How to make Dehydrated sourdough starter and reviving it?

Step 1

Take a measured quantity of ripe, and mature starter. By ripe I mean the starter, should be fed, active, and bubbly. A starter more than 5-6 months old is considered mature. ( for more details read the post)

Step 2

Prepare a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. for the sake of convenience, secure the parchment paper on the baking tray with tape.

Step 3

Put the starter on one side, on the parchment paper, and start to spread it towards the other side using an offset spatula or a silicone spatula. Try to make a thin layer so that it dries faster. ( instead of parchment paper you can use a silicone mat)

Step 4

Place the tray in a cool and well-ventilated place in your kitchen. let it air-dry for 24 to 42 hours until it dries off completely. the starter will leave the parchment paper and become like dry chips.

Step 5

Now transfer these starter chips/pieces/ starter shards to a food processor and give them a pulse.

Step 6

Transfer the powdered dry sourdough starter into an airtight glass jar, or a Ziploc packet, and store for as long as you want.

Step 7

Weigh the starter and mix with an equal quantity of flour and warm water. The temperature of the water should be around 100-110 0 F.I recommend you start with 15 grams of dry starter and mix in 15 grams of warm water.

Step 8

Let the dry starter rehydrate for 3 to 4 hours until it regains a starter-like consistency. By the end of time, if you are lucky, you will see one or two bubbles on the surface of the rehydrated starter.

Step 9

Feeding 1:Now is the time for the first feeding. Add 30 grams of each, whole wheat flour and water, and mix well. Cover the jar, and let it rest in a warm corner of the kitchen for 9-12 hours or overnight. Be flexible here, you want to let the starter rest until you see considerable activity. If you feel the need, extend this period until 24 hours. The starter should get bubbly. (refer to images)

Step 10

Feeding 2: Discard 45 grams of the starter and feed 45 grams of flour and water each.

Step 11

Let the starter regain its vigor. Keep it covered on the kitchen counter for 6-7 hours and observe its activity. It should start to rise. To keep track of its activity, place an elastic band around the jar.

Step 12

Feeding 3: Give another feeding, by discarding 65 grams of the starter and feeding with 65 grams of flour and water each. Your dehydrated starter should have regained its normal activity by this point. (I was able to revive my starter by this point but in case the starter has not shown normal activity after feeding 3 go ahead and do another feeding.)

Step 13

Feeding and maintenance of the starter: Go ahead and start your normal starter feeding and maintenance schedule. Start by discarding 100g of the starter and add 100 g of water and flour each.

Step 14

Now go ahead, and use this starter to bake your favorite bread! Something like this...