Sourdough Starter

Activation Guide

Every step is written on screen, so the film works with the sound off.

Thank you for bringing home our dried sourdough starter. With a little care and patience it will come to life and become the heart of your baking.

Give it about a week. Day one is a soak and the first feed, then one feed a day through day seven.

One thing to have ready

A kitchen scale. Sourdough is measured by weight and not by volume, because a cup of flour can vary by a third depending on how it was scooped. Any scale that reads in single grams is fine.

Day one

Rehydrate & feed
  1. Add 10 g of dried starter flakes to a clean jar.
  2. Add 20 g of room-temperature water, 75–80°F (24–27°C).
  3. Stir well and let the flakes soak 15–30 minutes, until softened.
  4. Add 20 g of bread flour.
  5. Mix until smooth, cover loosely, and leave at 75–78°F (24–26°C) until doubled in size, about 8 hours.

Day two

Feed again
20 g
starter
20 g
water, room temperature
20 g
bread flour

Mix well, cover loosely, and leave at 75–78°F (24–26°C) until doubled in size, about 8 to 11 hours.

Days 3–7

Keep it going

Feed once a day, using a 1:1:1 ratio by weight.

20 g
starter
20 g
water
20 g
bread flour

Mix well, cover loosely, and leave at 75–78°F (24–26°C) until doubled in size, about 8 to 11 hours.

Ready to bake

You did it

Your starter is ready when:

  • It consistently doubles, or more, within 4–8 hours of a feed.
  • It is bubbly all the way through, not only on top.
  • It smells pleasant and slightly tangy.
  • It has a smooth, creamy texture.

Your starter may not show much activity yet. That is completely normal.

It takes time for a starter to adjust. Be patient and be consistent.

If it does not look right

Nothing is happening. Have I killed it?

Almost certainly not. The first two days usually look like nothing at all, and a cool kitchen can stretch that to three or four.

Keep it at 75–78°F (24–26°C) if you can, keep feeding on schedule, and give it time. If it still looks flat after a week, write to me at here_there_bread@yahoo.com and we will work through it together.

I missed a feed. What now?

Feed it as soon as you remember and carry on from where you left off. There is no need to start again. A starter that has gone hungry may smell sharp, or grow a layer of grey liquid on top. Pour that off, feed it, and it will come back.

What flour should I feed it?

Plain bread flour is all you need, and it is what this schedule is written around. If your kitchen runs cold, a feed of whole wheat or rye will speed things up, but you do not have to use them.

When should I throw it away?

Rarely, and you will know. Sharp, sour or faintly alcoholic is healthy. Fuzzy or coloured mould, a pink or orange tinge, or a genuinely foul smell rather than a sharp one means start again with a fresh packet. Do not taste anything you are unsure of.

Anything else at all, write to me at here_there_bread@yahoo.com. I answer every message myself, for as long as you keep the starter.

Enjoy baking!

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