Bring Your Starter to Life

How to Activate Your Dried Sourdough Starter from The Cottage, Community Bakery

Welcome. You’re holding a small pouch of dried sourdough starter from our bakery! Real, living culture that we use every day to make bread with depth, character, and flavor. With just a little care, you can bring it back to life and start baking with it at home. 

What You’ll Need

  • Pouch of dried starter

  • Filtered water (room temperature)

  • Local Bread Flour (Get some Trailblazer from The Cottage)

  • A clean glass jar or container (at least 16 oz)

  • Spoon or chopstick for stirring

  • A kitchen scale (recommended for accuracy)

Step-by-Step Activation Guide

Day 1: Rehydrate

  1. Add 25g of dried starter flakes to your clean jar.

  2. Add 50g filtered water and stir gently to dissolve as much as possible.

  3. Let the mixture sit loosely covered for 2-3 hours at room temperature until the flakes have mostly dissolved into the water.

  4. Add 50g flour and 50g water. Stir well. This is the base of your new starter! 

  5. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. You’ve accomplished your first feeding! 

Day 2: Second Feeding

  • If you see bubbles or slight expansion, that’s a good sign. But it may not be ready to bake with just yet. 

  • Discard about half the mixture (approximately 100g).

  • Add 50g flour and 50g water. Mix thoroughly.

  • Cover and let sit at room temperature for another 24 hours. This is your second feeding, you are well on your way to leavening some bread! 

Day 3: Third Feeding

  • Discard half the mixture again. 

  • Add 50g flour and 50g water. Stir well.

  • You should start noticing more bubbles, a mild tangy smell, and slight rise after each feeding. 

Days 4 to 6: Daily Feedings

Continue feeding once every 24 hours using the same process:

  • Discard half the starter.

  • Feed with 50g flour and 50g water.
    By Day 5 or 6, your starter should:

  • Smell pleasantly sour

  • Be visibly bubbly

  • Double in size within 6 to 8 hours of feeding

Ready to Bake

Once your starter reliably doubles in volume within 6 to 8 hours after feeding and smells slightly sour and fruity, it’s strong enough to use in your first bake. Feed it the night before you mix dough, or in the morning if you plan to mix your dough later in the day.

Ongoing Care

If you're baking regularly, we recommend keeping your starter at room temperature and feeding it daily (we feed our starter twice daily, at the same time each day, to maintain consistency). 

This keeps it active and ready to use without needing to plan too far ahead.
Daily feeding ratio: 1 part starter : 1 part flour : 1 part water (by weight).

Pro Tips

  • Use filtered or dechlorinated water—chlorine can inhibit growth.

  • Use fresh, local flour whenever possible for better flavor and stronger fermentation.

  • Stir well after each feeding to introduce oxygen.

  • Warmer kitchens will speed up fermentation; cooler temps will slow it down.

Need More Help?

  • Stay up to date with our social media channels to get behind the scenes looks at our sourdough process.

  • Get tips from our team at The Cottage, Community Bakery on your next visit! 

  • Keep baking; success comes from consistent trials! 

Happy Baking! 

The Cottage, Community Bakery


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