I’m a noob with sourdough and I have been having a hard time getting information on how to maintain a consistent amount of starter. Is it generally appropriate to discard half and replace that half with fresh flour and water?
Related, is “discard” in any meaningful way different from the starter itself, or are the recipes for discard scones/crackers/whatever just labeled that because you aren’t using the starter for rise?
The people who talk about discarding generally mean what you describe. The discarded starter is usually not as active as the freshly fed one. My guess is that it’s mostly the yeast that is missing in an older unfed starter.
That being said, I bake every week with good success and don’t discard any starter. I usually keep my sourdough in the fridge and take it out on the night of thursday, feed it a bit (wholemeal wheat) and let it stand at room temperature. On friday evening I feed again but this time to full size (to get around 300g). On saturday morning I bake using almost all the starter. I put back the “dirty” jar with the rests of the starter into the fridge waiting to be fed the week after. Be sure to find your own routine. Also beware that this might not work if you bake less than weekly as the sourdough might become too sour and thurn dark an loose its yeasts.
Have fun!