How to Rehydrate Sourdough Starter (An excerpt from The Sourdough Journey)

In honor of the release of our dehydrated sourdough starter products, I wanted to share a quick tip on how to rehydrate a dry sourdough starter.

If you have purchased or received a dehydrated starter, it will already be from a
mature established starter. However, you do have to rehydrate the culture and let it
bounce back from having all of the moisture pulled out of it.

To Rehydrate a Starter:

1. Place your dehydrated sourdough starter into the jar you plan on keeping it in
   
   
2. Add just enough water to rehydrate it, but not so much that it’s swimming. Stir in
   the dry starter well and let it soak for a few minutes to fully incorporate.
   
   
3. After all of the dry powder is dissolved, then feed it a 1:1:1 ratio by weight (1 part
   starter, 1 part flour, 1 part water). For example, if you have 15g (roughly 1.5 tbsp) of
   starter, you would add 15g (roughly 2 tbsp) of flour, and 15g (roughly 1 tbsp) of
   water. Check for pancake batter-like consistency - if it’s a little too stiff add a tad
   more water, too wet add a tad more flour. Let the starter sit for another 12 hours
   or so.
   
   
4. After the 12 hours have passed, feed again with a 1:1:1 ratio by weight. This concludes your
   Day 1 of rehydration. Let the starter sit for 12 hours or so.
   
   
5. After the 12 hours have passed, discard down to about 25g of starter (roughly 2
   tbsp) and feed a 1:1:1 ratio by weight. Let the starter sit for 12 hours or so.
   
   
6. After the 12 hours have passed, either discard and feed, or just feed again
   (according to your preference on how often you want to discard) using a 1:1:1
   ratio by weight. This concludes your Day 2 of rehydration.
   
   
7. Repeat Day two’s steps for another 3-7 days.
   

If the starter you received a culture from was strong, you’ll probably start to see
activity fairly quickly.

Our starter here on the homestead, True Rise, likes to bounce back from rehydration in just 3 days.

But how quickly a starter revives just depends on the starter, the room temp, the environment, the flour, the water... it can vary. Some starters are ready for baking in just 3 days, others may take up to 7 to fully revive.

Once you start to see a consistent rise and bubbling of the starter after feedings for a day or two straight, she’s ready to go.

Now you can continue your daily countertop maintenance or weekly refrigerator maintenance, depending on your preferences and goals.

Want to learn more about maintaining a sourdough starter?

Check out my new eBook: The Sourdough Journey - A Crafty Homestead Guide to Your First Loaf

I also have Dehydrated Starter from my mother starter True Rise, and a Sourdough Starter Kit available for shipping within Missouri (we operate under Cottage Food Law and can only sell/ship food items within our state), or just the Starter Kit (no starter included) available for shipping anywhere in the US. Check out these links or the products listed below!