How to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter

This video is an excerpt from "50 Ways to Kill Your Starter" and includes instructions and a demonstration of how to dehydrate a starter for sharing or safe keeping.
If you like this video, please subscribe to my channel, The Sourdough Journey.
Thank you!
Tom Cucuzza
The Sourdough Journey
Cleveland, OH

[@Isabel_fit]

I found your videos last night and I’m obsessed! Thank you ♥️

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Thank you.

[@barrychambers4047]

Send it to your friends in the mail, too! Some people mix their starters with other people's starter to make super starters! Best to wait until the pandemic is over for this trick, though.

[@thesourdoughjourney]

That's a good idea.

[@suzannelabreche904]

Will do - many thanks

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Good luck!

[@gabea.2123]

Hey that's great, I was actually thinking of doing that today. Every week I give away portions of my starter to neighbours, friends etc. and was thinking that it would be cool to be able to mail them dry starter instead. Anyway, I digress. My question is: do you feed your starter before you dehydrate it so it's at peak for bacteria/yeast or it doesn't matter? Second, since you have your dry starter jar there, how about you make another video on how to hydrate it back to life? Thanks and I enjoy a lot your videos!

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Thank you! I’ve done both. Sometimes I dehydrate fed starter and sometimes I just dehydrate the discard before feeding. I have not seen a difference. I am making a “rehydration” video also. Thanks for the feedback!

[@gabea.2123]

@@thesourdoughjourney Thanks!

[@-Never-bored]

Whew. Thanks doing it now

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Good luck.

[@suzannelabreche904]

Do you have a video on how to revive your dehydrated sourdough starter??? Love your videos - you’re my go-to source.

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Thank you. I do not have a video but I recommend the process used in the King Arthur website. This is the process I have used in the past. www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/05/01/putting-sourdough-starter-hold

[@UrbanSikeborg]

Using dried starter can be a convenient method if you only bake once a week or so and don't want to deal with the excess, sourdough discard from maintaining a liquid starter. Use only healthy, vigorous (=recently fed) starter to dry (discarded sourdough would probably be too acidic and tired). You can pulverize the dried starter flakes/crumbs in a blender, if you wish, turning it into a sort-of "self-rizing" flour. Keep it in a sealed glass jar. The day before you intend to bake, mix some - one or two spoons - dried starter with lukewarm water (same weight) and put the container in a bowl with warm water. After 3-4 hours, the yeast cells and lactic acid bacteria have been activated. Feed it with more flour and water, cover and let ferment in room temperature till the following day, to use as is. Less fuzz than with having to maintain an active liquid starter all the time. Dried sourdough starter will keep a year, at least, but more likely for centuries, as Tom said.

[@DANVIIL]

@@UrbanSikeborg I've lefft my starter in the refrigerator for 4 months+ with a little bit of flour sprinkled on top. I then feed it 3 times over 2 days and bake that evening and the loaves come out fine. The hooch that develops on top of the discard protects it from mold, in my experience. Just use a clean jar to store it in.

[@phils2795]

Great video. My starter is pretty stiff and I don't think I can get it to easily spread. How can I convert it (feed it) to a starter that is easier to work with for spreading on the parchment paper.

[@thesourdoughjourney]

Thanks. My starter is fed equal parts flour and water. You can just feed yours more water and stir it up until it is the right consistency. This does not harm your starter in any way. It’s just water.