Happened
Both sides make valid points, though I’m tending to join the group of folks who are slightly repulsed by hooch.

Related: How to Feed Sourdough Starter Without a Scale (So Easy!)
Hydration Levels and Hooch
Before we get to the final verdict, I want to touch on sourdough starter hydration and hooch, because it came up quite a bit.
Bakers worry that if you dump out hooch, you’re messing with the hydration level in your starter, which will harm it.
However, going back to that long Facebook post from Chef James Bridges of Sourdough Geeks, he explains the hydration issue really well:
“[A] couple of large format feeds immediately remedies the discrepancy. Here is an example if you have 100g of starter and pour off 15g of hooch:
- 100g starter at 100% hydration – 15g liquid = 85g starter at 70% hydration
- Take 10g starter (70% hydration) and feed it 50g flour and 50g water (1:5:5)
- You now have 110g starter at 97% hydration
- Now take 10g starter (97% hydration) and feed it 50g flour and 50g water (1:5:5)
- You now have 110g starter at 100% hydration
It’s actually 99.7% hydration, but less than the margin of error on any kitchen scale anyway.”
Chef James Bridges of Sourdough Geeks
Giving your starter a few good feedings will remedy any hydration issue concerns.
And you honestly want to give a few good feedings anyway.
If your starter has developed a big layer of hooch, it needs to wake up and get strong again before you’ll get any good bakes out of it.

The Final Verdict
So, what’s the final verdict?
The decision to stir in or pour out the hooch largely comes down to personal preference.
I’ve seen countless examples of people who have revived a long-forgotten starter, regardless of whether or not they stirred the hooch in or dumped it off.
That said, the arguments for dumping the hooch seem a little stronger to me, personally.

One sourdough baker shared: “[Your starter] will probably bounce back one day faster if you pour [the hooch] off. That’s from a video on The Sourdough Journey YouTube channel where he tried 50 ways of killing his starter.”
The fact that hooch is a waste product with some pretty foul chemicals in it is enough for me to be “Team Pour It Out.”
But that doesn’t negate the fact that some people prefer the punchy flavors that hooch brings to a sourdough starter.
If you can bring a starter back to good health in either scenario, it seems to me that the final verdict is up to you.
I left my sourdough starter in the refrigerator since before I had a bilateral Mastectomy on June 4th, there is a dark layer of hooch on top and I think I should just start over, I am relatively new to sourdough. and have enjoyed this webpage and just shared it with a friend in North Carolina. I am in Vermont and it is only 34 degrees at noon and will be 74 on Thursday, so I am not quite ready to start baking but need to get my sourdough up and active. Thank you for this information.
You can definitely revive the starter in your fridge! I’d dump off the hooch and take maybe 10g of the discard in the jar and feed it 50g flour, 50g water. May take a few days of doing this, ideally twice per day (morning and night), but you should be back in business with it soon.
I was a homebrewer before I got into sourdough. Basically… the “hooch” is byproduct of yeast eating sugars in the grain. It’s literally yeast pee. (Beer is yeast pee. Yup. Sit with that knowledge nugget for a bit, lol.)
No one wants to sit in their own pee, not even yeast! So always pour it out. Give them a fresh floury diaper afterward. 😉