Essential Steps to Rehydrate and Feed Your New Dried Sourdough Starter

Starting with dried sourdough starter can feel like a mystery if you’ve never worked with it before. But with the right steps, you’ll soon have a lively, bubbly starter ready to bake delicious bread. This guide walks you through the process of waking up your dried starter and feeding it properly, so it grows strong and healthy.

What You Need Before You Begin

Before rehydrating your dried sourdough starter, gather these simple items:

• A clean glass container (about 1-quart size)

• A kitchen scale or measuring cups

• Unbleached all-purpose

• Filtered or bottled water at room temperature (avoid chlorinated tap water)

• A spoon or spatula for mixing

• A breathable cover like a cloth or paper towel with a rubber band

  
  

Having these ready will make the process smooth and help your starter thrive.

Step 1: Rehydrate Your Dried Starter

Dried starter is dormant and needs water to wake up. This step reactivates the yeast and bacteria in the starter, preparing it for feeding. Here’s how to do it:

1. Measure 10g of dried sourdough starter into your glass jar.

2. Add 50g of water into the jar and mix them together until most of the starter is moistened.

3. Allow your mixture to sit at room temperature (around 70°F or 21°C) for 24 hours to allow the yeast to come out of dormancy.

Step 2: First Feeding After Rehydration

Now that the yeast is awake, it’s time to feed it:

1. To the rehydrated starter, add 50 grams (about 1/3 cup) of flour and 50 grams (about 1/4 cup) of water.

2. Stir until smooth and no dry flour remains. Your mixture should be thick, similar to pancake batter

3. Cover loosely again and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

   
   

Step 3: Establish a Consistent Feeding Schedule

For the next 5 to 7 days, keep feeding your starter once every 24 hours while following this routine:

• Discard about half of the starter mixture so you have 50g remaining.

• Add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water to the remaining starter.

• Stir well and cover loosely.

• Let it rest at room temperature for 24 hours

  
  

Discarding part of the starter keeps the acidity balanced and prevents it from growing too large too fast. You’ll notice the starter becoming more bubbly and doubling in size within 6 to 8 hours after feeding. This is a sign it’s getting strong.

Step 4: Knowing When Your Starter Is Ready to Bake

Your starter is ready when it:

• Doubles in size within 4 to 6 hours after feeding

• Has a pleasant, tangy aroma (not sour or rotten)

• Is bubbly and active on the surface and throughout

  
  

If your starter meets these criteria, you can use it to bake sourdough bread. If not, keep feeding and watching for these signs.

Step 5: Maintaining Your Starter Long-Term

If you are going to maintain a weekly baking schedule, you will have to keep it healthy by maintaining the daily and consistent feeding schedule so that your starter is ready to go when you need it.

If you are keeping your starter at room temperature, you might benefit from a 1:2:2 ratio. This means feeding your 50g of starter with 100 grams of flour and 100g of water. This will give your starter more flour to "eat" and put your peak closer to 6 to 8 hours.

If you prefer to keep your starter in the fridge and eliminate the daily feedings- you just need to pull your starter out of the fridge the night before you feed it to bake so that it can come up to room temperature.

Regular feeding keeps the yeast and bacteria balanced and ready for baking whenever you want.