Rehydrating Sourdough Starter

Time & Temperature

4 - 6 days with your designated 'Sourdough Home' location (78 °F / 25 °C)

Equipment

Instructions

A few days before you want to use your starter for baking, revive your dehydrated starter.

DAY 1

• In a small bowl or jar, mix 5 grams of dehydrated sourdough starter with 15 grams of 80 °F water. (filtered water is recommended)
• Allow the starter and water to sit for about 2 hours, or until the dried starter dissolves.
• Stir in 15 grams of All-purpose flour.
• Cover and place in cupboard or area 'Sourdough home' with a temp of 78 °F overnight, or for 12 - 14 hours. I like how wrap a kitchen towel around my start jars like a blanket as my home tends to run cooler. (Everyone's environment will vary so it may take some adjustment finding your desired location.)

5 grams of dried starter

Dried starter dissolved in 15 grams of
water after 2 hours

5 g starter, 15 g water, and 15 g flour
mixed together

DAY 2
There may not be visible signs of activity at this point.

• Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g of flour and 10 g of water.
• Return to the 78 °F 'Sourdough Home'

DAY 3
You may begin to see signs of activity at this point such as small bubbles and a slightly sour aroma.

• Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g of flour and 10 g of water.
• Return to the 78 °F Sourdough Home or Proofer.

DAY 4

You should see clear signs of activity at this point. The starter will have risen since the last feeding and you will see bubbles. (YAY)

Day 4 before feeding: signs of activity
are showing, bubbles are visible

• Discard all but 15 g of the starter.
• To the 15 g of starter add 30 g of water and 30 g of flour.
• Return to the 78 °F 'Sourdough Home' until the next day.

DAY 5
Your starter should be very active at this point. It will have doubled in size, be very bubbly, and smell sweet with just a hint of sourness. By Day 5 your starter will be very active. The time it takes to peak will have shortened from the previous days. In my experience, 7 hours after the day 5 AM feeding the starter had just about tripled in size.

IN THE AM

• Discard all but 15 g of the starter.
• To the 15 g of starter, add 30 g of water and 30 g of flour.
• Return to the 78 °F 'Sourdough Home'.

IN THE PM

• Check your starter around the 7-hour mark. If it has close to tripled in size, then repeat the same feeding as you did in the AM. If it has not yet peaked, let it go another hour or two before checking again.
• At this point, your starter should be active enough to bake with. (We had great success making a levain from the starter at this point that was used in the dough the next day.)

DAY 6
The starter should be fully active at this point.