anyways, how to dry it for later use, or to share with your freinds at SM
Subject: 34. Can I freeze or dry my starter?
With regard to freezing, I have done this for years: I put a cup of starter in the freezer and in six months or so thaw and feed it then refreeze. It has always worked so I have not understood the frequently expressed concern about freezing. I think people should always freeze part of their starter for safety's sake. Of course, they can always get some more from me by sending me a SASE.
(Ed. note -- be sure your starter can handle freezing like Carl's before you rely on this method of preservation.See "http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/sourdoughfaqs.html#sources" if you would like to obtain Carl's starter)
I only dry the starter when I know I am running out, which may be every week or two. I prepare a batch of starter for distribution by combining one tablespoon of stock starter, 1/3 cup water, and enough flour to get waffle batter consistency. I activate this mixture at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) until I can see small bubbles in the body of the starter ( not frothing or hooch formation.) (The stock starter culture is kept in the refrigerator. It is fed and activated every two weeks or so, i.e. whenever I think about it or need to use it.)
I pour the activated mixture into three 10-inch diameter plastic picnic dishes to a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. It dries for several days at room temperature. The dry starter does not stick to the dishes. It dries on the top first, but the bottom is then exposed with a knife. Otherwise drying would be too slow. One could use regular ceramic or metal dishes if you put a layer of plastic sheeting over the dishes so the wet starter didn't stick to the dish. Waxed paper should work as well. When it is dry and brittle I break it up and grind it in a blender. It seems to work OK. I wonder if other people always activate their starters before they dry them.
I leave the dried starter in the freezer for several weeks, long enough to fill the requests that I get in the mail. Never had a report of my starter failing to reactivate. (I test each batch before it goes out in the mail by reactivating a portion of it to make sure it is OK.) Well, that is just the way I do it. Cooking is not a mathematical science. When I learned to cook some seventy years ago in a cattle trail chuck wagon and ranch house there were no quantities or temperatures in recipes - just did it feel good or look right, or taste good, and did the cowhands like it, was all there was. This can be checked with many of the recipes from that time. We used ones printed in the 1800s. -Carl
I never bothered to activate my starter before drying. I just drizzled some on a piece of wax paper and let it set out until dried. Sent some to a lady in Washington state and one other place (I forgot). Both said it worked great when reconstituted.
Finally took the plunge and dried some of my starter. I made it sorta thick, (won't do that again). Anyway ... after drying for about a week, I broke it apart in chunks. Put a chunk in the ol coffee grinder to bring it back to powder form. Reactivated it and had it going again in 24 hours. Thanks for the post ... if my starter ever goes bad, I can always bring it back to life.
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Tim
FUGLY= UDS ( Living Up To It's Name )
Traeger BBQ-150
# 168
kewl bass.........your personal starter, or a heritage starter?
WD, sorry I hadn't seen your question earlier. This starter is one that I mixed up back in 1985. Kept it going ever since and it just keeps getting better.
WD, sorry I hadn't seen your question earlier. This starter is one that I mixed up back in 1985. Kept it going ever since and it just keeps getting better.
I thought I was doing great with 2 year old starter. 1985 ... great going Bassman.
I had always tossed the starter when I was finished with it or burned out on bread ... dumb me coulda had some real old starter.
Now I have some wheat sourdough starter also that I need to start using .. just started it this year.
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Tim
FUGLY= UDS ( Living Up To It's Name )
Traeger BBQ-150
# 168
Tim, it's not too hard to keep a starter going. You just have to remember to feed it once in awhile. If I don't use mine for a couple of weeks, I just give it a tablespoon or two of sugar. If you want to try some fairly old starter, I'll dry some of mine for you. Just let me know.
Tim, it's not too hard to keep a starter going. You just have to remember to feed it once in awhile. If I don't use mine for a couple of weeks, I just give it a tablespoon or two of sugar. If you want to try some fairly old starter, I'll dry some of mine for you. Just let me know.
Oh, I keep it going now ... got them in a nice container in the garage fridge. Pull them out every other friday night and feed them on saturday if I'm not gonna use them.
__________________
Tim
FUGLY= UDS ( Living Up To It's Name )
Traeger BBQ-150
# 168
I just got a starter this spring. I did dry some for a back-up. I just have it in a zip top bag. When you reactivate it how much water do you use?
Thanks
I just found some instructions and am doing it right now. First break up the dried starter and run it in a spice grindre to very small pieces like black pepper size-- finer is good also.
Place one tablespoon of that into a small glass or whatever. add one tablespoon of warm water. mix a bit and let it sit for a few hours then add a couple of tablespoons of flour and one tbsp of water. mix. it should be a bit like heavy pancake batter...
Note i noticed a bit of bubbling during the first round and also during the second adding of flour and water..
Tomorrow or tonight, i will get one cup of flour and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and after mixing them ill add the reconstituted starter-- i know it will work because the reconstituted starter was bubbling.
I never bothered to activate my starter before drying. I just drizzled some on a piece of wax paper and let it set out until dried. Sent some to a lady in Washington state and one other place (I forgot). Both said it worked great when reconstituted.
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