Activating Your Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

I sell my dehydrated starter in 10 gram increments, however the steps below only require 5 grams. This is in case people have a difficult time rehydrating the starter the first time or want to share with a friend. Dehydrated starter will not be immediately ready to use, but with a little patience and care your starter will be ready to use in just a few days!

What you need:

Make it stand out

• Mason jar or similar glass jar

• Something to stir with — I prefer using a small plastic spatula but have seen people use all sorts of things including chopsticks!

• Digital kitchen scale

• All purpose or bread flour (unbleached!)

Steps:

Day One

1. In a small bowl or jar, mix 5 grams of dehydrated sourdough starter with 15 grams of 80 °F water. 

2. Allow the starter and water to sit for about 2 hours, or until the dried starter dissolves. 

3. Stir in 15 grams of flour. 

4. Cover and put in a warm spot overnight or for 12 - 14 hours.

Day Two

1. There may not be visible signs of activity at this point. 

2. Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g of flour and 10 g of water. 

Day Three

1. You may begin to see signs of activity at this point such as small bubbles and a slightly sour aroma. 

2. Without discarding any of what is in the jar, stir in 10 g of flour and 10 g of water. 

Day Four

1. You should see clear signs of activity at this point. The starter will have risen since the last feeding and you will see bubbles. 

2. Discard all but 15 g of the starter. 

3. To the 15 g of starter add 30 g of water and 30 g of flour. 

Day Five

Your starter should be very active at this point. It will have doubled in size, be very bubbly, and smell sweet with just a hint of sourness. By Day 5 your starter will likely be active. The time it takes to peak will have shortened from the previous days. 

1. Discard all but 15 g of the starter. 

2. To the 15 g of starter, add 30 g of water and 30 g of flour. 

3. Return to a warm spot in your kitchen.

4. Check your starter around the 7-hour mark. If it has close to tripled in size, then repeat the same feeding as you did in the AM. If it has not yet peaked, let it go another hour or two before checking again. 

5. At this point, your starter should be active enough to bake with. 

If your starter takes another day or two to become active, that is normal. Sourdough starter can be very sensitive to temperature and in colder months can take longer to become active. If you continue to not see any activity in your starter after day 7, check out King Arthur Baking’s blog on troubleshooting your starter.