How to Activate & Care for Your Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
Congratulations on starting your sourdough journey! Your dehydrated starter is full of wild yeast and good bacteria that are simply “asleep.” With a little flour, water, warmth, and patience, you can wake it back up and get it ready to use.
This guide will walk you through activating your dehydrated starter and caring for it once it is active.
What You’ll Need
A clean glass jar
Dehydrated sourdough starter
Unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
Room temperature water, preferably filtered or spring water
A spoon or small spatula
Measuring spoons and measuring cups
Optional but recommended: a kitchen scale
A loose-fitting jar lid or reusable plastic/silicone cover
A kitchen scale is the most accurate way to feed your starter, and it is my preferred method. However, you can absolutely get started without one. I’ve included approximate spoon and cup measurements along with the gram amounts throughout this guide.
Just keep in mind that measuring flour by volume is not exact, so your starter may look a little thicker or thinner depending on how you scoop. That’s okay. You’re looking for a thick paste-like consistency, not perfection.
Do not seal the jar tightly. Your starter needs room to release gas as it becomes active. A jar lid set loosely on top works well.
Part One: Activating Your Dehydrated Starter
Day 1: Wake Up the Starter
Place your dehydrated starter flakes into a clean jar.
Add:
10 grams dehydrated starter
About 2 tablespoons dehydrated starter flakes
20 grams water
About 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
Stir well and let it sit for about 30 minutes to soften.
After the flakes have softened, add:
20 grams flour
About 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
Stir until fully combined. It should look like a thick paste.
Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
A warm spot is helpful, but avoid placing it somewhere hot. Around 70–75°F is ideal.
Day 2: First Feeding
Your starter may not look very active yet, and that is completely normal.
Add:
20 grams water
About 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
20 grams flour
About 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
Stir well, scrape down the sides of the jar, and cover loosely.
Let it sit at room temperature for another 24 hours.
You may start to see a few bubbles, or you may not. Either way, keep going.
Day 3: Feed Again
By now, you may see small bubbles, a slightly tangy smell, or a little rise. These are good signs.
Add:
30 grams water
About 2 tablespoons water
30 grams flour
About 1/4 cup flour
Stir well and cover loosely.
Let it sit for 24 hours.
At this stage, the starter may smell yeasty, fruity, sour, or even a little funky. That is normal while the good bacteria and wild yeast are getting established again.
Day 4: Begin Regular Feedings
Your starter should hopefully be showing more bubbles by now.
Discard about half of the starter, then feed what remains with:
40 grams water
About 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
40 grams flour
About 1/3 cup flour
Stir well, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature.
Discarding helps keep the amount manageable and gives the yeast and bacteria plenty of fresh food.
Day 5: Watch for Rise and Fall
Feed your starter again.
Discard about half, then add:
40 grams water
About 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
40 grams flour
About 1/3 cup flour
Stir well and cover loosely.
After feeding, keep an eye on it. A healthy starter will eventually rise after feeding, become bubbly, and then fall back down as it uses up its food.
This rise and fall is one of the best signs that your starter is becoming active.
Day 6: Continue Feeding
Repeat the same feeding.
Discard about half, then add:
40 grams water
About 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
40 grams flour
About 1/3 cup flour
By now, your starter may be doubling in size within 6–12 hours after feeding. If it is, you are getting close.
If it is bubbling but not doubling yet, don’t worry. Give it another day or two of regular feeding.
Day 7: Is It Ready?
Your starter may be ready to use when it:
Doubles in size within 4–8 hours after feeding
Looks bubbly and airy throughout
Has a pleasant tangy, yeasty smell
Rises predictably after feeding
If your starter is doing all of these things, it is active and ready to use in a recipe.
If it is not quite there yet, continue daily feedings for a few more days. Some starters wake up quickly, while others need a little extra time.
Part Two: Caring for Your Starter Going Forward
Once your starter is active, you can keep it at room temperature or in the refrigerator, depending on how often you plan to use it.
If You Use It Often
Keep your starter at room temperature and feed it once a day.
A simple daily feeding is:
20 grams starter
About 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon starter
40 grams water
About 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
40 grams flour
About 1/3 cup flour
Stir, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature.
If You Use It Occasionally
Store your starter in the refrigerator and feed it about once a week.
To feed from the refrigerator:
Take it out of the refrigerator.
Discard some, leaving about 20 grams starter, or about 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon.
Feed with 40 grams water, or about 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, and 40 grams flour, or about 1/3 cup.
Let it sit at room temperature until bubbly.
Return it to the refrigerator if you are not using it right away.
Getting Your Starter Ready to Use
Before using your starter in a recipe, feed it and wait until it is at or near its peak.
Peak means the starter has risen, looks bubbly and active, and has not started to collapse yet. This is when it has the most strength.
A good feeding before using your starter is:
25 grams starter
About 1 1/2 tablespoons starter
50 grams water
About 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water
50 grams flour
About 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
This gives you enough active starter for many beginner recipes, with a little left over to keep and feed for next time.
Once your starter has doubled and looks bubbly and active, it is ready to use.
Troubleshooting
My starter isn’t bubbling yet.
Give it more time. Dehydrated starter can sometimes take several days to fully wake up, especially if your kitchen is cool.
There is liquid on top.
This is called hooch and usually means your starter is hungry. Stir it in or pour it off, then feed your starter.
It smells weird.
Some funky smells are normal in the beginning. As long as you do not see mold, keep feeding. Over time, the smell should become pleasantly tangy, yeasty, or slightly fruity.
I see mold.
If you see fuzzy mold or pink or orange streaks, throw the starter away and start over with a fresh batch.
My kitchen is cold.
A cold kitchen can slow everything down. Try placing your starter in a slightly warmer spot, such as near but not on top of an appliance, inside the oven with the light on, or in the microwave with the door closed and the microwave off.
A Few Helpful Tips
Use a rubber band or marker to track your starter’s height after feeding. This makes it easier to see how much it rises.
Use room temperature water, not hot water. Hot water can damage the wild yeast.
Use unbleached flour. Bleached flour may slow down activity.
Do not seal the jar tightly. Your starter needs room to release gas as it ferments.
If your starter seems too thick, add a tiny splash of water. If it seems too thin, add a small spoonful of flour. You’re looking for a thick paste-like consistency.
Be patient. Sourdough is alive, and every kitchen is a little different.
Your starter does not need to be perfect to be successful. The biggest thing is consistency. Feed it, watch how it responds, and give it time.
Welcome to the sourdough journey. I’m so glad you’re here.