how to bring your giving sourdough dehydrated starter to life

You made it — you’re finally starting your sourdough journey! Take a deep breath. You can ignore all the chaos you see on TikTok because I’m going to walk you through it step by step and keep it super simple.

Sourdough isn’t a personality trait. It’s flour, water, and time. That’s it. We’re waking up your Giving Sourdough dehydrated starter and getting you to your first bubbly, happy jar. You’ve got this.

what you’ll need

Let’s start with the basics — what you need to get started (with links where I can, of course)! The good news is you have time to gather the rest of your supplies because this process takes about 2–3 days before your starter is strong and ready to bake with.

• Bread flour (King Arthur is my go-to)
• Filtered water
• Giving Sourdough dehydrated starter packet
• Small glass or mason jar
• Food scale

let’s wake it up

1) Weigh it. Add your Giving Sourdough dehydrated starter (~5g) to a small bowl.

2) Hydrate. Pour in 10g of filtered water and stir until combined. A few flakes are fine.

3) Rest. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to soften up.

4) Feed. Add 10g of bread flour and stir until smooth and thick. When it looks a little like pancake batter, you know you're good to go! 

5) Cover. Cover loosely with a shower cap, towel, or piece of plastic wrap — anything that lets air in but keeps dust out. Leave it at room temperature (around 70°F) for 12–24 hours. Draw a line or place a rubber band around the jar where the mixture starts so you can easily see how much it rises.

6) Signs of life. Look for tiny bubbles or a bit of rise. Once you see it, start feeding twice a day: discard (see below) half, then add equal parts flour and water by weight (start with 10–20g each).

6) Feed again (12–24 hours later). After sitting overnight, your starter might look a little puffier or have a few bubbles, that’s a good sign it’s waking up.

Transfer 15g of starter into a clean jar (discard the rest, notes below). Add 15g of filtered water and 15g of bread flour, then stir until smooth. Cover loosely and let it sit again at room temperature for another 12–24 hours.

what to expect as the days go by

• day 1: it may look quiet. maybe a few bubbles, maybe none. totally normal.
• day 2: you should start to see light bubbling, a little rise, and a mild tangy smell. it’s waking up!
• day 3: bubbles will be more noticeable, texture lighter and spongier. it might even double between feedings.
• day 4+: once your starter consistently doubles in 4–6 hours after feeding and smells slightly sweet and yeasty (not sour or funky), it’s ready to bake.

Remember: patience is key! Every kitchen is a little different. temperature, flour, and even humidity can affect how fast your starter comes to life.

what is discard?

When you feed your starter, you’re giving it fresh food, flour and water. Over time, the mixture grows, bubbles, and expands. If you kept feeding without removing any, it would quickly overflow and use way too much flour.

Discard simply means removing a portion of your starter before each feeding, usually about half. You’re not throwing away something bad — you’re just keeping your starter balanced and making room for new food so it stays healthy and active.

You can toss it, or save it in a separate jar in the fridge to use for pancakes, crackers, waffles, and other recipes that don’t need an active rise. Think of it like giving your starter a little reset each time: out with the old meal, in with the fresh food.

quick tips

• A warm room helps. Aim for 70–75°F. In cooler months, I use a heating mat to help control the temperature a bit better.
• Environment is everything. What works perfectly for me might look a little different for you, and that’s okay. The key is patience and learning what to look for over time.
• If it smells sharp or seems slow to rise, just keep feeding. Consistency wins.
• Baking daily? Keep it on the counter and feed daily. Baking weekly? Store in the fridge and feed once a week.

When it’s doubling on schedule, you’re ready to bake your first loaf.

ok my starter is ready... what’s next?

So glad you asked!! your bubbly new starter is officially alive and ready to bake with. 🥖

If you’re just getting started, you’ll (very) soon be able to grab your Giving Sourdough Starter right here on my website — stay tuned! In the meantime, head to my Amazon storefront to grab all the “necessities” and follow along with more simple, no-stress recipes right here on the blog. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see a recipe or blog post for! 

your next stop: classic sourdough step-by-step →