How to Easily Dehydrate Your Sourdough Starter

Now that you have created your own starter from scratch, you know it takes time and money. Once your sourdough starter is well established, you depend on it for your baking needs.

Or, if you, like me, have been caring for your starter for several years you know the love and attention you have put into it.

Either way, you don’t want to risk something happening to your starter.

Picture of active sourdough starter in a jar with a measuring cup full of flour, a wooden spoon and a teal cloth napkin

Why Would You Want to Dehydrate a Sourdough Starter?

Drying or dehydrating some of your active sourdough starter, is a great safety measure or backup solution, especially because a dry sourdough starter can last a very long time.

You can reduce the risk of losing your established starter to mold or neglect. Liken it to an insurance policy for your sourdough starter.

You never have to stress about it becoming contaminated or breaking the jar.

If your starter does become infected, you don’t have to start from scratch; you can just reactive your dried starter.

It’s also the perfect form for sharing with friends near and far, it’s easy to package up plus you’re not giving away all your canning jars, LOL.

I have heard so many nightmares from fellow bakers who stored their starter in their oven with the light on to keep it warm, only to have another family member come along, turn on the oven and bake the starter – Poof! It’s GONE.

What is Dehydrated or Dry Sourdough Starter?

It is a mature sourdough starter that has been dried out and broken down to shards or reduced to powder.

All the good bacteria and yeasts are still there. You just need to reactivate it.

By dehydrating the water and moisture from the starter, you suspend the established colonies of yeast and bacteria indefinitely. This makes it easier to store, transfer, and mail.

When you are ready to rehydrate or activate the sourdough starter again, you simply add water and flour to the flakes. You’ll find a step-by-step guide to Activate a Dehydrated Sourdough Starter here.

The Benefits of Dehydrated Sourdough Starter:

Many situations in life may cause a long break from your sourdough journey: having a baby, surgery or poor health, moving, home renovations or being busy at work.

Moving: You know when you move, your life is chaotic. There is a good chance you will forget to feed your starter; or, with extended hotel room stays, etc. you do not have the tools to do so. Dehydrated starter to the rescue.

Vacations: While your starter can live in your fridge for quite some time, if you’re on an extended vacation, it’s comforting to have a backup. ALSO, you can take dry starter with you and bake sourdough bread while on vacation.

Extended Illness: Illness and surgeries can have you on your back for weeks. You want the comfort of knowing your starter is there when you’ve recuperated.

Give your starter as gifts.

Mail your starter to friends across the country

Maybe you want to sell your sourdough starter.

How Old should your Starter be before you dry it?

At least 3 months old, consistently doubles when fed; and consistently makes good bread. It’s not beneficial to dry a newer starter.

picture of painting sourdough starter onto a piece of parchment paper to dehydrate it

How to Easily Dehydrate Your Sourdough Starter:

Drying your starter is a simple process.

Feed your starter. This will ensure the most active yeast. Watch for it to peak.

Use a pastry brush to spread a very thin layer of the starter on a non-stick surface. I like to use a piece of parchment paper; you could also use a silicone mat.

Leave the starter-covered paper in a well-ventilated place to air dry thoroughly. Anchor it down so it doesn’t blow off the table. As you know, a wet starter is no fun to clean up. I usually do this in the summer months as it’s quicker than doing it in the winter.

picture of dried sourdough starter sitting on top of a piece of parchment paper

Once it has dried completely, the paper will be wrinkled and the starter will be mostly unstuck from the paper. The finish will be dull instead of shiny and wet.

TIP: Spread the starter as thin as possible; it will dry faster. Either way, it can take 2-3 days for the starter to dry completely. You can speed up the process with a fan set on the lowest setting.

You can also use a dehydrator if you have one. They work great for large quantities of sourdough starter.

Alternatively, you can use the oven. You don’t need to use any heat. Turn the light and convection fan on, place the starter-covered parchment paper onto a baking sheet, and slide it into the oven. Make sure you put a note on the oven so no one accidentally turns it on. This can take 24-48 hours.

4 pictures of the steps to add dried sourdough starter to a blender to break down to a fine powder for storage

Once the starter is completely dry, you can place the dried starter chips into a clean, dry glass jar. I like to use a food processor to grind it down to a fine powder as it’s a great way to maximize long-term storage.

Your dried sourdough starter can be stored in a mason jar or any airtight container for years. Personally, I replace mine annually. I also have a couple of small jars of active starter in my freezer for further backup.

How to Rehydrate Dried Sourdough Starter?

It’s a simple as feeding it flour and water. It’s a shorter version of when you created your sourdough starter from scratch. All you need is 20 grams of the dried starter.

I share a step-by-step complete guide here on how to Rehydrate a Sourdough Starter.

Day 1 – Morning – First Feeding: In a clean, dry glass jar add 20g of starter and 40g of warm filtered water. Stir until the starter is thoroughly wet. Add 40g of flour and stir again ensuring all the flour is moist.

EXAMPLE: 1:2:2 Feeding Ratio

20g starter – 40g flour – 40g warm water

You should have a chunky, thick, pancake batter-type consistency.

Next, loosely cover your new starter. I place a folded paper towel over the top, secured with a rubber band or the glass lid for my Weck jar (out ring if you use a canning jar). This allows air to get in still but protects the starter from dust and fruit flies.

TIP: Do not store your room-temperature sourdough starter in an airtight container. It creates gases and could explode.

At this point, I like to add a piece of painter’s tape to the outside of my jar to mark the height of my starter. Before you start using it you want your starter to consistently double in size: the tape is a visual for watching that. Finally, place your new sourdough starter in a warm place to feed.

Day 1 – Afternoon – after 12 hours, feed the starter with 50g flour and 50g warm water. Mix it thoroughly. Cover again and leave in a warm spot for 12 hours.

Repeat this feeding process for the next 3 – 7 days until you have a nice bubbly starter that doubles after each feeding.

picture of flower in a jar, fresh sourdough starter, a jar of dehydrated starter and an envelope with a window filled with dehydrated starter

How Long Does Dehydrated Sourdough Starter Last?

It will last indefinitely if you keep it away from light, heat and moisture

It’s best to store it in an airtight container. I use a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid and painter’s tape to mark the date I dried it.

I was updating my dried sourdough starter every summer. It’s not necessary, but I like to ensure I’m saving a good-quality, up-to-date version of my starter.

I gift and sell our sourdough starter, so I’m constantly replenishing our inventory.

If you would like to purchase our robust dehydrated starter, please email me at [email protected]