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 Dough Dough Sourdough Starter Culture
• 75g flour — wholemeal recommended (white or a wholemeal/white blend also work; avoid bleached)
• 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 wholemeal flour for activation — it contains roughly double the food for your starter, so it wakes up faster and stronger. Plain/white flour will also work fine, or use a 50/50 blend of wholemeal and white. (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 (wholemeal recommended). 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

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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.