The Complete Sourdough Starter Guide

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Before reactivating your sourdough starter, gather a few simple kitchen items. Most people already have these at home.

• Dehydrated sourdough starter flakes (around 5g)

• Unbleached flour such as plain flour, bread flour, or wholemeal flour

• Room temperature water - filtered or dechlorinated works best

• A kitchen scale (recommended for accurate feeding)

• A clean glass jar or container large enough for the starter to expand

• A spoon or spatula for mixing

• A breathable cover such as a cloth, paper towel, or loose lid

• A rubber band or marker (recommended for tracking the rise of the starter)

• A warm place in your kitchen for fermentation away from direct sunlight.

 

---

 

How to Reactivate Your Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

Reactivating your sourdough starter normally takes 3–5 days.

Be patient the natural yeast needs a little time to wake up and multiply.

Day 1

• Place 1 tablespoon (5g) of starter flakes into a clean jar.

Add:

• 20g Lukewarm Filtered Water

Let the flakes soften for about 30 minutes.

Then mix in:

• 20g Plain Flour

Stir well and loosely cover the jar, leave at room temperature.

 

Day 2

You may begin to see small bubbles forming.

Feed your starter by adding:

• 20g Lukewarm Filtered Water 

• 20g Plain flour

Stir well and leave on the bench.

 

Day 3

Your starter should begin showing stronger signs of activity.

Discard about half of the mixture, then feed again with:

• 20g Lukewarm Filtered Water

• 20g Plain Flour

 

Day 4–5

Your starter should now:

• Bubble actively

• Smell slightly sour and yeasty

• Rise after feeding

• Begin doubling in size

At this stage your starter is ready to bake with.

 

---

 

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter

Once active, your starter can live indefinitely with proper care.

How often you feed it depends on where you store it.

 

If Your Starter Lives on the Bench

If you bake frequently, keep your starter at room temperature and feed it daily.

A simple feeding ratio is 1:1:1

• 20g Starter

• 20g Lukewarm Filtered water

• 20g Plain Flour

Stir well and allow it to ferment.

Tip:

If your starter is looking a little runny or lacking strength, you can increase the feed to a 1:2:2 ratio (for example, 20g starter, 40g water, 40g flour). This gives the starter more food, helping it thicken, strengthen, and become more active.

 

---

 

If Your Starter Lives in the Fridge

If you bake less often, refrigeration works well.

Feed your starter about once per week.

Steps:

• Remove from fridge

• Allow to warm slightly

• Feed with fresh plain flour and lukewarm filtred water

• Let it activate for a few hours

• Return to the fridge

 

---

 

What To Do If You Go On Holiday

If you’re travelling, there are a few easy options.

Refrigerate It

Feed the starter well and place it in the fridge. It can usually survive 2–3 weeks without feeding.

 

Dry a Backup Starter

Spread a thin layer of starter on baking paper and allow it to dry completely. Break it into flakes and store in a jar.

 

Share With a Friend

Many sourdough bakers pass their starter to friends while travelling.

 

What To Do If Your Starter Looks Unhealthy

Sometimes starters slow down or lose activity. This is common and usually easy to fix.

 

Try the following reset method:

• Discard most of the starter

• Feed fresh plain flour and luke warm water

• Use wholemeal or rye flour for a few feedings

• Keep the jar somewhere warm

Most starters bounce back within a few feeds.

 

---

 

What If Your Starter Grows Mould

If you notice fuzzy mould or coloured spots such as green, black or pink, it’s safest to discard the starter and begin again.

A healthy starter should smell:

• Mildly sour

• Slightly yeasty

• Fresh and  tangy

It should never smell rotten or unpleasant.

 

---

 

Caring For Starter During Cold Weather

Cool temperatures slow fermentation.

If your kitchen is cold:

• Keep your starter somewhere warm

• Feed it slightly more often

• Use warm (not hot) water when feeding 

• Place the jar in the overn with the light on (oven turned off)

Patience is important during colder months.

 

---

 

Storing a Sourdough Starter

 There are three main ways to store your starter depending on how often you bake.

 

Room Temperature

Best for frequent bakers.

Feed daily.

 

Refrigerator

Best for occasional baking.

Feed once per week.

 

Dried Starter

Spread starter thinly on baking paper and allow it to dry completely.

Break into flakes and store in a jar.

This provides a long-term backup culture.

 

---

 

How To Tell If Your Starter Is Healthy

 A healthy sourdough starter should:

       ✓ bubble regularly

       ✓ rise after feeding

       ✓ smell pleasantly sour

       ✓ have a light airy texture

       ✓ double in size within several hours

 

Some bakers also perform the float test, where a small spoon of starter floats in water.

 

---

 

Sourdough Discard Recipes

Every time you feed your starter, you remove a portion called discard.

Instead of throwing it away, you can cook with it.

Simple recipes include:

 

Sourdough Crackers

 Mix discard with flour, olive oil and herbs. Roll thin and bake until crispy.

 

Pancakes

Discard adds flavour and softness to pancakes.

 Flatbreads

Combine discard with flour and yogurt for quick skillet breads.

 

Pizza Dough

Adding discard to pizza dough creates deeper flavour.

 

Waffles

Sourdough waffles are light and crispy.

Using discard helps reduce food waste something we care deeply about at Think4Earth

 

---

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the clear liquid on top of my starter?

This liquid is called hooch.

It appears when the starter becomes hungry and runs out of food.

You can either:

         • Stir it back in

        • Pour it off before feeding

Feed your starter and it will recover quickly.

 

2. Why is my starter not bubbling?

 Possible causes include:

         • The room being too cold

         • The starter needing more frequent feeding

         • Flour that lacks nutrients

Try feeding wholemeal flour and keeping the jar somewhere warmer.

 

3. Why does my starter smell sour?

A sour smell is completely normal.

Sourdough naturally produces acids that give bread its unique flavour.

  

4. Can I change the flour type?

         Yes.

Starters can adapt to different flours including:

         • Bread flour

         • Plain flour

         • Wholemeal flour

         • Rye flour

         • Rice flour (Gluten Free)

Change gradually over several feeds.

 

---

 

Sustainable Baking With Think4Earth

 At Think4Earth, we believe baking bread at home is one of the simplest ways to reduce waste and reconnect with real food.

Our mission is to help people bake better bread while choosing sustainable kitchen products.

From reusable bread bags to bread boards, bread saws and proofing bowels every product we create supports the simple joy of bread.