Hey! You got one of our Vaughan Family Sourdough Starters! Let's get you baking bread in no-time.
In order to use the yeast culture, we need to first rehydrate and multiply the yeast to a usable amount. This process usually takes about a week, when you will have enough to bake with.
Important! We highly recommend that you weigh all ingredients when baking bread, as it will give you the most predictable results. We will provide volumes as estimates, but weigh if you can! When weighing flour, use a separate spoon to drop the flour into your measuring cup, as we estimate volumes for loose (rather than packed) flour.
Use these steps to turn your dehydrated starter flakes into a thriving and lively sourdough starter! These flakes contain a homemade strain of saccharamoyces yeast cells, dormant and waiting to be rehydrated. This special yeast strain is unique, and works to keep all but the delicious lactobacillus bacteria at bay, making it a natural preservative (if cared for and fed on schedule).
The sour flavor of your starter will increase over time as the bacteria and yeasts do their work. Your first loaf may not be very sour at all; but, give it time, and it will come. Starters can last indefinitely when cared for - we even have some in our collection from an 1847 Oregon Train expedition!
Time to start feeding!
Wait, feeding? That's right, you're going to have a living organism in your home (yeast cells). That's why we name all of our cultures. Like any good pet, starters need periodic feedings and care; but, fret not, as the effort ramps down to about once-per-week once your starter is alive and bubbly.
You should have received 20 grams of Dehydrated Sourdough Starter Flakes. This is actually twice what you need - just in case you make a mistake, let the starter die, or just want to try again later. Set aside half (10g) for today, and store the remainder in a cool, dry place. No need to refrigerate.
ON TO THE REHYDRATION!
Important! When choosing water, aim to have dechlorinated water so it doesn't kill your yeast cells. We use 1-gallon distilled water jugs from the store, but that isn't necessary. If you have tap water that is chlorinated (and you probably do), simply run it at a hard boil for 20 minutes and let cool before using. This will effectively dechlorinate your water.
You may wish to boil a bulk amount at once and store it so you can use it at later feedings! Old (clean) milk jugs make great storage. Just don't use hot water with your yeast! If it doesn't pass the "baby bottle" test (110F or below) you might kill your yeast!
- In a small bowl, add 10 grams (half the provided bag) of the Dehydrated Sourdough Starter Flakes
- Add to the bowl 50 grams (about 5 TBSP) room-temperature, dechlorinated Water
- Cover this loosely with ventilation (plastic wrap "poked" with a knife or fork to leave a vent works well)
- Let sit for 1 hour to rehydrate; stir occasionally
Important! NEVER seal a starter container; yeast cells create carbon-dioxide as part of their growth process and you will blow up your container. Saran wrap poked with a fork and a rubber band work great for keeping nasties out and letting the starter breathe.
You should have a soupy mix after an hour. If you still have "chunks" of starter, that's perfectly fine; it will continue to rehydrate in future steps.
Starters "Feed" by adding Flour and Water to the container. This provides fresh food for the yeast cells, and allows them to grow. A healthy starter can have 50 million yeasts in a single teaspoon.
For the first feeding, we want to roughly double the weight with equal parts Flour and Water, by weight. We actually added the Water in the prior step to allow the yeast to rehydrate, so the steps here are easy:
- Add 20 grams Flour (approx. 2 Heaping, Loose TBSP) to the mix; stir until a pancake-batter consistency forms
- Cover loosely (see Day 1a) and let sit in a warm place for 24 hours
That's it! No need to stir or even re-mix any chunks - the yeast will take care of everything. You may see some small bubbles form over time, which is a great sign. You may not, too, and that's okay - it's working.
On day 2, we, again, are going to be doubling the total weight with equal parts Flour and Water:
- Move to a larger container (if needed) to store at-least double the starter volume, with head room (in case it rises)
- Add 40g Water (approx. 3 TBSP) to the container; mix to thin mixture
- Add 40g Flour (approx. 4 Heaping, Loose TBSP) to the container; mix to a pancake-batter consistency
- Cover loosely (see Day 1a) and let sit in a warm place for 24 hours
Don't worry if you don't get all the lumps - the starter will soak them up and get them taken care of.
This is the final "rehydration" feeding before you can start to properly "Feed" your starter on a regular basis (see below). We will be doubling the starter size, again:
- Move to a larger container (if needed) to store at-least double the starter volume, with head room (in case it rises)
- Add 80g Water (approx. 1/3 Cup) to the container; mix to thin mixture
- Add 80g Flour (approx. 1/2 Heaping, Loose Cup) to the container; mix to a pancake-batter consistency
- Cover loosely (see Day 1a) and let sit in a warm place for 24-to-48 hours
You're starting to get a decent amount of starter at this point (about 320 grams). In general, I recommend a 48-hour rest, with a stir after 24-hours, to give the yeast time to really use up all of the available starter. Do this before moving on to Starter Feeding.
Our goal is to get the starter to a point where it can double in volume (with air bubbles) within 6-to-12 hours after a feeding. This is representative of a healthy, lively starter that will have no problem rising your bread in the oven.
When you "Feed" your starter, you double the Flour and Water, by weight, as we did before. Of course, if you did this doubling regularly, you would quickly have buckets and buckets of starter. So, before you start, give your starter a quick stir and measure out 120g (about 1/4 Cup). Discard the rest.
Note! Discarding can feel wasteful... but there are tons of fun things you can do with starter discard! It makes delicious pancakes, english muffins, waffles, and more...
Mix into your starter:
- 60g Luke-Warm, Dechlorinated Water (approx. 1/4 Cup)
- 60g Flour (approx. scant 1/2 Cup)
If you can, move the kept starter to a clear container with enough room for the starter to double in size. Scrape down the sides of the container so you can clearly see where the top of the starter is. Mark this level with a piece of tape or a marker. Always cover loosely with venting!
We want to get the starter to a point where it is able to regularly double in size within 12-hours of feeding. This means your yeast cells are alive and ready to make bread, and will be ready to rise for you in a loaf.
Check the starter after 6-8 hours (if possible), at 12-hours, and at 24-hours. Hopefully, it will be bubbly and doubled at some point during this period; but, if not, give it a stir and let it sit for another day.
You may also be unlucky in your timing - if the starter doubles up quickly, it may fall before you catch it. If you scrape the sides of the container, it should be easy to see what it rose to.
As this is a "100% Hydration" starter (that is, it contains equal parts Flour and Water) you likely won't see the bubbly type starter you might see in pictures online - these are often 85% Hydration (0.85 parts Flour, 1 part Water, by weight), or even less, that make a thicker starter that keeps its form longer. Some say thicker starters make more tangy bread, others say thinner starters do. There's only one way to find out... but we use a 100% starter, at home.
Regardless, starting with a thinner starter helps with the rehydration process, so we recommend you follow these instructions until you reach day 4. That said, you can now certainly transition your starter to a lower hydration by changing your ratios at feedings. You will more-likely see your doubling, as the thicker starter will stay in the inflated state longer. In general, this is better left for when you have some experience cooking with sourdough, as you will need to adjust the recipes below for the extra flour (and less water) in your starter.
For the rest of the week (Days 4-7) discard half of the starter and feed every 24-hours. If needed, continue to do this until the starter is doubling after feeding.
Once you get to this point, you can start to keep your starter in the refrigerator and feed weekly. On feeding day, simply remove your starter from the refrigerator and follow the feeding steps as-per-normal. Allow to double in size, in a warm area, covered loosely for 12-24 hours before returning to the refrigerator (covered and ventilated) for another week.
Your Sourdough Recipe is going to call for a certain amount of starter (or you can calculate it using the substitution directions below). A couple of days before baking day, instead of discarding starter, simply double the amount of weight until you have an amount for your recipe, plus an extra 240g (at least) to return to the refrigerator. This may take several days of doubling to achieve. Do not refrigeratorate your starter as you are doubling it.
We usually let our starter sit out a full 24-hours, sometimes longer, with a mix between, to make sure the flavor and yeast get a chance to work through the entire sponge before using in our recipe.
When you remove your bake amount, (if necessary) feed your starter and return it to the refrigerator, as per normal.
TK
TK
- There's a strange, alcoholic-smelling liquid at the top of my starter. Did it go bad?
- No! This means the yeast is working. Yeast naturally creates carbon-dioxide (the bubbles) and alcohol (just like beer is brewed). Just stir it back into the starter!
- Something fuzzy is on my starter... is it ruined?
- If you see anything fuzzy, orange, or generally discolored other than brown and white, the starter has gone bad. That's why we give you extra! Thoroughly clean out the starter and try again. (Don't worry, we've all done it.)
- My starter smells terrible... is it ruined?
- If the starter smells bad, but doesn't show signs of mold growth, it's likely fine. As your yeast takes hold, other strains of bacteria might work their way in - this is natural. Once the yeast builds up through the starter, it will create alcohol and enzymes that kill these unwanted bacteria off, keeping only the strains we want in our bread! Give it more time, and feed it daily, until the smell turns deliciously sour.
- My starter isn't bubbling... what's wrong?
- Some starts take longer than others to take hold. If you've let your starter sit for some time before checking, it may not be bubbling because the yeast has already done all its work and gone dormant! Be patient, as well - it takes time to build a healthy starter. In general, make sure you use unchlorinated water and keep your starter container in a warm place (above the fridge works well). If the starter gets too cold, it will go dormant, but if it gets too hot (above 110F) it will die, so find a sweet spot of ~80F. If you really want, you may choose to wait 2 or 3 days between steps to ensure the yeast propogates. Stirring can help sometimes to make sure yeast cells get fresh food, but isn't usually necessary.
- What is the hydration of the sourdough starter?
- 100% Hydration (1:1)
- How can I substitute this starter in my existing bread recipes?
- Replace each selected packet of yeast with 1 Cup of Sourdough Starter; subtract from the recipe equal weights Flour and Water (approx. 3/4 Cups Flour and 1/2 Cup Water per packet) to compensate.