LoafTime

How to dry sourdough starter: a backup that keeps

Spread a spoonful of active starter paper-thin on baking paper and leave it on the counter until it is completely dry and snaps — usually one to three days. Break it into flakes and keep them in a sealed jar somewhere cool and dark. They keep for months.
Save to Pinterest
Your last feed
Kitchen temperature
°F

Ready in 3½–6½ hours

Open the sourdough starter feeding calculator

Step by step

1

Use it at its peak

Dry a starter that has just doubled after a feed — it has the most life in it.
2

Spread it thin

As thin as you can on baking paper or a silicone mat. Thin dries fast and evenly.
3

Let it dry completely

On the counter, out of the sun, until it cracks and snaps — one to three days.
4

Flake and seal

Crumble it, put the flakes in a clean dry jar with a label and the date, and keep it cool and dark.
5

To bring it back

Soak a spoonful of flakes in a little water, add flour to a thick batter, then feed it 1:1:1 daily. Most wake within three to five days.

Why

Drying puts the yeast and bacteria to sleep without killing them. Kept dry, they wait; with water and flour they wake up and multiply again.

Questions

How long does dried starter keep?

Many months in a sealed jar kept cool and dry — longer in the freezer.

Can I dry it in the oven?

Only with the oven off (the light on at most). Heat kills the yeast.

My revived starter smells strange

Normal for the first days. Keep feeding; only mold means throw it away, jar and all.
How to store your starter for a while

More guides

How to store sourdough starter in the fridge (and revive it)
Sourdough starter smells like acetone? It is just hungry
Rye sourdough starter: the fastest to get going
All sourdough guides
Get the LoafTime app for reminders
It remembers your starter, plans every bake around your day and reminds you at each step — no alarms at 3 am. Coming to the iPhone App Store before Christmas.
Get the app the day it launches
One email when the iPhone app is on the App Store, then a short baking tip now and then.
Your email
No spam, and never shared. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe.