Organic Dehydrated Sourdough Start

How to Reactivate a Dry (Dehydrated) Sourdough Starter

This step by step process is super simple, however, it will take approximately 5 days to complete the full reactivation process.

What you will need:

• 1 Pint size mason jar

• Measuring spoons

• Plastic Wrap, dish towel, or small plate

• Rubber band

• Plastic fork or rubber spatula (never use metal when working with sourdough, it will kill your sourdough start)

• Quart size mason jar

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp Nutrivation's Organic Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

• Organic flour

• Filtered lukewarm water (make sure to use filtered water as regular tap water can be too hard or have too many toxins that can kill the start)

Instructions

Day 1

1. In a clean pint-size mason jar (or similar) combine 1/2 Tbsp of dried sourdough starter flakes with 1.5 Tbsp of filtered lukewarm water. Allow the dry sourdough starter and water to sit for several minutes to soften and combine. Use a fork or spatula to stir it on occasion.

2. Add 1 Tbsp of flour. Mix thoroughly. (See consistency notes below)

3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and rubber band (poke a couple of small holes with a toothpick in the plastic wrap to allow gases to escape), or other cover to prevent it from drying out. Set the container in a moderately warm location (70 to 75F is ideal). Come back in about 24 hours.

Day 2

1. Into the same jar, add 1 Tbsp of flour and 1 Tbsp of filtered water to the starter. Mix well.

2. Cover the jar again, and allow it to sit for another 24 hours.

Day 3

1. Repeat the same feeding process as Day 2 (1 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp water).

Day 4

1. This time, add 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water to the starter. Mix well. (Add more water/flour if needed to get the right consistency.)

2. Cover the container and set aside once again. I like to mark the side of my jar with a dry erase marker to watch the growth. It should double in size within a couple of hours by this time!

Day 5

1. Transfer your starter from the pint size jar into a quart size mason jar.

2. Add 1 cup of fresh flour and 1/2 cup of water. Mix thoroughly. (If starter is too thick and clumpy like a biscuit mix, then add more water, 1 tsp at a time.)

3. Set it aside at room temperature once again.

4. If your starter is now actively bubbling, rising and falling - congratulations! You have successfully reactivated the dry sourdough starter. When a starter rises to double its size and then stays elevated, that is considered “peak activity” and is ready to bake with. It will deflate after a few hours and need to be fed or refrigerated.

Ongoing Starter Maintenance

1. When using your starter to bake with, always leave a portion behind to use the next time around. It's a good rule of thumb to keep 1/4-1/2 cup starter in your mason jar at all times. That makes for quicker activation times. Sourdough start is very forgiving. You can leave it in your fridge for weeks, completely neglected, then be fed and activated within a day. After your start sits in your fridge for a while you will notice a clear liquid at the top of your start. This is called discard. You can keep it in your jar when you activate your starter for a more sour ferment, or you can dump it out, use it in pancakes or waffles, or just about any baked good for probiotic benefits. If you, however, don't want a super sour tasting bread, than dump out the discard before adding 1:1 ratio of water and flour.

2. Sourdough starter can be activated with any wheat flour. Khorasan (Kamut) wheat, spelt, barley, rye, bread flour, enriched, etc. When using whole grains, you will typically get a more sour taste due to the nutrients and grain density.

3. A lot of people like to weigh their starter, flour, and water ratios. I have found that you can still have great success when just going off of thickness of batter. As long as the batter is not too thick (like a biscuit), and not too thin (like runny, thin pancakes) you will have success in fermenting your start. Remember, sourdough start is SUPER forgiving!

Notes

Starter Consistency: The consistency of a sourdough start should always resemble a thick pancake batter. After stirring your starter, lift up the fork or rubber spatula you're using and see if the batter is runny (constant stream of liquid running off of stirring utensil) or if it's thick and falling off in clumps. It should not be too thick that it's like biscuit batter. Eventually, an active sourdough starter will be spongy like marshmallow fluff. If at any time throughout this process you feel that your starter has become too stiff or too thin, feel free to add a sprinkle more flour or splash of water until the desired consistency is reached. Do so in small quantities, such as a teaspoon at a time (especially in the first few days).

Troubleshooting: A couple of issues may cause a sourdough starter to not rise well. For one, it could be too cold in your home - though there should be at least some activity, even in the coolest conditions. Try moving your starter to a warmer location, or creating a warmer environment for it (inside the oven with the light on but the oven off, or in your bathroom with the door closed and heater on in the winter months). A more common issue is the starter consistency. When a starter is too wet or runny, the fermentation bubbles may rise right through and out of the mixture, rather than being trapped inside and causing the starter to grow and rise. If at any time your starter doesn’t rise and also seems easy to pour (like thin pancake batter), is it probably too wet. Stir in more flour to stiffen it up, adding just a few tablespoons at a time until it becomes more thick and gooey.