How to Revive Dried Sourdough Starter
Items you will need for sourdough:
- Dehydrated sourdough starter
- Digital scale
- Filtered, room temp water, no chlorine.
- Unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour. (I prefer King Arthur’s
- Container of some sort with, non-metal (I have read metal can cause some issue with the live bacteria in the sourdough, I do not know the science but I always use a rubber spatula or a plastic spoon.
-
A cover to put on the top of the container. I like these, if you would like one please check them out on my website at www.smokymountainwildcraft.com/ . But you can use a coffee filter, or a paper towel attached with a rubber band. (However, this is just not as cute!!)
prep: 5 MINUTES MINUTES
cook: 5 DAYS DAYS
total: 5 DAYS DAYS 5 MINUTES A DAY
A detailed guide on how to revive dried sourdough starter to full strength in less than a week.
Ingredients
· 5 grams dried sourdough starter (HALF OF DEHYDRATED SOURDOUGH YOU BOUGHT, THAT WAY IF YOU KILL IT YOU CAN HAVE A SECOND GO!)
· 120 grams unbleached flour, divided *I highly recommend King Arthur brand
· 125 grams filtered water room temperature
Instructions
· Day One Morning: Combine 5 grams finely crumbled dried sourdough starter in a small glass jar. Add 25 grams (100°F/38°C) filtered water. Stir until the dry starter is completely submerged in the water. Cover with a lid and allow mixture to sit for one hour at 76°F/24°C or room temperature.
· After an hour, add 20 grams flour (I recommend King Arthur brand for this guide) and stir with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Note: We're using slightly more water than flour in this first feeding - a thinner, more hydrated starter allows for increased activity for yeast and bacteria. Cover with a lid and store at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature) for 24 hours.
· Day Two Morning: Combine 10 grams starter mixture (discard the rest), 25 grams flour, and 25 grams room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature) for 24 hours.
· Day Three Morning: Combine 10 grams starter mixture (discard the rest), 25 grams flour, and 25 grams room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature) for 24 hours.
· Day Four Morning: Combine 10 grams starter mixture, 25 grams flour, and 25 grams room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature) - check back in about 12 hours time (see below).
· Day Four Evening: Roughly 12 hours later, you'll notice many small bubbles on the surface and sides, and the starter should shown signs that it is slowly rising. Continue storing at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature).
· Day Five Morning: At this point, the mixture should have nearly doubled in volume and there will be small and big bubbles throughout the mixture. Allow starter to reach peak activity before proceeding with a feeding. If everything remains on track, you can get started baking sourdough bread.
· Once the starter has reached peak activity, start regular daily feedings: combine equal amounts of starter, flour, and room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store mixture at 76°F/24°C (or room temperature) until starter reaches peak activity. Repeat. You will use starter at peak activity when using for recipes.
Real Talk:
Sourdough is fun and addicting so be warned however it can be alot of steps in the beginning! Trust me when I say if I can do it you can too! I am not the most diligent person and can usually remember to keep my sourdough fed. (If you forget a day or two or four it is usually ok… it is very forgiving, it will just need some extra love to come back, this usually happens within a day or two.)
If you plan on only using your sourdough every once and awhile, I will tell you what I do. I will do my normal feeding of equal amounts of starter, bread flour, and room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. I let it sit for at least an hour, but it can be up to 5 hours and then pop it in the fridge. In the fridge you can just feed it once a week, let it rise for about 1-4 hours and then pop it back in. When I know I will be ready to cook with it I will take it out of the fridge, feed it usually two times as previously mentioned and then it is ready to go.
Just know sourdough is a journey and is pretty forgiving. You will learn as you go so do not let all the info overwhelm you. If you mess up no big! Try again, it is totally worth it!
serving: 1serving, calories: 438kcal, carbohydrates: 88g, protein: 15g, fat: 2g, saturated fat: 1g, polyunsaturated fat: 1g, monounsaturated fat: 1g, sodium: 9mg, potassium: 120mg, fiber: 3g, sugar: 1g, vitamin a: 2IU, calcium: 22mg, iron: 1mg
