Rehydrating your Sourdough Starter
Our sourdough starter is simple to rehydrate with only two ingredients, flour and water!
Reviving your starter to full strength takes a few days, but it’s fascinating to observe the daily changes in your starter as it comes back to life. Be patient and enjoy the process! It’s best to feed your starter at the same time each day. We recommend using filtered or bottled water, as the chlorine in most city water supplies can inhibit the starter’s strength and affect its ability to rise.
You will need the following supplies to begin:
Glass jar with a lid
Basic kitchen scale
Rubber or wooden spatula
Dehydrated sourdough starter
Unbleached, all purpose or bread flour
Note: if you are reviving a whole wheat sourdough starter, you should use whole wheat flour instead
Room temperature water (filtered or bottled)
Day 1:
Add 5 grams of the dried starter to a glass jar. Then add 25 grams of water and stir to combine. The starter should be completely submerged in the water. Allow this mixture to rest for a few minutes to absorb the water. Next, add 20 grams of flour and stir well to mix. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
Note: The wild yeasts and cultures in sourdough thrive in warmer temperatures. The ideal kitchen temperature for sourdough is 70-78*F, so if your kitchen is cooler your starter will take longer to revive and become fully active again.
Day 2:
Take 10 grams of your starter mixture and add it to a clean glass jar. Then add 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of water. Mix well until combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 3:
You may begin to notice a few bubbles in your starter mixture, and it will likely look smoother and thinner in texture than the previous days. Take 10 grams of your starter mixture and add it to a clean glass jar. Then add 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of water. Mix well until combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 4:
You may notice a few more bubbles in your mixture, but the starter should look similar to the day before. Take 10 grams of your starter mixture and add it to a clean glass jar. Then add 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of water. Mix well until combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
Note: After 12 hours after feeding your starter, you will notice that there are many bubbles in the mixture and that the starter has slightly grown. Keep covered and at room temperature.
Day 5:
Today your starter should look alive! You will notice many bubbles throughout your mixture on the surface and sides of the jar. At this point, your starter is revived and you can begin baking with your starter. In order to have enough starter to bake with, increase the feeding ratios detailed in our Sourdough Starter Daily Feedings Recipe.