Revive & Rise
Bring Your Starter to Life and Start Baking
How to Rehydrate Sourdough Starter Culture
* Use dechlorinated or bottled spring/drinking water ONLY for rehydrating your starter.
DAY 1
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In a clean and dry jar, combine 5 g of dehydrated starter with 15 g of lukewarm water. Place the mixture in a warm spot in the kitchen, around 78-80 degrees F. Let it sit for a couple of hours, giving time for the starter to dissolve. Stir occasionally.
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Stir in 10 g of flour. Consistency should be a thick pancake batter.
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Cover with a loose fitting lid and place in a warm spot in the kitchen. Leave it alone overnight, or for 12-14 hours.
DAY 2
There may not be noticeable activity at this point.
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Without discarding any of what’s in the jar, stir in 10 g of flour and 10 g of water.
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Cover and leave overnight, or for 12-14 hours.
DAY 3
You may begin to see signs of activity at this point, such as, small bubbles and a slightly sour aroma.
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Repeat steps from DAY 2.
DAY 4
You should see clear signs of activity at this point. The starter should have risen since the last feeding and you will see bubbles.
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Discard all but 15 g of the starter.
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To the 15 grams of starter, stir in 30 g of flour and 30 g of water.
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Cover and leave overnight, or 12-14 hours.
DAY 5
Your starter should be very active at this point. It will have doubled in size, be very bubbly, and smell sweet with a hint of sour. Today your starter should be active enough to bake with.
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Discard all but 15 g of the starter.
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To the 15 grams of starter, stir in 30 g of flour and 30 g of water.
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Cover and check on it in 6-7 hours. If it has reached its peak, its ready to bake with. If still rising, give it another hour or two before checking again.
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When fully peaked, use for making bread or other delicious baked goods.
How to Maintain Your
Sourdough Starter Culture
Once your sourdough starter is rehydrated, keep it alive by feeding it regularly. If it’s left out on the counter, feed it once a day. If you store it in the fridge, it goes into a hibernation mode and doesn’t need regular feeding. For each feeding, use a 1:3:2 ratio: 1 part sourdough starter, 3 parts all-purpose flour, and 2 parts water. After feeding, the starter should be a very thick pancake like batter. So thick that if you turned the jar upside down, it wouldn’t easily pour out. For additional tips, check out our workshops page for opportunities to learn more about sourdough and get hands-on support.
* Use dechlorinated or bottled spring/drinking water ONLY for feeding your starter.
Sourdough Recipes
Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup granulated sugar
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
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1/2 cup sourdough discard
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3/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
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1 large egg
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Directions:
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Preheat oven to 425°F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a seperate mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, sourdough discard, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
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Gently fiold wet ingredients into dry with a spatula. Once batter is almost combined, add blueberries and continue to mix until blueberries are spread evenly through batter. Do not over-mix batter!
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Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin and place in oven on the center rack. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Muffins should be golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
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Allow muffins to cool slightly before transfering to a cooling rack.
Crackers
Ingredients:
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1 cup sourdough discard
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1 cup bread flour
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1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling on top
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
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2 tablespoons dried herbs of choice
Directions:
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Mix together sourdough discard, flour, salt, butter, and herbs to make a smooth and cohesive dough.
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Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours until the dough is firm.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Working with one piece of dough at a time, lightly flour a piece of parchment paper, a rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
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Place dough onto the floured parchment paper and roll to about 1/16" thick.
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Transfer parchment and rolled out dough onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with butter or oil and sprinkle salt over the top of the dough.
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Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch squares using a rolling pizza wheel. Prick each cracker with a fork to help air from becoming trapped and puffing up crackers as they bake.
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Roll and cut the second piece of dough following the same directions as above.
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Bake crackers for 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned and golden.
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When fully browned to liking, remove crackers from oven and place parchment and crackers on a cooling rack. Store crackers well wrapped at room temperature.
Sourdough Bread
Ingredients:
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10g salt
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100g bubbly, active starter
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330g warm water
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500g bread flour
Directions:
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Make the dough: Whisk the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine, use your hands or standing mixer with the dough attachment to form dough. If mixing by hand, mix for 10 minutes, if using a mixer, 5-6 minutes. When completed, cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
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Stretch and fold: After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into the center. Rotate slightly and repeat until you’ve made this series of folds 4 times. Let the dough rest another 30 mintes and repeat the stretch and fold process. Do this for a total of 4 times in 2 hours.
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Bulk fermentation: Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature for about 8 hours. Less time if you live in a warm environment. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50%.
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Shape: Coax the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape into a round by folding the top down to the center, turn the dough and repeat the process full circle. Next create a little tension on the dough my pushing and pulling the dough slightly to create a nice round.
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Rest: Let the dough round you just made rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a bowl or proofing basket with a towel and dust with rice flour if you have it on hand. After the 30 minute rest, create tension again on your dough round using the same method before or a "caddy clasp" method before placing in the proofing basket seam side up.
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Proof: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 - 48 hours. *I personally like to wait at least 24 hrs for a nice slow fermentation time in the fridge.
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Score: Place a dutch oven in your oven and preheat your oven to 500°F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the size of dutch oven. Place the parchment paper over the dough and flip the bowl upside-down to release. Using the tip of a sharp knife or razor blade, score the dough in any design you desire. A simple “X” will do. Use the parchment to carefully transfer the dough into the preheated baking dish and place on lid.
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Bake: Lower the oven temperature to 450°F. Place dutch oven back in oven for baking. Bake the dough for 30 minutes covered. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 425°F and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes. Internal temperature of the bread should read between 205-210°F. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. This loaf will stay fresh for about 3 days or so. Store at room temperature in a bread bag or an airtight container. You can also freeze it.
Thanks for shopping with us and happy baking!
These recipes are only the beginning, and we invite you to try our other sourdough starter varieties for even more delicious inspiration.
