Starting your sourdough

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Now what?!

Welcome to the world of sourdough! First, thank you for purchasing one of our freeze dried sourdough starter packs. We've been using our sourdough for a couple years and originally our sourdough starter came from a Colorado Rocky Mountain starter. To set you up for success we made sure our sourdough was at peak activity and freeze dried it for long term preservation and the best results when activating it for the first time. 

Since the intent of this post is starter activation supplementing your purchase , lets get to it!

Pick a glass or ceramic type container as a new home for your sourdough. Weck or Mason type jars are very popular options. Since sourdough feeds from wild yeasts in the air a cloth covering or loose fitting lid is ideal. 

Add a 1/4 cup room temp or luke warm water to the jar. Like store bought yeast you don't want the water over 110* or it may kill the active part of the sourdough. Add the contents of your starter packet and mix well. 

Let it rest for a couple hours. Really that's plenty long, this step is just to let it rehydrate. Then add 1/4 cup of flour of your choice and mix well.  Place in a warm place then wait about 12 hours. 

After 12 hours add another 1/4 cup flour and only enough water to make a thick consistency. Think a thicker pancake batter consistency.  Again let it rest for about 12 hours. 

Now add a 1/2 cup flour and again enough water for a thick consistency. Leave it to rest for 24 hours. 

Now I would discard the starter leaving 1/2 cup and repeat the adding of 1/2 cup flour and water as usual. 

Repeat these last steps for about a week. 

After 3-4 days you should start seeing signs of life. Small bubbles in your sourdough and on the surface. If you like you can start using it in discard recipes vs discarding the extra. 

After another couple days you should have a active starter that will keep working hard for you as long as you feed it. 

You're well on your way!

Make you sourdough starter work for you! 

You can grow or shrink the amount of starter you keep on hand simply by how much discard you keep and feed.  If don't have time, are on vacation, or are just done with sourdough for a while simply feed your starter well and place it in a refrigerator until you are ready for it again. I've left mine for a couple months at a time although I don't recommend that long. It will develop a thin clear liquid on the top (by product of the digestion of the flour), this is not harmful, many people will just stir it in and go back to their feeding routine. I usually pour it off and remove any discolored sourdough from the top and then feed it. It may take a feeding or two to become normally active again. Knowing that you can put  your sourdough in time out takes the pressure off of trying to use it daily long term. 

I've noticed that many sourdough "tutorials" say to weigh your starter/flour/water every feeding. I've found that adding a similar ratio of starter/flour/water by relying on a thick pancake batter consistency works just as well. I feel that a simple process is important, the simpler it is the more likely you'll keep up with it and enjoy  it. Ma Ingalls and early  homesteaders likely would have thought the idea of using a kitchen scale for sourdough was crazy. LOL. 

A recipe source. For all recipes sourdough, Lisa with Farmhouse on Boone is your best friend. Her recipes are daily used, family tested,  and won't steer you wrong! https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/category/recipes/sourdough

If you want a backup starter, once your starter is active you can dehydrate or freeze a small amount in case its needed.