Is my sourdough starter dead?

I often have people tell me, “I killed my sourdough starter.” Or they ask me, “Is my starter dead?”

What happens if you don’t feed your starter?

A sourdough starter needs to be refreshed (by discarding and feeding) on a regular basis. Without this regular maintenance, the microorganisms in the starter begin to starve and are overwhelmed by their waste byproducts.

A sourdough starter can also become unhealthy when fed repeatedly without discarding the bulk of former batches, which is a common mistake I’ve seen beginning sourdough bakers make.

Review how to care for your sourdough starter in this post.

Signs of a Healthy Sourdough Starter

• A healthy starter will become active within the expected timeframe (6-12 hours typically).
• It will smell pleasant like ripe fruit when active or a sour but not unpleasant smell when it is discard.
• It should be bubbly.
• There should be no signs of mold or off smells.

Learn more about sourdough starters in these posts:

• What is a sourdough starter?
• How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)

Signs of an Unhealthy Sourdough Starter

Here are indicators of an unhealthy starter that needs some extra care to revive it that I’ll describe in the next section.

• Has a layer of clear alcohol (called “hooch”) on top of the starter.
• Smells like nail polish remover.
• Is sluggish and not rising well or at all.
• See section on When do you need to throw out your starter? for indications that your starter needs to be replaced

Get more sourdough starter help

My free Quick Start Sourdough Guide covers starter care, stages, the science, a weekly care schedule, and how to bake great sourdough bread.

Knowing how to care for your sourdough starter properly is the difference between a thriving starter and a dying starter.

How to Revive a Sourdough Starter that seems dead:

You will need at least two jars or clean containers, water, all-purpose or bread flour, and a spoon. To revive the neglected sourdough starter, you will refresh it 3 times up to 5 times until the activity is back to what a healthy sourdough starter’s activity is like: doubles in volume in 6-12 hours, large bubbles, ripe fruit/slight sour smell during active period, a tablespoon floats on water. (To find out more about sourdough starters, you can visit this page: What is a Sourdough Starter?)

1st Refresh 

1. Get out a new jar or clean container.
2. Use a spoon to scoop out a teaspoon to tablespoon amount of the old neglected sourdough starter and place in the new jar. (The old neglected sourdough starter can be thrown away.)
3. Add 60g (1/4 c.) room temperature water to the jar with the teaspoon or tablespoon of old sourdough starter. Then add 60 g (7 T.) all-purpose or bread flour.
4. Mix well until there is no dry flour left.
5. Place top loosely on top of the jar then let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
6. After 24 hours you should see some activity–ideally it should be about doubled in volume with lots of bubbles.

2nd Refresh 

1. Get a new jar (or clean container). And add a tablespoon amount of the sourdough starter.
2. To the new jar add 60g (1/4 c.) room temperature water and 60 g (7 T.) all-purpose or bread flour.
3. Stir the tablespoon of sourdough starter, water, and flour together. Mix well until there is no dry flour left.
4. Place top loosely on top of the jar then let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

3rd Refresh

1. Get a new jar (or clean container). And add a tablespoon amount of the sourdough starter.
2. To the new jar add 60g (1/4 c.) room temperature water and 60 g (7 T.) all-purpose or bread flour.
3. Stir the tablespoon of sourdough starter, water, and flour together. Mix well until there is no dry flour left.
4. Place top loosely on top of the jar then let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. *

* Notes: If your sourdough starter is back to a healthy activity level, then I would advise trying to use it after 8-10 hours during the active period rather than waiting 24 hours. However, if it is showing signs of activity but not vigorous yet–it’s not bubbling very much or the rising in volume is still taking longer, wait the full 24 hours then do repeat the refreshing process two more times.

How to tell if your sourdough starter is dead?

There are a few circumstances that would make me get rid of my starter.

First, I would say throw away my starter if it was seriously contaminated in some way by broken glass or an active mold problem.

Second, if it was no longer rising or becoming active, after repeated care, I would get a new one.

When do you need to throw out your starter?

Here are some general notes about when I’d advise getting a new starter:

• You dropped your jar of sourdough and there is not glass shards mixed in with the starter.
• The starter has developed a pink hue or other mold.
• Even after 5 refreshing periods the starter isn’t bubbling or showing signs of activity.
• If the starter smells rotten. A neglected starter that’s still viable will have a layer of alcohol on top (sometimes called “hooch”) that smells strong like acetone but not rotten.
• If mold is growing. However, if getting a new sourdough starter is too difficult or it’s a survival situation, I have experimented with taking off the top layer of moldy sourdough starter then used a fresh utensil to take a core sample from the old sourdough starter to refresh and bring it back to life. Personally, I wouldn’t do this unless it was a desperate circumstance since I know people in the area who can give me a spoonful of healthy sourdough starter.

How do you get a new sourdough starter?

To get a new starter, you can get some starter from a friend, purchase one (See some options for purchasing here), or make a fresh sourdough starter.

To make a new sourdough starter in 7-10 days, get my free guide to make a starter here: How to Make a Sourdough Starter Free Guide

Have you experienced this?

Sourdough starters are truly amazing and resilient! Have you ever thought your starter was dead or successfully brought one back to life? I’d love to hear your story in the comments or you can send me an email. Or do you have follow up questions? I’d love to answer them!

Also, if you haven’t attempted sourdough yet or still feel confused on how to use it, I’ve created user friendly sourdough courses and resources that have helped hundreds of new sourdough bakers here: Intro. to Sourdough online course

Just getting started with sourdough?

A competent guide transforms sourdough baking from overwhelming to uncomplicated and fun!

Get My Free Quick Start Sourdough Guide: Learn the key terms and concepts in sourdough baking, including the differences between active sourdough starter and sourdough discard, and how to care for your starter.

Time Planning Help for Sourdough Baking

The #1 need for sourdough bakers is help with time planning, so I created a resource for you.

Sourdough Time Planning Workbook: Perfect for new or experienced bakers, this workbook includes 8 templates ready to fill in and a baking journal. The templates cover 4 different ways to make classic sourdough country breads, 3 time planning worksheets for enriched sourdough bread depending on serving time target, and a blank template. The baking journal goes over baker’s percentages and how to take notes on your sourdough bakes.

Get a free sample of the workbook: Use this sourdough time planning worksheet sample to simplify your baking.

Living Bread Baker posts mentioned

What is a sourdough starter?

How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)

When is your dough fermented?

How to use sourdough discard

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Intro. to Sourdough online course

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