Bringing Your Starter Back to Life: A Gentle Guide to Rehydrating Your Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

There’s something timeless about sourdough — the way it connects us to slow traditions, seasonal rhythms, and the wild yeast floating in the air around us. At Willow House Goods, I’ve preserved a bit of that magic in every packet of dehydrated sourdough starter. And now it’s your turn to wake it up.

This guide expands on the rehydration card included in your kit, giving you a bit more background and context so you can feel confident every step of the way.

Rehydrating Starter FAQs
A glass jar, a rubber band, a checked fabric cloth, a packet of ground coffee labeled "Douwe Egberts," and a brown speckled cutting board on a light-colored surface.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Day 1: Waking up your starter

  • In a clean pint-size jar, add:

    • 10g dehydrated starter (half the packet)

      • Each pouch of starter comes with 20 grams of starter. Some to use now, and some to save as back up if you ever need it!

    • 20g filtered or spring water (~80°F)

  • Let sit for 10 minutes

  • Add 20g flour (same type as your starter kit)

  • Stir well

  • Cover loosely (not airtight)

  • Use a rubber band to mark the starter's level

  • Let sit at room temp (70–75°F) for 24 hours

Kitchen counter with a black gooseneck kettle on a hot plate, an empty glass, a recipe card, a small black stove top, a wooden spoon, a checkered cloth, and a jar of flour.
Black gooseneck kettle on a black tray on a white countertop in a kitchen.
Close-up of a black electric kettle on a black square base, with a digital temperature display showing 79°F and a 196°F indicator, on a light-colored wooden surface.
Person holding a brown paper package labeled 'Organic Cucumber Strawberry' in front of a kitchen counter with a jar of flour, a glass, and a black kettle.
A kitchen countertop has a digital scale with a glass cup containing grains, a jar filled with a white powder, and a black electric kettle. There is also a wooden container on the wall and some papers.
A glass jar with a wooden lid containing a powdered substance, a small empty glass container, and a black electric kettle on a white countertop in a kitchen.
A person is using a digital scale to measure flour or a similar powdered ingredient in a glass container on a white kitchen countertop. A black teaspoon, a jar, and a black kettle are also on the counter.
Empty glass jar with a plaid cloth cover, surrounded by baking ingredients and utensils on a countertop.
A person holding a glass jar with dough or batter inside, viewed from above.

Day 2: First Feed

  • Look for bubbles — a good sign, but no stress if not yet!

  • Add:

    • 50g flour

    • 50g water (~80°F)

  • Stir well

  • Cover loosely and let rest at room temp for another 24 hours

A glass jar with a cloth cover containing a sourdough starter placed on a table, with instructions for making sourdough starter printed on paper nearby and a window in the background.
A glass jar with a checked fabric cover on top, placed on a light-colored surface.
Glass of water and a jar of flour on a marble countertop with a bread cloth and a blender in the background.
A glass containing a white, foamy liquid on a digital kitchen scale on a marble countertop, with a jar of flour and a paper towel roll in the background.
A spoon being used to scoop ice cream from a glass bowl on a kitchen countertop, with a jar of sugar and a coffee machine in the background.
A glass with a frothy drink and a metal pour-over kettle on a electric stand, on a white marble countertop.

Right after feeding

Looking for thick pancake consistency when feeding.

A glass jar with a fabric cover secured by a rubber band, filled with a creamy substance topped with snow or ice, sitting on a kitchen countertop.
Empty glass jar with some remnants of a creamy substance inside, placed next to a beige checked fabric cover on a countertop.

5 hours after feeding

  • Some volume increase as you can see based the rubber band marker.

  • Some signs of bubbles at the surface.

A glass jar with a fabric cover on the lid, containing a creamy, foamy substance, placed on a white marble surface.
Inside a glass measuring cup with a thick, beige, frothy batter or mixture. A brown checkered cloth can be seen at the top, slightly out of focus.

Day 3: Keep it going

  • Discard about half the starter (around 75g, doesn’t have to be exact)

  • Add:

    • 75g flour

    • 75g water (~80°F)

  • Stir until the flour, water, and starter is completely combined. Remember to scrape off the edges as best you can so you can see where the starter volume is at. This will help you be able to track it’s growth progress.

  • Cover

  • Let sit 24 hours again!

A collection of coffee-making items on a marble surface, including an electric kettle, a package of coffee grounds, a digital scale, a wooden stirring stick, a jar of honey, and a cloth-covered container.
A hand holding a glass of creamy, light-colored beverage against a plain gray background.
A jar of cream with a wooden lid, a small jar of whipped cream with a checked fabric cover, and an electric kettle on a black tray on a white marble countertop.
A glass of cream sitting on a marble countertop, with a pot and a container of flour in the background.
A glass on a digital scale with a frothy beverage inside, placed on a marble countertop. In the background, there is a black electric kettle and a stovetop.
A glass of iced coffee or latte on a digital scale in a kitchen setting, with a black kettle and a small bottle in the background.
A glass with a whipped, frothy beverage on a white marble countertop, with a gooseneck kettle on a black tray in the background.

Day 4 and beyond: Watch it grow

  • Repeat Day 3’s steps every 24 hours

  • Continue until your starter is:

    • Bubbly

    • Has a slightly tangy smell

    • Doubles in size in 6–8 hours

  • Once it reaches this point, your starter is active and ready to bake!

A glass jar with a beige cloth cover secured by a rubber band, containing a seeded mixture in water on a kitchen countertop near a window.
A ceramic pot with a beige checkered cloth covering the top.
A hand holding a transparent glass filled with a frothy, beige-colored beverage against a plain, neutral background.
A kitchen countertop with a digital scale, a white bowl, a jar of flour, a black pour-over coffee maker, and a small bowl of milk.
A glass of whipped cream on a digital scale with a jar of more whipped cream and a milk frother in the background.
A glass of whipped cream on a digital scale displaying 8.0 oz, with a French press in the background on a kitchen countertop.
A glass of milk on a black digital kitchen scale showing weight, with a blender and a jar in the background on a kitchen counter.
Hand holding a cookie over a glass jar of milk on a kitchen countertop, with a coffee pour-over kettle in the background.
A glass of milk on a marble countertop with a jar of milk and an electric kettle in the background.

Ongoing Maintainance

  • Maintain 25g starter by feeding:

    • 50g flour

    • 50g water

  • This keeps a neat 1:2:2 ratio and gives you 100g of starter—just right for most recipes, with no waste!

A glass container filled with a frothy, creamy beige beverage, placed on a wooden cutting board on a kitchen window sill.
READ MORE ABOUT MAINTAINING YOUR STARTER
ARTISAN LOAF RECIPE & METHOD

I want to note that in these photos and videos, I’m rehydrating an organic bread flour sourdough starter. Other starters/flours will look and act slightly different, but the same method applies to all.

Heads up! A few links are affiliate links, which means I earn a tiny commission if you shop through them.
No extra cost to you, just a way to keep the lights on and my sourdough happy.

Rehydrating
Starter
FAQs

  • A mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria from the environment to naturally leaven bread.

  • Make sure it matches the type of starter you received:

  • That's the great part about dehydrated starter vs. starting one from scratch– dehydrated, once already established starter gives you a big jump start in your timeline. Although everyone's experience is different and there are many different factors in play, getting a fully bubbly, active starter that's ready to use for a loaf should take you about 4-8 days.

  • Only if it’s free from chlorine or chloramine. Filtered or spring water is best.

  • It could be too cold, underfed, or using bleached flour or chlorinated water.

  • Tangy, yeasty, slightly fruity or vinegary—but never rotten, moldy, or foul.

  • It should double in size within 6-8 hours of feeding, smell pleasantly sour, and pass the “float test” (a small spoonful floats in water).

  • Well, you 100% WILL. Hopefully, I can pass along more or my experience and tips with you through my website, Instagram, Facebook, and instruction sheets I sell. I’ve started a Facebook community for people to ask and answer questions, as well as share their journey and experiences baking sourdough! Join HERE