How To Dry Your Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Starter for Long Term Storage
How to dry out and save your fresh milled flour sourdough starter for longer term storage. This is one of the best ways to make a "backup" of your precious sourdough starter. So, let me share with you how simple this process really is. Then, I will teach you how to rehydrate to reactivate your starter.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Mature and very active sourdough starter 50g
Instructions
Drying Out The Sourdough Starter
- Firstly, make sure your sourdough starter is nice and strong before drying it out. You need to make sure it is strong enough to sustain the process. I recommend a starter that has been consistently doubling for at least a month before trying this.
- I recommend to feed your starter about 3-5 hours before this, so that is is strong and at it's peak.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Then spread a very thin layer of your sourdough starter evenly on the parchment paper (Less than 1/8 inch thick.) If it is too thick, or uneven it won't dry all the way through. So, the thinner you spread it out the faster it will dry completely.
- Place the baking sheet uncovered in a dry area at room temperature, but away from sunlight, heat, pets, and children. Try to keep away from humid areas, as this will add moisture back into your starter.
- Let the sourdough starter dry completely. This can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. If it takes longer than that, start over, it was either too humid, or too thick.
- Once it is completely dry it should be brittle, and have o soft or sticky spots left.
- With clean dry hands, break the sourdough starter into small pieces or flakes.
- Then, put them into airtight containers or bags. You can keep this at room temperature (out of direct sunlight, and keep humidity out.) BUT, I like to keep it in the freezer for even longer term storage.
Rehydrating (Reactivating) The Dried Sourdough Starter
- To rehydrate and activate your dried sourdough starter, use about 1 TBSP dried sourdough starter, and put it in a clean dry jar.
- Add 1 TBSP room temperature filtered water (Not chlorinated or softened) to the jar to rehydrate the starter. Then, let it sit for 2-4 hours to soften.
- Once the starter has softened, then you can feed as normal. So, equal parts starter, flour, and water. (Ex. 50g starter, 50g water, 50g fresh milled flour.)
- Stir this together with a clean utensil, and let it sit for 24 hours.
- Continue feeding the starter twice a day (and discarding) with equal parts starter, flour and water. Within a few days, the starter should become active and bubbly again, ready for use in baking.
- By following these steps, you can effectively dry out and store your sourdough starter for future use, ensuring you always have a backup on hand.
Video
Notes
How Long Does It Last? When dried completely, and then stored properly, a sourdough starter can last indefinitely at room temperature. But, freezing can give you extra piece of mind. So, here are some things to consider when thinking about long term storage. In the video linked above, I show all the steps involved, and talk about the differences between reactivating frozen vs room temperature dried fresh milled flour sourdough starter. *(See full post for storage tips, and what to avoid and look for.)