Reminder that it is always a good time to dry some of your starter so you have a back up in case your starter has an accident or you want to gift some starter in a mailable form!
Recipe: 5g starter mixed with 10g Kirkland Organic AP flour and 10g filtered water.
Mix starter and water together until starter is dissolved. Add flour, mix until fully incorporated. Let rise until peaked.
Drying: Spread starter thinly across a silicone baking sheet or piece of parchment paper in a sheet pan. Allow to dry.
– In the oven with a light on, 80°F or below works well to dry out overnight.
– Or at room temperature with a second sheet pan inverted over top also works but might take 2-3 days.
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Once the starter looks dry, flip pieces of it over to be sure any slightly thicker pieces can fully dry from both sides.
When completely dried all the way through, break up into pieces and place in a ziplock type bag, pressing all the air out as you seal it. Pre-label your bag with the date and starter name. I roll up the filled bags and store them in a Kilner jar, clipped shut, in a dark, dry storage cupboard.
I make dried starter every couple months, specifically for back up in case of an unrecoverable problem with my fresh starter.
This sub’s Wiki has instructions for dehydrating and rehydrating starters from various resources.
https://reddit.com/r/sourdough/wiki/index
by IceDragonPlay
4 Comments
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Thank you for the post! I have started doing a thing where I take the parchment paper I’m drying it on and crease it in the middle. I dump the starter at the fold and close the two sheets together. Then you can use a rolling pin to insure that it is really thin and it will dry much faster.
You can also grind up these chips in a spice grinder, or any blade grinder, then put the powder into tiny mason jars and send to friends. Cute gift. Or hoard them for yourself in preparation for the end times. Either or.
I have been meaning to do just that for a while now, so thank you!