How to reactivate a dehydrated sourdough starter
Liquid starter vs dehydrated starter
The liquid or fresh starter is used in recipes to bake any sourdough. This active and bubbly bacteria culture needs regular feeding (adding fresh flour and water to it). The surrounding temperature decides the frequency of the feedings. Sourdough starter stored at room temperature (for baking every day) needs daily feeding, while the one stored in the refrigerator (for weekly or less frequent baking) needs to be fed once a week. The cold environment in the fridge slows the bacteria culture down in the starter, therefore the fresh flour added during the last feeding will provide food for it for a longer period of time, but still needs to be fed regularly.
Dehydrated starter on the other hand is “frozen in time”. The perfect way to conserve a very active starter for years if needed. It can be reactivated with a few feedings, and you have a very active and mature culture to bake with. Bakers usually keep a dehydrated starter as backup, in case something happens to their fresh batch or they simply run out of it accidentally.
.jpg "Very active gluten free sourdough starter") |
| Very active fresh, Gluten Free starter |
How to Reactivate our Dehydrated Sourdough Starter (contains gluten)
Day 1: open the envelope and pour the content into the starter jar. Add 20g of whole wheat or dark rye flour (or the mix of them) and 20g water to the jar and mix it until it combines. cover it loosely and let it rest at a warm place.
Day 2: add 40g of flour and 40g of water to the starter and mix it well. Cover it and let it rest again.
Day 3: leave 50g of starter in the jar, discard the rest. Then add 50g of flour and 50g of water. Mix it well and let it rest.
Day 4: repeat the steps from Day 3.
Day 5: repeat the steps from day 3.
From day 6: follow a very simple feeding rule. The amount (in grams) of starter you keep (let’s say that is 100%), you add the same amount (in grams) of flour (100%) and the same amount of water (in grams). It means that you are maintaining a 100% hydration sourdough starter.
By day 5-7 you have to have a very active sourdough starter.
Here is the video of the reactivation: How to activate dehydrated sourdough starter
Notes for Regular Sourdough Starter Maintenance
Always use a scale, measure everything by weight, not by volume.
Feed your starter once a day, around the same time every day.
Here is the reason for using whole wheat or rye flour during the reactivation process and later on to maintain the starter. These 2 types of flour are very good food for the bacteria culture in the starter. Also they make the starter thicker and give it the darker colour that will come through the final dough and the baked bread. Sourdough breads are normally associated with a whole wheat kind of colour both inside and outside. It is because either the starter was fed with dark flour or because the main flour used in the dough was a whole meal one. If you aim for a lighter bread texture, use the mentioned whole meal flours to feed the starter and use white flour in the dough. This is how I like my sourdough bread.
The ambient temperature is very important when you reactivate the dehydrated starter. Therefore in a cooler season or climate, the process might take a few extra days. Keep the starter jar at a warmer place (top of the fridge, inside the oven with lights on).
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| Dehydrated Sourdough Starter (Regular and Gluten free) |
How to Reactivate our Dehydrated GLUTEN FREE sourdough starter
Day 1: open the envelope and pour the content into the starter jar. Add 20g of brown rice flour and 20g of water to the jar and mix it until it combines. cover it loosely and let it rest at a warm place.
Day 2: add 40g of brown rice flour and 40g of water to the starter and mix it well. Cover it and let it rest again.
Day 3: leave 50g of starter in the jar, discard the rest. Then add 50g of brown rice flour and 40g of water. Mix it well and let it rest.
Day 4: repeat the steps from Day 3.
Day 5: repeat the steps from day 3.
From day 6: follow a very simple feeding rule. The amount (in grams) of starter you keep (let’s say that is 100%), you add the same amount (in grams) of brown rice flour (100%) and the same amount of water (in grams). It means that you are maintaining a 100% hydration sourdough starter.
By day 5-7 you have to have a very active gluten free sourdough starter.
Here is the video of the reactivation process: https://youtu.be/VXNbJq5yme4
Notes for Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
Always use a scale, measure everything by weight, not by volume.
Feed your starter once a day, around the same time every day.
On Day 3, the instruction above indicates the use of less water than flour. The reason for that is to aim for a stiffer texture that is optimal for your gluten free starter. It is a good practice if every once in a while (every 3-4 feeding) you feed your starter with only 80% of water in the relation of the weight of the kept starter amount and the added flour amount.
The ambient temperature is very important when you reactivate the dehydrated starter. Therefore in a cooler season or climate, the process might take a few extra days. Keep the starter jar at a warmer place (top of the fridge, inside the oven with lights on)
We recommend feeding your gluten free starter only with BROWN RICE FLOUR. It provides the food for a very strong and active bacteria culture that is optimal for all your gluten free sourdough baking.
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