How to Reactivate Sour Starter (Your Simple Guide!)

Dehydrating sourdough starter is probably one of the most efficient ways to preserve your sourdough starter without fear of it spoiling. But once you've dehydrated your engine, how do you get it back on track? Here's everything you need to know about dehydrating and rehydrating your newbie.

Table of Contents

What is a sour starter?

A dry or dehydrated starter is a baked sourdough starter that has been dried and broken into pieces or stored in powder form. The good bacteria and yeast remain at the start of the fermentation and with a little flour and water you can reactivate them.

By dehydrating the moisture from the starter, you're giving the existing yeast and bacteria colonies a break. It is much easier to store and transport a dried sour starter.

When you are ready to rehydrate or activate your starter, simply add fresh flour and water to the fresh starter.

What is the beginning of sourdough?

A sourdough starter is a live culture consisting of wild yeasts and bacteria that thrive in a mixture of flour and water. Sourdough starter acts as a leavening agent for baking sourdough bread. Wild yeasts help dough rise and bacteria provide a sour or acidic taste to bread with natural yeast.

To make good sourdough bread, you need to take good care of the sourdough starter and don't forget feed regularly.

The benefits of starting sourdough

The dehydrating sourdough starter is very useful as it ensures that your starter is available whenever it is called for, enabling you to take a break and come back to it when you are ready to bake it again. You won't have to worry about your engine running dry when you have a dry starter!

Here are some other benefits of a dry starter:

• You won't have to worry about mold or bacteria growing on your engine.
• If your engine gets wet infected by moldyou don't have to start over, just reactivate the dry starter.
• You don't have to keep an engine part in the fridge, free up some space!
• You can post your starter through the mail.
• You can easily travel with your sourdough starter.

What do you need to make a dry starter?

You will need an active and well-fed sourdough starter. Your engine must also be mature, as the microflora inside a mature engine is stronger and has developed resistance over time. Yeast and bacteria are also resistant to unpleasant environments, so it is better to dehydrate a 5-6 month old starter.

To dehydrate the sourdough starter you will need:

• A large baking sheet for drying your sourdough starter. Choose a large tray so that you can thinly spread the beginning of the sourdough, allowing it to dry faster.
• A silicone mat or parchment paper to spread the starter so that it can be easily separated from it after drying.
• A spatula to spread the starter into a thin layer
• An airtight jar to store dehydrated starter, either in powder or flake form. You can also store it in a ziplock bag.

Ways to dry sourdough starter

Some of the ways to dry an active starter are as follows:

• Air drying: This is the easiest way to dry a sourdough starter. Simply spread the starter on parchment paper and let it air dry for 24-48 hours.
• It is printed between two letters: Spread the starter on a sheet of parchment and then place another sheet of parchment on top. Gently press two to remove any air bubbles, then let dry for 24-48 hours. You should be able to easily peel off the top of the parchment paper to reveal the dried starter.
• Dry under a fan or air conditioner: Drying the sourdough starter under a fan or air conditioner can effectively speed up the process. Simply spread the motor under a fan or AC.
• A dehydrator: Select the dehydrator's lowest temperature setting and keep the temperature at 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Making a sourdough starter

Here's how to make your own sourdough starter:

Make sure the engine is baked

Before you start dehydrating your engine, it's important to make sure your engine is mature.

A starter is ripe when it is at its peak of microbial activity, ie. maximum growth. This usually happens within 3-4 hours after feeding. Another indicator that your engine is ripe is a domed top.

If you dehydrate an undernourished sourdough starter, then it will be difficult to revive it. This is why it is very important to make sure your starter is at least 5-6 months old.

Prepare a tray

Choose the largest tray in the kitchen so you have a large surface to work on. It also allows you to spread your motor thinner so it dries faster.

The best way to do this is by adding parchment paper to your baking sheet and taping the paper down with some tape. That way the paper won't pile up when you disassemble your engine.

Spread the starter on parchment paper

Scoop out the starter from one side of the parchment paper and spread it to the other side using an offset spatula or a silicone spatula. Be sure to spread the starter evenly and thinly so it dries faster.

Dry the starter

Place the pan in a cool, well-ventilated part of the kitchen. Within a day or two it should be dry as a chip. Dry starter sourdough chips will crumble easily. Make sure there are no initial wet spots on the parchment paper.

Store the dried starter

Dehydrated sourdough starter is very easy to store. You can chop it up and store it as chips, or put it in a food processor to make a starter for powdered sourdough. Be sure to store the sourdough starter in an airtight container or ziplock bag for as long as needed.

How to reactivate a dehydrated starter?

Now that you've learned how to dehydrate a beginner, it's time to find out how to do it revive a dry sour starter.

Weigh the dry starter

It is better to start with a small amount. You can start with 10g if you are using dehydrated starter chips, then grind them into a fine powder before using.

Rehydrate the sourdough starter

Place the dried starter in a glass jar with a lid. Then use equal parts warm water and flour (15 g). Cover the jar and let it rest on the kitchen counter for 3-4 hours. You should notice that some small bubbles appear on the surface. The purpose of rehydrating sourdough starters is to encourage yeast activity.

Nutrition 1

Now it's time to fuel the sourdough baking engine. Start with 30g of whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour and 30g of water. Make sure you are using chlorinated or bottled water. Then cover and let the starter rest in a warm place for 12-14 hours or overnight. You should be able to see some activity in the dehydrated starter, which means it is on its way to recovery.

Nutrition 2

The next morning, pour 45 g of starter and feed with 45 g of whole wheat flour and 45 g of water. Mix and leave this on the kitchen counter for 6-7 hours.

Nutrition 3

Pour 65 g of starter and feed with 65 g of flour and water. You should be able to see your starter slowly coming back to life and reacting to any food normally. The morning after, you can use your rehydrated starter to bake bread.

How to store sourdough starter for longer?

There are many ways to do it save your starter for longer periods.

First, you can cool the starter. A baked starter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month without feeding. Just put it in a larger jar with plenty of empty space and put it in the back of the fridge on the top shelf.

Did you know you can freeze sourdough starter? In fact, you can leave your engine frozen for years. While some believe that germs can die while frozen, it's best to freeze a lean starter.

At the end, the drying of the beginning of the sourdough. Drying sourdough starter is probably one of the most common methods of preserving starter for longer. When you dehydrate your sourdough starter, it will retain the live yeast and bacteria culture, effectively keeping it indefinitely.

Sourdough starters

Dehydrated Sourdough Starters are the perfect storage option for those who want to take a break from baking sourdough. Make sure your starter is completely dry before storing it in an airtight container in a cool place, ready to use for your next sourdough bread recipes.

Frequently asked questions