If you’re here and reading this, you’ve either purchased some of my dehydrated sourdough starter (THANK YOU), or you’ve somehow gotten your hands on some dehydrated sourdough. Regardless, you’re in for a treat. The sourdough journey has been a fun one, and I’ve made so many yummies with mine.
I’ll start by saying, this is not a quick process. It’s going to take several days. You’ll need a couple of things:
- A digital kitchen scale – I like this one. It’s similar to the one I have and use regularly. It just needs to be able to measure in grams.
- A glass jar with a lid – I like these. I recommend a set of 2. That way, you can alternate and wash them as needed
- You may also need a cup, or a smaller jar for the beginning stages
- Flour – I use all purpose flour. I’ve used bleached and unbleached and have noticed that the bleached typically yields a higher volume rise once established.
- Water – I use bottled water because I have city water, but I’ve heard of people having success with water straight from the tap.
Let’s get rehydrated:
Unless specified, assume that all steps are performed in the morning
Day 1: I like to do this in a cup or smaller jar since the quantity is pretty small and you won’t get much volume
- Combine 5 grams of dried starter and 25 grams of water to your jar and mix. Cover with the lid of jar or tea towel and place in a warm spot for an hour. I’ve had success with putting my starter in the oven with just the light on.
- After the hour, the starter should be dissolved in the water. Add 20-25 grams of flour and stir until fully combined. Cover and put back in the oven with the light on. Leave overnight
Day 2: You’ll see little to no activity – few bubbles, if any, will be present
- Discard/throw away half of the starter in the cup.
Discarding allows us to use a smaller amount of water and flour to feed and revive. At this point, we’re just trying to wake up the cultures so we don’t need as much. There will come a time where you can save the discard and use it in recipes. This is not that time
- Add 20-25 grams each of water and flour. Mix, cover, and store for 24 hours
Day 3: There may be a few more bubbles, but still very little activity
- Discard/throw away half of the starter
- Add 20-25 grams each of water and flour. Mix, cover, and store for 24 hours
Day 4:
- MORNING – still very little activity
- Discard/throw away half of the starter
- Add 20-25 grams each of water and flour. Mix, cover, and store for 24 hours
- EVENING (approximately 12 hours later) – here’s where we have some action!! You should start to see quite a few small bubbles on the top and sides. You should also see some rising action
- No need to feed. Continue storing in the oven with the light on
Day 5: You should see a lot of bubbles and your starter should have risen to twice the size by now. You can transfer the starter to the bigger glass jar if you’re working out of a cup. If you’re still not seeing the activity you think you should, see the note at the bottom!
- Discarding isn’t necessary. From here on out, you’ll want to feed your starter daily or every other day (depending on how much you want to use).
- With this amount, I’d personally use 50 grams of flour and about 45 grams of water. Mix, cover and store.
I maintain my starter by feeding her every day to every other day. Here’s how I do it.
I have an empty pickle jar where I keep my discard in the fridge. I use it to make crackers and numerous other discard recipes. I discard until that jar is full, or half, whichever comes first.
I use a regular table spoon (the bigger of the two “kitchen” spoon types) and put 4-5 heaping spoonfuls of flour (about 100-125 grams) into my starter. I then pour about 80-90 grams of water and mix. I like my starter to be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. I then put the lid on loosely so the gasses can escape, put it in my oven with the light on, and let her be.
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