Rehydrating a Sourdough Starter
Welcome! Rehydrating a sourdough starter is a relatively straightforward concept. However, like all things bread, it is part science, a dash of art, and a bit of patience. If you bought your starter from us and your first rehydration attempt is unsuccessful, do not despair - you will have enough for a second attempt!
Dehydrated Starter
Tools: Feel free to start with what you already have siting around your kitchen. Below, we recommend our favorites that we use every day in our bakery.
- Container with top - You want something with some room to grow. We love the German company Weck and we aren’t alone. They make glass jars that are a work of art and pretty tough. We do not use the gasket to allow for that breathability. But really any jar or container that is food safe with a loose lid will work well.
- Spoon or stirring implement - anything works here. We like jar spatulas because they can get into the corners of our jar and help clear off the sides of the jar.
- Water – warm, but not hot, preferably filtered, but we don’t judge.
- Flours - Ideally a nice bread flour but technically any flour will work here. Buy the best flours you can afford. We use King Arthur and love them. We regularly use a blend of bread (75%), whole wheat (20%), and dark rye (5%) flours to feed our starter. We batch a bunch of starter feed at a time to use through the week.
- Scale - you can wing it and just measure by volume, but if you are serious about bread you will need a kitchen scale. We have had mixed results with battery operated scales, and eventually purchased a commercial plug-in scale from Amazon to accommodate the weight of the large batches we were baking. But if you’re only baking a few loaves at a time, a small battery-operated scale should be fine.
Day 1:
- Grab your container and spoon
- Add 5 grams of dehydrated sourdough starter (about half the package) and 50 grams of warm water to your container and stir until mixed well
- Replace lid and wait 30 minutes
- Add 50 grams of flour and stir until mixed well
- Scrape down the sides of the container and replace the lid
Day 2 and onwards
- Discard all but 10-15 grams of starter
- Add 50 grams of warm water to your container and stir until mixed well
- Add 50 grams of flour and mix well
- Scrape down the sides of the container and replace the lid
What’s next and When is it ready to bake?
It will take some time for your starter to come back to life. The first couple of days it will not do much. By day three, it should start to smell sweeter and less vinegary, and you should start to notice bubbles forming. You will notice it rise and fall throughout the day. Once you see this happening on a regular basis, it is ready to be used as a leaven.
Hints
- If you plan to go out of town or will otherwise be unable to feed your starter for a few days, just put it in the refrigerator and take it out when you’re ready to feed again.
- Use room temperature water or warm to the touch (93° F). Don’t go above 100° F.
- Do not use a tight fitting lid or a locked or screwed on lid. Let her breathe.
- Use your stirring implement to scrape down the sides and keep your jar clean.
- Don’t get too concerned with perfect measurements. The idea is to feed her. There are many different ways to keep a starter. Some bakers prefer a wetter starter, others prefer a dryer one.
- I like to mix my starter with water before adding the flour. I do that when baking loaves as well. I think it helps distribute the starter evenly.
- If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at hello@carterscreekpantry.com or via our website, CartersCreekPantry.com