Starter
Starter Chips
Our dehydrated starter is packaged at peak activity so that it is easily and quickly revived. If you would like to purchase your own starter chips, CLICK HERE to visit our Etsy store!
Day 1
Combine all starter chips with 2 tbsp of room temperature water and let sit for 1 hour to allow chips to rehydrate
Once fully rehydrated, add 1 tbsp unbleached all purpose or bread flour and ½ tbsp room temperature water and stir well
You will likely see very few, if any, bubbles after this first feeding
Days 2-4
Feed starter every day with 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose or bread flour and 1 tbsp room temperature water. Stir well.
Each day you should see more and more bubbles appear, indicating your starter is becoming more active.
Depending on your homes elevation, temperature, and humidity, you may see more or less activity than is shown in the images.
Note: Do not use your starter until its fully active!
Day 5 and beyond:
Discard roughly half of your starter and feed with 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose or bread flour and 1/4 cup room temperature water. Stir well and cover loosely with lid.
The starter is considered fully active when it has doubled in size before deflating. Try placing a rubber band at the height of your starter after feeding, then see how much it grows above the rubber band!
Once active, you can use your starter for baking or follow storage instructions below.
Starter Storage:
If you don’t plan to regularly use your starter, once it is fully active you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring the container out once per week, let sit 2 to 3 hours until room temperature, feed as normal, allow to sit for 4 to 6 hours, then either use or return to the fridge.
Starter Tips:
It is completely normal to see minimal to no activity until after the Day 5 discard and feed! It is imperative that ALL steps are completed to end up with a healthy, active starter!
This starter has only ever used unbleached all purpose or bread flour, so it is highly recommended that you one of those. Bleached flours can stunt your starter or prevent it from reactivating. Gluten free flour of any kind will not work.
Make sure your water is room temperature, never allowing it to get above 95 degrees fahrenheit or it could kill the natural yeast and bacteria in the starter
Use the starter is at its peak which is 6 to 12 hours after a regular feeding. It could be up to 12 hours depending on your home temperature, elevation, and humidity level. Watch your starter, not the clock!
It is imperative that you discard before every feeding once your starter is active. Without discarding, your starter will become too large and unmanageable, requiring larger and larger feedings to maintain it. Not discarding will also allow for acid buildup, harming the live yeast and bacteria, which will ultimately have a negative effect on taste. Discarding does not just mean throwing it away, it also includes using it for baking!
Remember, your starter is ALIVE with live yeast and bacteria! This means it is possible for it to spoil.
Signs your starter needs to be disposed of:
It does not respond to feedings (no air bubbles)
It has a strong odor
It has changed colors (pink/red, orange, yellow, green, and brown are common)
There is visible mold
Known contamination has occured (anything other than flour or water)
It has not been stored/fed properly (It is always better to air on the side of caution and start over if this is a possibility)