Bringing My Sourdough Starter Back to Life: How I Rehydrated My Dehydrated Starter

There’s something special about sourdough—the way it connects us to slow, mindful baking and the simple magic of flour, water, and time. Life got busy a few months ago, and I made the responsible decision to dehydrate my starter instead of letting it waste away. Now that I have a little more space and rhythm in my kitchen, I finally pulled it out of the cupboard and brought it back to life.

Here’s how I rehydrated my dehydrated sourdough starter step by step—and what I learned along the way.

🥣 Step 1: Crumble & Measure

I started by taking about a tablespoon of my dried starter flakes. They looked a bit like little beige shards—papery and light. I crumbled them into a clean glass jar (a small one works fine) and measured out equal parts filtered water by weight. For me, that meant about 15g of dried starter and 15g of lukewarm filtered water. Stirring gently, I let it soak until the pieces softened and began to dissolve.

Tip: Don’t use chlorinated tap water—it can mess with the natural yeast and bacteria we’re trying to wake up.

⏳ Step 2: Let It Sit

Once mixed, I loosely covered the jar and left it at room temperature for a few hours to overnight. By morning, the flakes were fully softened and the mixture had a thick, paste-like texture. No bubbles yet—just patience.

🌾 Step 3: First Feeding

Next, I gave it its first meal. I added 15g of all-purpose flour and another 15g of filtered water, mixing it into a thicker paste. I scraped down the sides and marked the jar so I could see if it started to rise.

Again, I left it at room temperature for 24 hours. Still no rise, but that’s normal. The yeast needs time to wake up and rebuild its strength.

🥄 Step 4: Feed Daily

Over the next 3 to 5 days, I kept up the feedings—always discarding about half before adding equal parts flour and water by weight. Slowly but surely, I started to see signs of life: a few bubbles, a light tangy aroma, and eventually a gentle rise.

I used a rubber band around the jar to track its growth, and I celebrated the day it finally doubled within 6-8 hours after feeding. That’s when I knew: it was officially active again!

🍞 Ready to Bake

By day 6, my starter was bubbly, fragrant, and ready for duty. I gave it one more feeding, let it peak, and then used it in a batch of my favorite cinnamon roll dough. The results? Fluffy, golden, with that perfect sourdough depth I missed so much.

I tucked the rest into the fridge for regular maintenance (weekly feedings!) and felt a quiet satisfaction knowing that something I pressed pause on months ago was back in full swing.

Final Thoughts

Rehydrating a sourdough starter felt a little like rekindling an old friendship. It takes a few days of nurturing and attention, but it’s well worth it. If you’ve got a dehydrated starter tucked away, don’t be intimidated. Just take it slow, feed it well, and trust the process. Sourdough always finds a way.

Happy baking 💛