These examples used Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter. Your results may or
may not be the same using another sourdough starter.
You can stop by the
Carl Griffith's Sourdough Page
if you would like a batch of the dried starter to try for your self or if you
just want to learn more about this heirloom sourdough starter.
Note the longevity, speed of activation, dehydration and
storage capabilities vary with the type of starter you are
using, how much of it you start with, and the environmental conditions.
In other words, your mileage may vary.
Reactivation
Starter that has been dried may be reactivated
using the following instructions.
1. Place a teaspoon or two of the dried starter in a glass or plastic container.
I use a wide mouth quart canning jar.
2. Measure out about 1/3 cup of water and 1/4 cup or more of flour, the exact amounts are not
critical just aim for something a little thicker than pancake batter.
A note about the flour and water:
Bread flour works best but
all purpose may be used. DO NOT use self rising flour. I use filtered water that has
the chlorine removed. If you don't have filtered water you can either let the water
sit out a day or so, buy bottled water or try tap water. Remember this starter is
a living organism and what
we feed it does matter.
3. Add the water, stir to begin to dissolve the chunks of starter.
4. Add the flour and stir well for 15 seconds or so to get as much oxygen
into the mix as you can. Don't worry if all of the flour doesn't dissolve. The starter
will break down any lumps of flour that remain.
5. Cover with a paper towel and use either the canning jar
ring or a rubber band to secure the paper towel. Place this jar in a warmish place. Take care
that the starter doesn't get too warm. It is better to be too cool than too warm. I
keep mine on the counter next to the fridge.
IMPORTANT! Do NOT seal this container tightly. The starter is
alive and will need to breathe. Closing the container tightly could
result in the jar EXPLODING!. The paper towel will keep out dust
and allow the exchange of oxygen.
6. After 12 hours (depending on the species of starter and temperature, maybe sooner,
maybe later) you may begin to see bubles appearing. Look inside the jar and around
the outside. The bubbles mean that the starter is waking up. Stir the starter to
incorporate in more oxygen. Replace the paper towel.
Feeding
7. After 24 hours more bubbles should appear and it may start to have that
sour/alcohol smell. This is good. It is also time to feed it. Add another
round of flour and water. The exact amount isn't critical but you want the
starter to be a bit thicker than pancake batter but much thinner than biscuit
dough. Stir well, cover with the paper towel and put back in it's warm place.
8. After 36 hours this batch of starter is active. It can be used in
any sourdough recipe, dried, to give to friends
or keep as a backup. See maintaining your starter below for instructions
on how to keep it alive.
Maintaining your starter
This starter should be fed every 24 hours while it lives on your cabinet.
To feed your starter add flour and water as in #7 above. Some people add sugar, milk,
potato water etc. when they feed. I never have. I have only fed with water and bread
flour and have never had a problem. If you find that the starter stops bubbling and starts
to go dromant before the next feeding consider increasing the amount of the
feeding. It is probably not enough for the amount of starter you have.
At some point your jar will become full. When that happens you can
give the extra away, dry it, or as a last resort, pour all
but about 1/4 cup down the sink. I like to keep two jars going in the fridge in
addition to my dried backup. I had a jar break on me once and another time a batch
become contaminated with soap by a well meaning dishwasher.
If you need to go on vacation or just want a break see 'Storing your Starter' below.
Storing your Starter
If you don't anticipate using it for a couple of weeks you can let it go dormant in
the fridge. After a normal feeding place the jar on your counter as per usual for
an hour or so. Then replace the paper towel with a piece of plastic wrap or
sandwich bag and place the starter in the bottom of the fridge and leave it alone.
The plastic is to keep the starter from spilling but allow room for
expansion. The living process will continue in the fridge, just at a slower rate.
Some people feed it every two weeks or so while it is in the fridge. I never have.
I tend to go through cycles of heavy use and no use. During the no use times it
probably averages a feeding once every 3 months or so but has gone as long as 6 months
between feedings. I wouldn't advise going that long between feedings on
a regular basis.
After several weeks you may see the plastic bulging at the top
and a greyish black liquid gathering on top of the white starter. This is
normal. The dark liquid is actually a mixture of water and alcohol
produced by the starter.
A couple of days before you want to use your starter take it out of the
fridge, Stir the liquid back in, stirring well and feed it. Pour
off some first if you need room in the jar. Continue to feed
and pour off as necessary until the starter looks like the batch in #8 above.
Drying Instructions:
When your starter is active (bubbly) it is ready for use or drying.
To dry give it one more feeding, stir well and let sit till the bubbles start to appear (see #6 above).
Pour some starter out about 1/8" to 1/4" thick onto plastic sheets, plastic
plates or waxed paper and let dry. This may take several days or even a week
depending the temperature, humidity and thickness of the starter. I have thinned
mine with a little water prior to pouring . It can actually speed up the process.
When the top gets good and dry I peel of the sheet of starter and turn
it over to expose the bottom to hasten drying.
Once the starter is very dry I put it in the blender and add an equal or slightly lesser
amount of flour. This is blended for a short time. Blending too long will heat it up
too much. Not good.
Usually I blend till the pieces are small, about the size of rice or wheat grains.
This is put in a tightly sealed jar and stored in the freezer. I have kept my dried s.d. starter in the freezer
several years and it has activated nicely but my guess is it will survive much longer if kept frozen and
completely dry.
This dry culture can be handed out to friends or kept as a backup. When I reactivate it
I generally use no more than a couple of teaspoons to about a tablespoon of the dried stuff.
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