Sourdough Starter Instructions

Dough Dough Accelerated Sourdough Starter — Revival Instructions

Congratulations on your Dough Dough Sourdough Starter Culture! Unlike traditional starters that take 7–14 days to establish, your culture activates in just 2 hours. Follow these steps and you'll be baking real sourdough bread today. 

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What You'll Need

• 1 packet (15g) Dough Dough Sourdough Starter Culture
• 75g flour — 50g strong white bread flour and 25g wholemeal (avoid bleached flour)
• 75g warm water — 27°C / 80°F (filtered or tap water left out overnight)
• 1 clean glass jar, at least 500ml capacity
• Kitchen scales (measuring by weight gives the best results)
• A rubber band or piece of tape to mark the jar
• A loose-fitting lid, cloth, or cling film with holes

We recommend a blend of 50g strong white bread flour and 25g wholemeal for activation. The wholemeal carries roughly double the food, so the starter wakes faster and stronger, while the white gives it structure. Plain white flour on its own will also work. (Avoid bleached flour.)

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Step 1 — Activate Your Starter (Day 1, takes 2 hours)

1. Empty the entire contents of your starter culture packet into a clean glass jar.
2. Add 75g of warm water (27°C / 80°F). Stir well to dissolve.
3. Add 75g of flour — 50g strong white and 25g wholemeal. Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains.
4. Mark the level of the mixture on your jar with a rubber band or tape.
5. Cover loosely — do not seal airtight. The starter needs to breathe.
6. Leave at room temperature (ideally 21–27°C / 70–80°F) for 2 hours.

Your starter is ready when: it has risen above the mark, looks bubbly and airy, and smells pleasantly tangy and yeasty. A spoonful dropped in water should float (the "float test").

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Step 2 — Your First Bake

Once active, use your starter straight away in any sourdough recipe that calls for active/ripe starter. A typical country loaf uses 100–200g of active starter.

Refer to our Bread Recipe page for a simple, reliable first loaf.

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Step 3 — Ongoing Feeding & Maintenance

Your starter is now a living culture. Keep it healthy with regular feeding using a 1:1:1 ratio — equal parts starter : flour : water by weight.

If you bake regularly (room temperature storage)

• Feed every 12–24 hours
• Before each feed, discard half the starter (or use the discard in pancakes, crackers, or flatbreads)
• Add 50g flour + 50g water, stir well, cover loosely

If you bake occasionally (refrigerator storage)

• Store in the fridge in a loosely covered jar
• Feed once a week: discard half, add 50g flour + 50g water
• Before baking: take your starter out 24–48 hours ahead, give it 1–2 feeds at room temperature to bring it back to full activity, then use it when it passes the float test

When to refrigerate your starter after feeding

Feed it first, then leave it at room temperature for 1–2 hours before it goes in the fridge. That head start lets fermentation get moving, so the starter chills with flour still to work through rather than going cold on an empty stomach.

• Straight from the fridge to a feed? No need to wait — feed it cold, then give it the same 1–2 hours out before it goes back in.
• Fed it and forgot? If it has already peaked and started to sink, refrigerate it anyway. It will be hungrier when you next take it out, so give it two feeds instead of one.
• Going away for longer? Feed it, give it the 1–2 hours, then chill. It will hold for two to three weeks unfed, though it will need a couple of feeds to come back to full strength.

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Tips for a Strong, Active Starter

• Temperature matters most. Keep your starter between 21–27°C (70–80°F). Too cold and it goes dormant; too warm and it can over-ferment.
• Always use unbleached flour. The chemicals in bleached flour can weaken or kill your culture.
• Use filtered or de-chlorinated water. Chlorine in tap water inhibits yeast. Leave tap water in an open container overnight before using.
• Never seal the jar airtight. Fermentation produces CO₂ — a sealed jar can build pressure or suppress activity.
• Feed by activity, not just the clock. The best time to feed is when your starter has peaked (risen and just starting to fall back) — this is when it's hungriest.
• Don't throw away your discard. Use it in waffles, pancakes, pizza dough, or crackers.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Not rising after 2 hours	Too cold, or chlorinated water	Move somewhere warmer; switch to filtered water
Liquid layer on top (grey/brown)	"Hooch" — starter is hungry	Pour off or stir in, then feed immediately
Smells very sharp / like acetone	Over-fermented or underfed	Feed more frequently; try a higher flour ratio (1:2:2)
Pink or orange streaks	Contamination	Discard entirely and start fresh with a new packet
Slow or sluggish after fridge	Needs waking up	Feed 2–3 times at room temperature before baking

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Questions?

We're here to help. Email us at hello@doughdoughathome.com or visit our blog for more sourdough guides and tips.