The Simple Way To Dehydrate Sourdough Starter For Beginners

Learning how to dehydrate sourdough starter sounds harder than it is. Having dry sourdough starter in your fridge or freezer means that you will always have a back up. You can easily share your starter with anyone or start over at anytime.

Should I Dehydrate Sourdough Starter?

I have been making sourdough breads since 2018. I started dehydrating my sourdough starter in 2021, because I was scared it had mold (it didn’t) and so I started keeping some dried starter in my fridge.

Now, I am SO glad that I started to dehydrate sourdough starter because I would have lost my starter this year if I didn’t have any back up. I accidently dropped my glass container of starter twice in one week. It was sad, but if I didn’t have any back up I would have been heart broken.

If you have people around you that use sourdough starter regularly, then you may not need to dehydrate starter. I am the only one in my friends or family that use sourdough starter, so I have to create a back up for my future self.

When Should I use Dehydrated Sourdough Starter?

I use dry sourdough starter when I have to start over. You need to start over when the starter gets mold, or if the glass jar of starter shatters. You may decide to start over if you want to take a long break from sourdough starter.

I add dried starter to my starter if I ever feel like my regular starter is sluggish or not rising properly. It doesn’t happen often and usually I add rye flour as well as dried starter.

Dry or dehydrated sourdough starter takes a long time to rise the first time because it has been dormant so long, but after the first rehydration it ferments much faster.

How Long can I Store Dehydrated Sourdough Starter?

I keep my starter in a jar in my fridge and it has kept for years. It works every time I need to start over.

The dehydrated starter will keep in the fridge or freezer indefinitely as long as you keep it in a dry, air tight environment.

How to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter

Tools to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter

Parchment Paper

Spatulas for Spreading Starter Thin, offset spatulas work well

Fan

Clips – Optional

Baking Pans or Cooling Racks – Optional

Ingredients to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Starter

Whole Wheat Flour or Fresh Milled Flour

Rye Flour – Optional

Water

Step 1 – Feed your Sourdough Starter

I like to feed my starter a lot when I plan to dehydrate it. I want to dehydrate rarely, so I make a big batch.

Feed your starter a lot and I recommend using some rye flour too. The rye flour will help the starter bounce back when you want to use it again.

Let it rise to about 50% -75% more than its original height. You want the starter to be well fed, but not at peak yet. If it does pass its peak, go ahead and use it anyway. It will still dry just fine, it just may take longer to come back to life!

Step 2 – Get Parchment Paper Ready

Lay the parchment paper out on a clean work surface that is flat.

Parchment paper is important here, because you want to be able to move the starter around easily and remove it from any surface once it is dried without issue.

Step 3 – Spread the Starter Thin

Once the starter has hit about 50% -75% more than its original height then use your spatulas to start spreading your starter as thin as you can. My extra big sheets took 2/3 cup of starter each.

You want to spread it as thin as possible so that it will dry quickly.

Step 4 – Secure the Parchment Paper and Fan Overnight

Secure the parchment paper down and set up the fan. You can secure it with clothes pins onto a cooling rack or sheet to move the starter around. Otherwise you can use cans to prevent the parchment from flying away.

Using a fan makes dehydrating the starter go faster. I like to leave the fan on overnight, because it is almost dried by morning.

Step 5 – Flip the Dried Starter Over and Dry

When you check on the drying starter in the morning, it should look dry. If you peel it off the parchment paper it will still have some dark wet spots that need to completely dry. Once those spots are gone your starter is dry!

Step 6 – Store in a Dry, Air Tight Container

Once it is completely dry. Break the dehydrated sourdough starter into pieces and store in a bag or glass jar in the fridge.

If you want your starter in smaller pieces you can put it in a blender, spice grinder, or use a rolling pin to break them down more.

What tips do you have to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter?

Let us know in the comments below how you dehydrate sourdough starter!

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