You got the dehydrated starter, and now it’s time to bring it back to life! Here is a simple tutorial to get your sourdough journey under way

 

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How to Rehydrate A Sourdough Starter

1. In a medium size glass jar, mix a small amount of dehydrated sourdough starter with 60 g of warm water (about 80 degrees F). Give the mixture a stir, and place the lid on top loosely. Allow the starter to dissolve into the water. This will take 1-2 hours, at room temperature.
2. Next, to the jar, add 60 g of unbleached flour (either all purpose, whole wheat, or rye work well). Stir the mixture very well, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, and place the lid loosely back on top. 
3. Let the starter sit in a warm spot at room temperature until the mixture begins to show signs of fermentation – it will slowly rise, and have bubbles throughout.
4. When you see signs of activity, scoop out and discard half of the starter mixture, and feed it again with 60 g of warm water, and 60 g of the flour of your choice. 
5. A healthy starter will bubble up and become active with a 6-8 hours, so once your starter is active, it is ready to use in all of your favorite sourdough recipes.

go from this dehydrated state…

to this! active, bubbly fed sourdough starter

Feed the Sourdough Starter regularly

Check the starter every few hours and feed it with equal parts flour and water when you see signs of activity like bubbles. 

If you’re one to forget, or get wrapped up in other projects, set a timer on your phone to remind you to check on your little science project.

Ready to bake your first loaf of sourdough Bread? Check out these Sourdough Recipes:

Homemade Sourdough Bread

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Easy Sourdough Bagels

The best Sourdough Discard Crackers

Sourdough Starter Tools I love

1. A perfect size glass jar from Weck. I use this jar without the rubber seal.
2. A cool tool with a funny name! This Wooden Spurtle makes stirring up your sticky starter in the jar a breeze. The wooden spurtle will last forever, and won’t cause a chemical reaction like metal stirrers will.
3. Kitchen Scale – don’t be intimidated by using a kitchen scale, it is intuitive, and gives your most consistent professional results every time. Just go for it!

Pro Tips for a Successful Sourdough Starter

• Repeat until active

  Continue feeding and monitoring the starter until it is noticeably bubbling and doubling in size within a 8-10 hours

• Temperature is key

  Maintaining a warm environment is crucial for activating the yeast in the starter. Warmer temperatures speed up fermentation, while colder temperatures slow it down. I like to keep my sourdough starter in the warmer part of my kitchen (usually between 70-75 degrees F).

• Be patient!

  Baking sourdough bread from scratch is an exercise in patience. it is a meditative process that is incredibly satisfying and fulfilling. The process can’t be rushed, we have to let nature do its thing. Rehydrating a sourdough starter might take a few days, so be patient and check on it regularly.

  If you’re not using your sourdough starter in the near future, remember to place it in the fridge. This will put your sourdough start into a dormant state, so that it won’t die when left out for too long without being fed regularly.

  Want to know how to Dehydrate your Sourdough Starter? Check out the FULL TUTORIAL here.

  There you have it! Let me know if you try this rehydration method, and comment any questions or comments that you have below. I love hearing from you, and this is the best place to reach me directly!

  Happy Baking xoxo LeAnne

  

The post How to Rehydrate Sourdough Starter appeared first on Lion's Bread.

Learn how to dehydrate your sourdough starter so you can share it with friends, and have a back up if yours ever dies (it can happen!)

We all love our sourdough bread, don’t we? Creating your own sourdough starter is the first fundamental step to starting that journey. It’s a journey of science and art, trial and error, success and failure.

Most of all, it’s a crucial step to take agency over the food we consume and nourish our bodies with daily. It is so empowering to know exactly what goes into your food, rather than taking a big corporation’s word for it.

If you want to create your very own sourdough starter from scratch in 7 days, click here for the FULL TUTORIAL.

First Steps to dehydrating your sourdough starter

• Start by feeding your sourdough starter with a 2:1 ratio, 2 parts flour and water to 1 part existing sourdough starter. Once the starter is well fed and watered, let is rise up at room temperature 8-10 hours.
• When the sourdough starter is at its peak of activity and is very bubbly, it is time to dehydrate it. It’s a super simple process!

How to dehydrate your Sourdough Starter

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
2. Scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of the fed starter out onto the parchment paper.
3. Use an offset spatula to spread the sourdough starter out into a very thin layer over the surface of the entire parchment paper. The thinner, the better!
4. Wait for the wet starter to COMPLETELY dry out. Depending on the temperature in your home, or the weather, this usually takes 4-6 hours. Set the baking pan aside, and forget about it for half the day.
5. Once the starter is completely dried out, it should become very brittle and crackly. Use your hands to break up the starter into smaller pieces.
6. Store the pieces in an airtight bag or glass jar at room temperature, and will last for up to 1-2 years. At this point your starter is ready to be easily shared with family and friends. You did it! 

spread a thin layer of active bubbly sourdough starter onto parchment paper

let it dry out completely at room temperature – 4-6 hours

crack it up into small pieces an store in an airtight container

share the dehydrated sourdough starter with family and friends and always save a BACKUP for yourself

Why would you want to dehydrate your sourdough starter

There are two main reasons:

• It is infinitely easier to share your dehydrated sourdough starter with friends and family. You can keep the dehydrated starter at room temperature, and it weighs next to nothing. You won’t end up with spilled goopy starter, or worse, broken glass jars in your suitcase/the mail. I’ve mailed dehydrated starter to friends all over the country, it’s too easy.
• If you travel often, or have a very rigorous day to day pace, it’s possible to neglect/forget about your starter. It’s sad but true, and we’ve all been there. Having a dehydrated “back up” will make getting back on track so much easier, and you won’t have to start building a starter from scratch.

There you have it! Something so easy can definitely save you so much time and energy in the future.

Leave a comment down below if you tried this dehydration method, I’d love to know how you make sourdough work in your own kitchens!

What goes up must come down, or vise versa, so be sure to check out my tutorial on how to REHYDRATE Your Sourdough Starter – also, super simple!

Happy baking xoxo LeAnne

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The List:

For more sourdough recipes check out:

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