Sourdough Care

Rehydrating “Billy” Sourdough Starter

Tools

  • Glass Jar
  • Small spatula or utensil for mixing 
  • Kitchen scale 

Ingredients

  • Dehydrated sourdough starter 
  • Water 
  • Unbleached flour 


Day 1

In the morning…

Pour 10 grams of crumbled “Billy” sourdough starter into a glass jar. Add 25g of room temperature water into the jar. Stir to combine, make sure your starter is completely submerged in the water. Cover the jar with a lid and let it sit for an hour in a toasty spot in your home (in front of your wood stove or next to your oven are great spots!).

1 hour later, add 20g of flour. Mix it thoroughly to make sure it’s all combined.
* You’ll want it to be a loose tooth paste consistency. If it’s thicker than this, add a dash of water. By establishing a thinner consistency, you’re creating a great environment for yeast and bacteria to activate!


Cover your starter with a lid and store in a warm place for 24h.


Day 2

Your mixture should look smooth. It’s very unlikely you’ll see any signs of activity just yet (bubbles), this should be happening around day 4.
To feed your starter, keep 10g of your starter and throw out the rest. In a new, clean jar, combine your 10g of starter with 25g of flour and 25g of water. Mix well so that everything is combined. 

Cover your starter with a lid and once again, store in a warm place for 24h.


Day 3

You may notice that your starter has a couple of small bubbles at the surface. This is a great sign!
Repeat the same steps to feed your starter as you did on Day 2.


Day 4

On day 4, you should see more bubbles than the previous day. You’re almost there! 

Repeat the same steps to feed your starter as you did on Day 2.

*By the evening,10-12h after feeding, you should see lots of small bubbles and it may have even begun to rise. Let it continue to sit overnight with the lid on. 


Day 5

Your starter has likely doubled in size by the morning with lots of bubbles present. *If your starter didn’t completely double in size, don’t worry. It may just need a bit more time to rise, or, may need another feeding. 

To be sure it’s ready to bake with, do a float test: take a blob of starter and drop it into a cup of water. If it floats, it’s ready!

Continue daily feedings as you wish, or, if you’re an occasional baker, you can store your activated starter in the fridge.