Dehydrating Sourdough Starter

Many people have told me they struggle with their sourdough baking, and I experienced the same difficulties at first. I began attempting to make sourdough bread over a year ago. I created my own starter and managed to bake a few loaves, but they didn't turn out well. Despite feeling like I was doing everything right, my loaves were flat, sticky, extremely dense, and didn't rise properly. It was incredibly frustrating, so I decided to throw everything out and give up, thinking it was too complicated for me. A friend of mine also wanted to make sourdough bread but chose not to create her own starter, opting instead to get some from a neighbor who already had some. I wondered if using her starter could solve my problems. She gave me a little of it, and I added it to my own starter. It was a game changer!

Suddenly, after feeding my starter, it more than doubled in size. I continued to feed it and then attempted to bake bread again. I was amazed at how beautiful and simple the process seemed now. It appears that there are many techniques for making sourdough bread, and they all can lead to success. However, the most crucial element, in my opinion, is your starter! A good starter results in good bread. While there are many ways to make mistakes, such as incorrect measurements or not being patient, the one essential component is having a good, active starter!

I've started sharing my starter with a few friends so they can also find success. I even am not dehydrating my starter, "Emma" and keep her in sealed vacuum bags as a backup in case something happens to my jars. I've also sent her to others now through the mail who have asked for help with their starter. Baking bread has become a truly satisfying hobby for me. We love the taste and all the health benefits of homemade sourdough. If you'd like some help getting started, email me at b.mae.live@gmail.com, and I can send you some dehydrated Emma to kick off your bread-making journey.

How to Rehydrate Emma (My Sourdough Starter)

In a clean jar or bowl combine 5 grams of the dried sourdough starter with 25 grams of warm water. Stir well and make sure all starter is fully submerged with water. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 hour till all the starter is softened.

After the starter is rehydrated, add 25 grams of bread flour to the mixture. (I have always used King Arthur's Bread flour in my starter, many people use AP flour but I like the higher protein in bread flour) Stir well and ensure there are no dry lumps. The consistency should be a very thick pancake like batter. If it is too thick add a bit more water and if it is too thin add a bit more flour.

Cover the jar with a loose-fitting lid and place the starter in a warm spot, ideally around 78 degrees. Within 12-14 hours you should start to see signs of activity, such as bubbles and expansion. If the starter is not rising, it may need another feeding. Usually, you have to feed a dehydrated starter 2-3 times to get it active again. Before each feeding you can discard a portion (usually about half) and feed it again with equal parts flour and warm water. The starter should eventually double in size within a few hours after feeding it. You have not brought it back to its hydrated state and active.

Once it is consistently doubling in size it is ready to go.

Happy Baking!