How to Activate Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

What you will need:

  1. Your dehydrated starter- If you bought your starter from me, it came with 10g of dehydrated starter. You’re only going to need 5g to make your starter. You can store the other 5g for a later use. Need starter? Buy some from me here!

  2. All purpose flour (I use organic unbleached white flour from Costco)

  3. Filtered water (room temperature)

  4. A mason jar (you will need a clean container each day to transfer it to… you can use a cup or jar and put your mason jar bowl cover on top!)

  5. Food scale- this is important. I am going to be giving specific measurements in grams. I do not recommend eye-balling it.

DAY 1:

  • Pour 5g of your dehydrated starter into the mason jar

  • Add 25g of purified water (warm or room temperature- don’t use cold water) to the jar and mix. Let it sit for 30 minutes, allowing the dehydrated started to dissolve.

  • After 30 minutes have passed, add in 20g of flour and mix.

  • Put the jar cover or lid back on, store on your counter, and let it sit for 24 hours. (This is now going to referred as your starter. You will not need to use anymore of the dehydrated mix.) If you put the lid on the jar, just place it on top. Do not screw it. Fermentation causes gas to be released.

DAY 2:

  • Take 10g of your newly hydrated starter, and put it in a new container. You can discard the remaining starter.

  • In the new jar, mix in 25g of water and 25g of flour with the starter.

  • Put the jar cover or lid back on, store on your counter, and let it sit for 24 hours.

DAY 3:

  • Take 10g of your starter, and put it in a new container. You can discard the remaining starter.

  • In the new jar, mix in 25g of water and 25g of flour with the starter.

  • Put the jar cover or lid back on, store on your counter, and let it sit for 24 hours.

DAY 4:

  • Take 10g of your starter, and put it in a new container. You can discard the remaining starter.

  • In the new jar, mix in 25g of water and 25g of flour with the starter.

  • Put the jar cover or lid back on, store on your counter, and let it sit for 12-24 hours.

DAY 5:

  • Once your starter is bubbly and has doubled in size, it is ready to use!

  • If your starter isn’t very bubbly, you can repeat Day 4, and it should come out nice and bubbly.

If you don’t want to bake right away- no worries! Just place your starter in the fridge until you’re ready. You will need to feed your starter a few hours before using it. Once your starter is freshly fed, it is ready to use. To understand starter a little better, check out my sourdough starter blog.

Now that your starter is active and ready to use, it’s time to start baking!

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3 Tips for Gluten-Sensitive Sourdough Bread Lovers