Starter Won'tRise.

You feed the starter and nothing happens. Hours later: the same flat, quiet jar. No bubbles, no dome, no activity. It looks dead.

Watch: Starter Won't Rise
sourdough fixes

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1. most common

   Too cold

   Wild yeast is sluggish below 70°F and essentially dormant below 60°F. If your kitchen is cold — especially in winter — the starter can take 12+ hours to show activity, which looks like failure even when it isn't. The fix is location, not flour.
2. common

   Chlorinated water

   Municipal tap water in many cities contains enough chlorine to inhibit yeast and bacteria. Not always — some tap water is fine — but it's a common quiet killer that's easy to eliminate by switching to filtered water.
3. common

   Bleached all-purpose flour

   Bleached flour has fewer wild yeast spores than unbleached flour. Starting a new starter with bleached AP often results in very slow establishment. Whole wheat or rye flour as a small percentage dramatically accelerates new starter development.
4. common

   Starter is too new

   A new starter typically takes 1–2 weeks of consistent daily feedings to establish a stable colony. What looks like failure at day 4 is often just impatience. The culture is establishing — it just isn't obvious yet.
5. occasional

   Feed ratio is off

   If you're keeping a very large starter and feeding it a small amount of flour, the yeast has too little food. A 1:1:1 ratio (starter:flour:water by weight) is the baseline. Try 1:5:5 to give the yeast more room to grow.
6. rare

   Cross-contamination

   Soap residue in the jar, residue from other ferments, or contact with cleaning chemicals can kill yeast. When in doubt, move to a fresh clean jar and start the feed again.

1. Find a warmer spot

   The top of the refrigerator, inside an oven with just the light on, or near (not on) a warm appliance. Aim for 75–80°F. A consistent warm environment is more important than anything else.
2. Switch to filtered water

   Use filtered water or leave tap water out overnight to let chlorine dissipate. Eliminate this variable immediately.
3. Add a small amount of whole wheat or rye

   Replace 20% of your feeding flour with whole wheat or whole rye. These carry more wild yeast spores and significantly accelerate activity.
4. Be patient — keep feeding daily

   Feed once or twice a day regardless of visible activity. Consistency matters more than any intervention. A struggling starter usually turns a corner between days 7 and 14.

1. Establish a consistent schedule

   Feed at the same time every day. The microbiome responds to rhythm — a regular feeding schedule produces a more reliable, predictable starter.
2. Try the float test before baking

   Drop a small spoonful of starter into water. If it floats, it has enough gas to leaven bread. Don't bake with a starter that sinks — the bread won't rise.
3. Keep a smaller starter

   A 50g starter is easier to manage and more responsive than a large one. Less discard, more control, faster recovery.