How to Activate a Dried Sourdough Starter (And How to Know When It's Ready)
How to Activate a Dried Sourdough Starter (And How to Know When It's Ready)

Dried sourdough starter ships better, stores longer, and activates reliably — but it does need a few days of feeding before it's ready to bake with. Here's exactly how to do it, step by step. If you're working with our starter, you're starting with a culture that's been maintained in our kitchen and dried fresh. Give it the time it needs and it'll reward you.

You have a dehydrated sourdough starter and you're ready to do the dang thing. That's cool. (If you don't have one, that's cool too. And we can help with that.) There are a few steps to getting her going, but nothing you can't handle.

 

Step 1: Rehydrate

  • Put the 12g dried starter in a clean jar.
  • Add 12g (about 1 tbsp) lukewarm water.
  • Stir and let it sit 15–30 minutes until softened.

 

Step 2: First Feeding

  • Add 12g flour (all-purpose or whole wheat works well to start) and 12g water.
  • Stir and cover loosely.
  • Let sit at room temperature (70–75°F) for 24 hours.

 

Step 3: Second Feeding

  • You may or may not see bubbles yet—that’s normal.
  • This time, add 24g flour and 24g water.
  • Stir, cover loosely, and rest another 24 hours.

 

Step 4: Daily Feedings

For the next 2–4 days:

  • Discard about half the starter.
  • Feed with equal weights flour and water (e.g., 30g flour + 30g water).
  • Repeat every 24 hours.

 

Step 5: Ready to Use

Your starter is ready when it:

  • Doubles in size within 4–8 hours after feeding
  • Has a pleasant tangy smell
  • Shows consistent bubbling

 

A couple practical tips

  • If it seems sluggish, switch to whole wheat or rye flour for a feeding or two—it jumpstarts activity.
  • Keep it warm, but not hot (top of fridge or inside oven with light on works).
  • Don’t rush it—some starters take 5–7 days to fully wake up.
  • To be super sure it's ready to work, try the float test.
    • Gently drop a small spoonful of recently fed starter into a cup of water—if it floats, it likely has enough trapped gas (from fermentation) to leaven bread. If it sinks, it may need more time or another feeding.

Don't have a starter yet? Ours ships next business day. → Sourdough Starter Kit