Your Kneva dry sourdough starter is alive — it's just sleeping. Dried at peak activity and packed with wild yeast and bacteria, it only needs a little warmth, water, and flour to wake back up. Follow these three simple steps and you'll have a bubbly, active starter ready to bake with in just 1–2 days.
Step 1: The First Hydration
Combine 10 g of your Kneva dry starter with 25 g of lukewarm water (28–32°C / 82–90°F) in a clean jar. Stir well to dissolve the dry granules completely. Leave it uncovered or loosely covered for 15 minutes to let the flakes absorb the water and soften.
After the 15-minute rest, add 10 g of flour (all-purpose or bread flour both work well but must be unbleached) and mix thoroughly into a smooth, runny batter. Cover loosely with a lid, and place the jar somewhere warm — the top of your fridge, near a warm oven, or any spot around room temperature (24–27°C / 75–80°F).
Step 2: The First Feed (12–24 Hours Later)
Within 12–24 hours you should start to see bubbles forming — a sign the wild yeast is waking up. The aroma may be tangy or slightly funky at first; that's completely normal. Tip: use a clear jar and mark the starting level with tape so you can see changes through the side.
Once you see bubbles, it's time to feed (do this within a few hours of seeing them — don't let it peak and collapse):
- Discard half of the mixture.
- Add 10 g of flour and 10 g of water.
- Mix well, cover loosely, and rest it in a warm spot again.
If you don't see any bubbles after 24 hours, give it another 12 hours somewhere warmer — some starters take a little longer to fully rehydrate.
A bubbly, sour-smelling starter is healthy. Only discard and restart if you see fuzzy or coloured (pink/orange) spots.
Step 3: The Final Feed — Time to Bake
Within 1–2 days of the first feed, your starter should be bubbly and noticeably risen (often roughly doubling). This means your wild yeast is active, strong, and ready.
Give it one final feed to build strength and volume:
- Add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water.
- Mix well, cover loosely, and let it rise in a warm spot (typically 4–8 hours).
How to know it's ready: it should be bubbly, risen, and pass the float test — drop a small spoonful into water; if it floats, it's ready to bake. Use it at its peak, when it's domed and just beginning to plateau, for the best rise and flavour in your bread.
Tips for Success
- Temperature matters. A warm environment (24–27°C / 75–80°F) speeds up fermentation. A cold kitchen will slow things down — just be patient.
- Use a clear jar. Being able to see the sides makes it easy to track when your starter has doubled.
- Mark your jar. Place a rubber band or a piece of tape at the level of your starter after each feed so you can easily see how much it has risen.
- Don't rush it. The starter has been dormant — let it come back to life at its own pace. Rushing with extra feedings before it's ready can dilute the yeast activity.
- Sanitize your equipment. Before you begin, sanitize the jar, spoon, and any other equipment you use by washing them with soap and then rinsing with hot water. This removes unwanted bacteria so your wild yeast can thrive.
Storing Your Starter Going Forward
Once active, you can keep your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week to maintain it. When you're ready to bake, simply take it out, feed it, and let it come to room temperature and double before using.
Happy baking from the Kneva team — we can't wait to see what you create!
Troubleshooting
No bubbles after 24 hours
Cause: Kitchen too cool (under 24°C, common with aircon), water too cold, or jar sealed too tight. Fix: Move the jar to the warmest spot in your home — top of the fridge, near a sunny window, or inside the oven with only the light on. Make sure the lid is loose (not screwed shut). Wait another 12–24 hours. Still nothing? Chat us with your batch code.
It's bubbly but never "doubled"
Cause: In tropical climates the rise/fall cycle happens fast — your starter peaked and fell back down between checks. This is normal, not failure. Fix: Use the float test instead. Drop a teaspoon of starter into room-temperature water. If it floats, it's ready to bake. Visible doubling is unreliable in our heat.
Strong vinegar / acetone / alcohol smell
Cause: The lactic-acid side has run ahead of the yeast — totally fixable, not spoiled. Fix: Discard half (or move it to a backup jar). Feed normally with 10 g flour + 10 g water. Repeat once more in 6–8 hours. The smell will mellow back to fresh-bread within 1–2 feeds.
Liquid layer on top (hooch)
Cause: Your starter is hungry — alcohol byproduct rising to the surface. Common after missed feeds or fridge storage. Fix: Pour off the brown/grey liquid (or stir it in for tangier flavour), then feed normally. Should bounce back within one feed.
Float test fails after 2–3 feeds
Cause: Underfed, underactive, or kitchen too cool. Fix: Switch to bread flour (stronger gluten holds gas longer), feed at a 1:2:2 ratio (e.g., 10 g starter + 20 g flour + 20 g water), and keep at 26–30°C. Most starters recover within 2 feeds at warm temperature.
Missed a feeding by 1–3 days
Cause: Life happens. Your starter is hungry but rarely dead. Fix: It probably looks flat, smells sharp, and has hooch on top. Pour off the hooch, feed normally with 10 g flour + 10 g water, and give it 6–12 hours. If still no activity after 3 feeds, rehydrate fresh from your pouch (you have a backup dose).
Pink, orange, or fuzzy mould
Cause: Jar wasn't clean enough, or lid was sealed too tight (no airflow). Fix: Don't try to scrape it off. Discard the entire jar, sterilise a fresh jar, and rehydrate fresh from your pouch (your 20 g pouch covers 2 attempts). Use a clean spoon every time. Keep the lid loose.
Starter floats but bread didn't rise
Cause: Your starter is fine — this is a dough problem, not a starter problem. Fix: Check three things: (1) bulk fermentation time — likely too short or too long, (2) shaping tightness — loose shaping = pancake loaves, (3) Dutch oven preheat — under 240°C kills oven spring. Float test = healthy starter, but dough technique still matters. See our bread guide via QR code.