Sourdough Starter Troubleshooting

Welcome to Sourdough Starter Troubleshooting! Here, you will find beginner-friendly tips and tricks for tackling common starter problems, from sluggish, weak, and acidic starters, or runny starters, to mold, kahm yeast, and starters that aren't rising or doubling.

We also cover how to revive an old sourdough starter and get it bubbly, strong, and ready for baking.

Not sure which problem you have? Start with my complete guide to sourdough starter problems, which walks through every symptom and its fix in order.

Diagnose your starter by symptom

• Not rising or doubling: usually a weak culture. See how to strengthen your starter.
• Smells sharp, acidic, or boozy: a hungry starter. See the acidic starter guide.
• Liquid on top: that is hooch, and it is fixable. See the hooch guide.
• Runny or too thin: see the runny starter guide.
• White or grey film: likely kahm yeast, not mold. See the kahm yeast guide.
• Fuzzy spots or anything colorful: see the mold guide and how to tell if your starter is bad.
• Neglected for weeks or months: it can almost always come back. See how to revive your starter.
• Starter looks fine, but the bread keeps failing? The problem may be downstream. Head to my bread troubleshooting guides.

Almost every starter problem traces back to feeding, warmth, or time. My free Troubleshooting Cheat Sheet pairs each symptom with its fix on one page. Grab it below.

One page, 15 common sourdough problems, and the exact fix for each.

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FREE Sourdough Troubleshooting Cheat Sheet

Browse the guides below to get your starter bubbly and strong again.