How to Use KNEVA ANYTIME Sourdough Starter

Activate today. Bake tomorrow.

KNEVA ANYTIME is a freeze-dried sourdough culture developed from naturally fermented organic raisins.

Each pouch contains two individually sealed 50 g sachets, and each sachet makes one bake.

Simply add water, activate for about 24 hours, then use the whole activated culture in your dough.

No repeated feeding. No discard. No starter maintenance.

What's in the pouch

• 2 × 50 g sachets
• One sachet = one bake
• Freeze-dried sourdough culture developed from organic raisins
• Allergen: Contains wheat (gluten)

Keep the second sachet sealed until your next bake.

Before you start

You'll need:

• 1 clean jar or bowl
• 50 mL lukewarm water
• 1 spoon

The water should feel comfortably lukewarm, never hot.

Use a clean container and utensils to give your living culture the best start.

Activate your ANYTIME culture

1. MIX — 0 HOURS

Empty ONE sachet into a clean jar or bowl.

Add:

50 mL lukewarm water

Mix thoroughly until no dry lumps remain.

Cover loosely.

2. STIR — AFTER 1 HOUR

After 1 hour, stir the culture thoroughly again, including the sides and bottom.

Cover loosely and continue activating at room temperature.

Do not add more flour or water.

3. STIR AGAIN — AROUND 12 HOURS

At around 12 hours, stir the culture well again.

Cover loosely and continue activating.

There is still nothing to feed and nothing to discard.

4. CHECK — FROM AROUND 24 HOURS

From around 24 hours, your ANYTIME culture should be ready to use.

Look for:

✓ Bubbles throughout the mixture
✓ Visible fermentation activity
✓ A lighter, aerated texture
✓ A pleasant fruity, fermented aroma

It does not need to double.

Natural fermentation isn't an exact timer.

A few extra hours after 24 hours is fine.

Judge the culture by its bubbles, activity and aroma rather than expecting it to look exactly the same every time.

Ready to bake?

Use the entire activated culture in your dough.

ONE SACHET = ONE BAKE

For your first ANYTIME bake, we recommend following the KNEVA-tested recipe below.

KNEVA Tested First Loaf

We've tested ANYTIME with this simple formula:

Ingredients

1 fully activated ANYTIME sachet
400 g bread flour
240 mL water
8 g salt

No commercial baker's yeast is required for this recipe.

Important: The fermentation timing below is based on this specific KNEVA-tested formula. Different flour quantities, hydration levels, salt levels and room temperatures can change fermentation time.

Make your dough

Add the entire activated ANYTIME culture to:

• 400 g bread flour
• 240 mL water
• 8 g salt

Mix until no dry flour remains.

Allow the dough to rest, then perform your preferred stretch-and-fold method.

After that, leave the dough to bulk ferment.

Bulk fermentation

In our testing with the KNEVA recipe above, the dough typically requires approximately:

5–6 HOURS

But do not wait for an exact number on the clock.

Your dough may be ready sooner or later depending on temperature, flour and culture activity.

The dough decides when bulk fermentation is finished.

How do I know when it's ready to shape?

Your dough is ready when:

✓ It has increased approximately 50–75% in volume

✓ It looks puffy and aerated

✓ You can see bubbles at or beneath the surface

✓ It has a gentle jiggle when the bowl is moved

✓ It still has strength and holds its structure

It does not need to double.

If all these signs appear at 5 hours, shape it at 5 hours.

Don't wait until 6 hours simply because the guide says 5–6 hours.

Likewise, if the dough isn't showing these signs yet, give it more time.

Watch the dough, not just the clock.

Shape & final proof

Gently shape your dough and place it in a floured banneton, lined bowl, loaf tin or suitable baking vessel.

Allow the shaped dough to proof until it becomes slightly fuller, puffy and relaxed.

It does not need to double.

As a starting guide, final proof may take approximately:

30–90 MINUTES

Again, temperature and dough condition matter more than the clock.

When the dough looks properly proofed, score and bake according to your preferred sourdough method.

A simple ANYTIME schedule

Here's an example of how ANYTIME can fit into your day.

DAY 1 — ACTIVATE

8 AM — MIX

Empty one ANYTIME sachet into a clean jar.

Add 50 mL lukewarm water.

Mix thoroughly and cover loosely.

9 AM — STIR

Stir thoroughly again.

Cover loosely.

Around 8 PM — STIR AGAIN

Stir thoroughly and cover loosely.

DAY 2 — BAKE

From around 8 AM — CHECK

Your culture should now be bubbly, visibly active and pleasantly fruity in aroma.

If it needs a little longer, that's fine.

MIX YOUR DOUGH

Add the entire activated culture to:

400 g bread flour + 240 mL water + 8 g salt

BULK FERMENT

Allow approximately 5–6 hours using the KNEVA-tested recipe.

Most of this time is completely hands-off.

When the dough is approximately 50–75% larger, puffy, aerated, bubbly and still holding its structure:

SHAPE

Then allow the dough to final proof.

SCORE & BAKE

You don't need to follow these exact clock times.

Remember the rhythm:

MIX → 1 H STIR → ~12 H STIR → ~24 H READY → MAKE DOUGH → ~5–6 H BULK → SHAPE → PROOF → BAKE

Real sourdough takes time. Not work.

ANYTIME isn't designed to make natural sourdough behave like instant-yeast bread.

It's designed to remove the starter maintenance from real sourdough baking.

Most of the process is simply your culture and dough fermenting while you get on with your day.

No repeated feeding.

No discard.

No starter maintenance.

Culture ready, but you're not ready to bake?

No problem.

If your ANYTIME culture is active but your plans change, cover it and refrigerate it to slow fermentation.

If you're baking soon, use it as soon as practical.

Waiting several days?

ANYTIME is a living culture.

If you want to keep an activated culture for several days or longer, it will need to be treated more like a conventional sourdough starter and may require feeding.

Follow our storage & feeding guide if you decide to keep it longer.

The standard ANYTIME method remains:

Activate → use the whole culture → nothing to maintain.

Your second sachet

Keep the second sachet sealed.

Store it in a cool, dry place away from heat and moisture until your next bake.

No refrigeration is required for an unopened sachet.

When you want to bake again, simply repeat the activation process with the second sachet.

ANYTIME or KNEVA Original?

Both are living KNEVA sourdough cultures, but they're designed for different ways of baking.

KNEVA ANYTIME

For people who want to bake sourdough without maintaining a starter between bakes.

Activate → bake → finished.

No repeated feeding.
No discard.
Nothing to keep alive between bakes.

KNEVA Original

For people who want their own permanent living sourdough starter.

Activate it, feed it and maintain it for future bakes.

If you enjoy the ritual of maintaining a sourdough culture, choose Original.

If you'd rather activate a culture only when you want to bake, choose ANYTIME.

Troubleshooting

It's around 24 hours and my culture isn't very large

Don't judge ANYTIME by height alone.

Look for:

• Bubbles throughout the culture
• An aerated texture
• Visible fermentation activity
• A pleasant fruity, fermented aroma

It does not need to double.

If activity still seems weak, give it additional time at normal room temperature and check again later.

It's been more than 24 hours. Is that a problem?

Not necessarily.

A few extra hours is fine.

Natural cultures don't operate according to an exact timer.

If your culture is bubbly, active and smells pleasantly fermented, it can still be ready even if you're a few hours beyond the 24-hour guide.

My kitchen is cool

Cooler temperatures slow fermentation.

Simply allow more time.

Avoid trying to accelerate the culture with hot water or excessive heat.

Use lukewarm water and allow the culture to work naturally.

My culture is ready but I can't bake yet

Cover it and place it in the refrigerator to slow fermentation.

If you're baking soon, use it as soon as practical.

If you intend to keep it for several days, follow our longer-term storage and feeding guide.

My dough isn't ready after 5–6 hours

That's okay.

The 5–6 hour guidance is based on our tested recipe using 400 g bread flour, 240 mL water and 8 g salt.

Natural fermentation can still vary.

Give the dough more time if necessary.

Look for:

Puffy + aerated + bubbly + visibly larger + still holding strength

rather than relying only on the clock.

My dough is ready before 5 hours

That's okay too.

If the dough has increased approximately 50–75%, looks puffy and aerated, shows bubbles and still has good strength:

Shape it.

Don't deliberately extend fermentation simply to reach 5 or 6 hours.

My dough hasn't doubled. Is something wrong?

Not necessarily.

Your dough does not need to double before shaping.

Once it has increased roughly 50–75% and shows the other fermentation signs, it may be ready.

My culture smells very sour or alcoholic

Fermentation aromas can become stronger as the culture matures.

If you're uncertain about the appearance or smell of your culture, don't taste it to check.

Send us a photo through WhatsApp and we'll help you assess it.

A clear or brownish liquid has appeared

Some liquid separation can occur during fermentation.

If the culture otherwise looks and smells normal, stir it back in and continue.

There's a dry or darker layer on the surface

The exposed surface can occasionally dry slightly during activation.

Stir the culture thoroughly during the scheduled stirring steps and keep it loosely covered.

If you see unusual coloured or fuzzy growth, do not use it.

I see pink, orange or fuzzy growth

DO NOT USE THE CULTURE.

Discard it.

Clean your container and utensils thoroughly and start again with a fresh sachet.

Do not taste a culture showing unusual coloured or fuzzy growth.

It bubbled, but my bread didn't rise

If your culture was clearly active, your dough may simply need more fermentation time.

Dough fermentation depends on:

• Room temperature
• Flour
• Hydration
• Dough size
• Starter activity

Give the dough more time and watch for the readiness signs rather than relying only on the clock.

For your first bake, we recommend using the KNEVA-tested 400 g flour recipe above.

Can I use half a sachet?

We recommend using the whole sachet.

Each 50 g sachet is formulated as one complete activation batch and one bake.

There is nothing to weigh or divide.

Once opened, use the entire sachet.

Storage

Store unopened ANYTIME sachets in a cool, dry place away from heat and moisture.

No refrigeration is required while sealed.

Once a sachet is opened, activate and use the complete sachet.

Shelf life: 6 months from pack date.

See the Best Before date printed on your pouch.

Common questions

Does ANYTIME need to go in the fridge?

Before activation: No.

Keep sealed sachets cool and dry, away from heat and moisture.

After activation: Only if needed.

If your culture is ready but you're not ready to bake, refrigeration can slow fermentation until you're able to use it.

For longer storage, the living culture may need feeding.

Do I have to feed ANYTIME?

Not for the standard one-bake method.

During activation:

Mix → stir after 1 hour → stir again around 12 hours → use from around 24 hours.

You don't add additional flour or water during activation.

There is no repeated feeding and no discard.

Does ANYTIME need to double?

No.

Bubbles, visible activity, an aerated texture and aroma are more useful indicators than an exact increase in volume.

Can I keep it as a permanent starter?

You can maintain an activated living culture through regular feeding if you choose.

However, ANYTIME is specifically designed as a complete one-bake culture.

If you want a starter that you deliberately maintain long-term, KNEVA Original is the better product.

How long can I keep unopened sachets?

6 months from the pack date.

Keep them sealed in a cool, dry place away from heat and moisture.

Check the Best Before date printed on the pouch.

Can I use ANYTIME in another sourdough recipe?

Yes, but fermentation behaviour and timing will change.

The 5–6 hour bulk-fermentation guidance on this page applies specifically to our tested recipe:

1 activated ANYTIME sachet + 400 g bread flour + 240 mL water + 8 g salt.

If you use a different flour quantity, hydration or salt level, follow your recipe and judge fermentation by the dough rather than using our timing as a fixed rule.

For your first ANYTIME bake, we strongly recommend using the KNEVA-tested recipe.

How much flour can I use?

ANYTIME can be used with different recipes, but for the most predictable first experience we recommend:

400 g bread flour

with:

240 mL water + 8 g salt + the entire activated ANYTIME culture.

Once you're familiar with the culture, you can adapt it to your preferred sourdough recipe.

Where is ANYTIME made?

Cultured and packed in Singapore.

Still stuck?

Your first bake shouldn't be guesswork.

If you're unsure whether your culture or dough is ready, send us a photo through WhatsApp.

Tell us:

• How long the culture has been activating
• How long the dough has been fermenting
• Approximately how warm your kitchen is
• What you're seeing

We'll help you determine the next step.

KNEVA — MAKE REAL FOOD.