Whether you’re brand new to sourdough baking or looking to take your starter to the next level, it all begins with understanding how to properly care for your sourdough starter. This guide walks you through how to rehydrate your dehydrated starter from Mindful Milling Co., how to feed and maintain it, and a quick overview of hydration ratios in case you're feeling fancy.
🌱 Rehydrating Your Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
If you’ve just received a dehydrated starter from Mindful Milling Co., congrats! You're about to bring a 200+ year old living culture* back to life—one that can serve as the foundation for infinite loaves, buns, and baked wonders, and an heirloom to pass down for generations to come.
What You’ll Need
- Mindful Milling Co. Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
- RO, Spring Water, or Filtered (definitely dechlorinated)
- Mindful Milling Co. Whole Wheat Bread Flour or Happy Starter's BlendÂ
- A glass jar or container and breathable covering
- Spoon, chopstick, or rubber spatula for stirring
- Kitchen scale (very helpful for learning the consistency, and essential for feeding at specific ratios)
Step-by-Step Instructions: Getting Starter-ed
- Mix one packet of Mindful Milling Co. Dehydrated Sourdough Starter with 30 grams of warm-ish water ~80ºF
- Cover loosely with a breathable, clean cloth or paper towel and rubber band and leave at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Pick a name for your new dependent. It's mother's name is The Beast (Mindful Milling Co.'s Starter)
- Feed your starter 30 grams of Whole Wheat flour and let it sit again at room temp, covered with a breathable material for about 6 hours. You can mark where the top of the starter is with a dry erase marker or rubber band.
- You should see some level of activity within this window of time, where the starter will rise above the marked line, and you may see the bubbles of life. *If you don't see activity now-- don't panic! Starters are very robust. If it's been 6 hours and you see no signs of life, scoop out and throw away 40 grams of starter (this is what's referred to as discard). This is where that optional scale comes in handy! Set your jar of starter on the scale and then turn it on so it reads 0 (zero). Scoop out starter until it says -40 grams. Now you have 20 grams of starter in the jar. Feed it 30 grams room temp water and 30 grams fresh, whole wheat flour or Happy Starter Blend.
- Once you see activity and your starter has peaked (it is no longer rising and you see signs of it beginning to fall again) discard, or scoop out and throw away 40 grams of starter. Again, this is where that optional scale comes in handy! Set your jar of starter on the scale and then turn it on so it reads 0 (zero). Scoop out starter until it says -40 grams. Feed the remaining 20 grams of starter: 30 grams room temp water and 30 grams fresh, whole wheat flour or Happy Starter Blend. After this feeding your starter should be happy and ready to start baking with! Congratulations 🎉Â
🔢 Feeding Ratios Explained
Feeding your starter simply means giving it fresh flour and water to keep the wild yeast and bacteria alive and active. But how much should you feed it?
Common Feeding Ratios
- 1:1:1 (starter:flour:water): A balanced ratio suitable for everyday maintenance (although some bakers disagree and say a starter should be maintained at a higher ratio, I have found my starter to be very happy at a 1:1:1 ratio... maybe it's that fresh milled flour magic 🌾✨)
- 1:2:2 or 1:3:3: Slower fermentation, good for less frequent feedings and reducing sourness. This ratio (or higher) is also good for feeding, sealing in an airtight container, and placing directly in the fridge if you don't plan to bake this week.
- 1:5:5 or higher: Good for building strength before a bake, keeping flavors mild, rescuing an over-acidic starter, or timing a feeding so it's ready around the time you want to bake (if that's longer than the typical 4-6 hours away).
💡 Pro Tip: The higher the ratio you feed, the longer it takes to peak. Use this to your advantage when planning bakes around your schedule.
🧼 Maintenance Tips
- Room Temp: Feed once or twice a day depending on usage and ambient temp.
- Fridge: Feed once a week, or a day or two before baking. If storing in the fridge, use an airtight container like a mason jar.
- Label Your Jar: Track feeding days and times for consistency.
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Watch for Signs:
- A healthy starter smells pleasantly tangy—not funky or foul.
- Abandon any starter with fuzzy mold or colors (like pink, green, or orange).
- A hungry starter will form a blackish liquid on top called hooch. This doesn't mean it's gone bad! Just pour the hooch off, you can optionally scrape off the top layer of starter too, and underneath your starter should look perfect. Some people like to stir in the hooch for an extra sour flavor, but this can contribute to an over-acidic starter. We'll talk more about that in our next blog!
Wrapping Up
Your sourdough starter is a resilient, responsive kitchen companion. With regular care and a little experimentation, you’ll be able to fine-tune its behavior to suit your baking style—whether you’re after that deeply tangy country loaf or a sweet, mild sandwich bun.
And remember: a beautiful loaf starts with a strong starter fed with good, fresh flour.Â
HAPPY BAKING 🤎🌾
-Audrey
Notes:
*No, this starter wasn't dehydrated 200 years ago. This starter is the child of the child of the child of a starter that was, itself, started over 200 years ago. Can anyone prove this? Maybe. Do I have breeding papers? No. Do I trust the person I got it from, and did they trust the person they got it from, and so on? Yes.