Rehydration Instructions

1. Mix the contents of the packet with 4 Tbsp water (filtered if you have it, or water left in an open container overnight to dissipate chlorine, tap water should also work fine).
2. Let the flakes rehydrate for 4-8 hours, stirring or shaking occasionally if using a jar with a lid. The water should turn cloudy and the large bits of the starter should break apart. A few small pieces leftover are okay.
3. Add 6 Tbsp of flour and mix well. King Arthur All Purpose, Bread, and Wheat flours are good choices and easy to obtain. Whole grain wheat or rye flour will wake the starter up more quickly. It should have a hydration similar to this:
4. Keep covered, a Ball jar or Bormioli Rocco jar with a lid works well. Store at room temperature and wait 1-3 days or until bubbly. It should look something like this:

5. Remove 1 Tbsp of the mixture and discard the rest. Mix the 1 Tbsp you removed with 2 Tbsp of water and 3 Tbsp of flour. If the mixture is very liquidy add another couple teaspoons of flour, it shouldn’t be a firm dough but should be a tad stiffer than pancake batter. Weaker and white flours generally absorb less water than their whole grain counterparts. This is how you should normally feed the starter. Always keep your starter covered during storage.

   

   

   

Feeding Instructions

1. If you keep the starter in the fridge try to feed it every 1-2 weeks. If you keep it at room temperature, try to feed it every 1-2 days. To feed it remove 1 Tbsp of the mixture and discard the rest. Mix the 1 Tbsp you removed with 2 Tbsp of water (filtered or sat overnight) and 3 Tbsp of flour.
2. After feeding make sure you let the mixture ferment 8-12 hours at room temperature before putting it back into the refrigerator. The stronger the starter the faster it will ferment. Feed 1-2 times before baking with it.

If you have whole wheat or rye flour, feed with a mixture of 1:1 whole wheat to white.

Recommended Flour Brands

• Central Milling (For those in PGH, obtainable through Frankferd Farms – Natural & Organic Food Distributor)
• King Arthur
• Caputo
• Whole Foods 365 (rebranded Central Milling Beehive)
• Vitaspelt

Useful Techniques

• Coil Folding and Shaping - 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
• How to Shape Wet Dough via Stitching
• Always wet hands when touching high hydration dough. It will make it stick to you less.
• Try to make quick and succinct movements when handling high hydration dough, don’t keep your hands in contact with it for too long.
• Fermentation temperature is important. You can influence by heating the water you will use to mix the dough. For example, I know for ~375g of flour in the winter, heating the water to around 93F will bring the dough to my desired fermentation temperature of 80F. Colder doughs take longer to ferment, warmer doughs take less time. Ideal range is around 70-82F. Aim for about a 4 hour bulk ferment at 80F for a good starting position (assuming 2% salt, 20% levain).
• Most importantly, don’t get discouraged! People spend years mastering bread baking, but you can make delicious sourdough in your first few attempts, even if you don’t have any fancy equipment or flour. Don’t give up!

Also check out some of my favorite baking tools and resources. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.