This summer got too hot to use the stove unless absolutely necessary. I didn’t even think about turning on the oven. And so my sourdough starter sat in the fridge till finally it was just so old I had to throw it out. Now that the cooler weather has returned I’m feeling thankful I dehydrated some starter back when it was plentiful.
- dehydrated
Here it is broken up. There’s about a cupful. You can start with less. I just used half of what I had dried.
I added warm water and let soften.
- Softening
After several hours I stirred in some flour to thicken/feed it. There’s no need to wait hours, I was just busy doing other stuff.
- Stir to thicken
Now I’ll let it sit till I see some activity or for about 12 hours (whichever comes first) and then I’ll feed it.
I use whole wheat flour that I grind but store flour will work just as well- although the amount of water added will change.
I will post Part Two and a post about which grain mill I have/how I grind my grains soon.
mossy_stone
This post is linked to Traditional Tuesdays , Real Food Wednesday
I didn’t even know you could dehydrate starter. I guess that is what they do when you buy a powdered form.
It’s really handy. I use to have a hard time getting a starter going (it smelled off) but now in a few days I have a strong starter working.
NEAT! I had no idea that you could do that! How long can you keep the starter in dehydrated form? My starter was looking a little “sad” but I took extra care of it the past couple of weeks to make it “happy” again!
It would probably be best to use it by around 6 months. That said I can’t even remember when I dehydrated this batch….maybe a year. Still worked great.
I am just starting out with sourdough and found you thru Fight Back Friday. I have a starter that I order from Cultures For Health. I am guessing that it is dehydrated also. I have had the box for a few months. Thanks for giving me the push to start it!!
I love Cultures for Health. I’ve had great results with their dairy cultures. This is a great season to get into sourdough! Something about the cool weather just makes me want to bake a loaf and slather it with butter yum!
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Just wondering if yours is a wild yeast sourdough or made with store bought yeast. Next, did you dehydrate yours in a dehydrator? If so, at what temperature? Also curious if it could be used powdered like yeast without letting it set for days. I might try it.
Mine was a wild yeast. I did use my dehydrator but I don’t remember what temperature tho.Really low. I don’t think it would work like a powered yeast. It’s more of a dehydrated starter.