All about dehydrated starter

 

Activating your dehydrated starter:

You might have purchased my dehydrated sourdough starter or made your own, but now it’s time to get your starter back to tip-top shape and ready to use!

Reactivating your starter takes time and at least several days before it’s completely ready to use. These directions are very commonly used and are preferred when rehydrating your starter.

 

Equipment needed: 

• 2 Mason jars and lids or containers with lids

Ingredients:

• Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
• Flour (amount varies daily)
• filtered lukewarm water (non-chlorinated) 

For a regular sourdough starter:

Day 1- A couple of days before you plan on baking take 5 grams of your starter, mix in 15 grams of warm water. Let the mixture sit for 1-3 hours or until the starter is fully dissolved, then add in 15 grams of flour. Leave your starter somewhere warm in your kitchen overnight or for the next 12 hours.

Day 2- Today you’ll be stirring in 10 grams of flour and 10 grams of water. Your starter won’t be showing much activity and won’t show much “hooch” that liquid that forms over the top, so there’s no need to discard any.

Day 3- You won’t discard any of your starter but today you’ll be repeating adding 10 grams of flour and 10 grams of water than letting it sit in your warm spot.  

Day 4- At this point you will start seeing some activity like bubbles and your starter might have doubled in size. You’ll discard 15 grams of your starter, and after doing this you'll add 30 grams of water and 30 grams of flour. 

Day 5- By day 5 your starter should be very active, and it will literally smell like bread! You’ll get some sweet and sour smells but most importantly, your starter will be bubbly. You can also test your starter by dropping a pinch in water, if your starter is airy and ready it will float. Today you’ll be doing the last feeding. Discard 15 g of your starter. Add 30 g of water and 30 grams of flour, then leave in your warm spot.  After 6-8 hours, if your starter has doubled or tripled in size, you’ll repeat the earlier feeding by adding 30 g of flour and water to your mix. If your starter hasn’t peaked, check it periodically every 1-2 hours until it peaks. 

Day 6- Your starter is fully active at this point and ready to bake with. When active add it to your Autolyse mix and prepare for bulk fermentation. See the bread recipe here. 

Buttermilk Starter:

*The amount of buttermilk used might differ depending on the desired hydration and thickness of your starter. 

Day 1- A couple of days before you plan on baking take 5 grams of your starter, mix in 30 grams of buttermilk. Let the mixture sit for 1-3 hours or until the starter is fully dissolved, then add in 5 grams of rye flour. Leave your starter somewhere in your kitchen overnight or for the next 12 hours.

Day 2- Today you’ll be stirring in 10 grams of flour and 20 grams of buttermilk. Your starter won’t be showing much activity and won’t show much “hooch” that liquid that forms over the top, so there’s no need to discard any.

Day 3- You won’t discard any of your starter but today you’ll be repeating adding 10 grams of flour and 20 grams of buttermilk then letting it sit in your warm spot.  

Day 4- At this point you will start seeing some activity like bubbles and your starter might have doubled in size. You’ll discard 15 grams of your starter, and after doing this you; 'll add 60 grams of buttermilk and 30 grams of flour. 

Day 5- By day 5 your starter should be very active, and it will literally smell like bread! You’ll get some sweet and sour smells but most importantly, your starter will be bubbly. You can also test your starter by dropping a pinch in water, if your starter is airy and ready it will float. Today you’ll be doing the last feeding. Discard 15 g of your starter. Add 60 g of buttermilk and 30 grams of flour, then leave in your warm spot.  After 6-8 hours, if your starter has doubled or tripled in size, you’ll repeat the earlier feeding by adding 30 g of flour and buttermilk to your mix. If your starter hasn’t peaked, check it periodically every 1-2 hours until it peaks. 

Day 6- Your starter is fully active at this point and ready to bake with. When active add it to your Autolyse mix and prepare for bulk fermentation. See the bread recipe here.

Starter consistency: The objective throughout this procedure is to keep a dense, sticky starter. It should comfortably settle at the bottom of the container, not forming a solid dough ball like cookie dough, but also not being easily pourable or liquid-like pancake batter. The sourdough starter should be somewhere in the middle. Eventually, an active sourdough starter will have a marshmallow fluff-like texture. If at any point during this process, you think your starter has become too rigid or too liquid, feel free to add a bit more flour or a dash of water until you achieve the right consistency. Do this in small amounts, such as a teaspoon at a time, particularly in the initial days.

Troubleshooting: There are a few problems that might prevent a sourdough starter from rising properly. One could be that your home is too cold, although there should be some activity even in the coldest conditions. Consider relocating your starter to a warmer spot, or creating a warmer environment for it, such as with festive lights, a heating mat, or inside the oven with the light on but the oven off. A more frequent problem is the consistency of the starter. If a starter is too liquid or runny, the fermentation bubbles might escape through and out of the mixture, instead of being trapped inside and making the starter grow and rise. If at any point your starter doesn't rise and also seems easily pourable (like thin pancake batter), it is likely too wet. Mix in more flour to make it stiffer, adding just a few tablespoons at a time until it becomes denser and stickier.

 

Always keep your dehydrated starter in a closed contained, it can go bad within 6 months, the speed at which your starter goes bad will increase if left out at any point. Jars are great to build up your dehydrated sourdough in case of an apocalypse. 

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