June 20, 2017 - 4:06pm
Saving Starter by Dehydrating
I've order starters over the years and most came to me as dehydrated flakes. I just made a nice flour/water starter and I spread some on wax paper and dehydrated (@ 90 degrees or less) in an attempt to save it in case I lost the original refrigerated one. I reconstituted the flakes to test to see if it worked and I was able to get it going with no problem.
Is this a long term solution for saving a starte in the event that I need to replace it later?
I believe I read years ago that early cabin dwellers used starter to chink some of the cabin logs. Many years later the chink was rehydrated and it produced a stater. Does anyone know this to be true?
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dried starter is next best..... just store it it a glass jar in a dark cool place for about forever.
I think that the starter revived from chinking is more folk lore than fact. However, it may be true. I think I read about that in one of the old Herters Official Guide Books. Some very creative minds contributed to those old guide books.
I grow a lot of starter and once in a while I put a sample in the freezer. Two or three years ago I tested some of the older samples. The year 2000 sample was dead, the 2004 sample took a long time to show life and it may have been a new culture from the new flour, the 2007 sample started right up and was good as new.
My experience is that if you dry fresh starter, grind it, place it in a hard plastic or glass container with a good seal it will survive up to ten 10 years in the freezer. If you are saving dry start as a backup instead of just curiosity, I would save a new sample every couple of years or sooner.
I use a non self defrosting freezer and top off the sample jar with flour to exclude as much air as possible..
Charles
Would vacuum sealing benefit?
I'd planned to store in at room temp. Do you think freezing and vacuum sealed would be better?
than a week to make a new one from scratch, I don't think I will ever use it. I do make quite a few rye starters from scratch to make old school pumpernickel in 5 days just like they used to do for baking once a week in communal WFO ovens in the old days. It never fails, so storing a starter is kind of like overkill. I had to look for about a half an hour to find where I put my stored dried one this morning:-)
DanAyo,
Storing at freezer temperatures is better than refrigerator temperatures. I do not recommend long term storage at room temperature. Depending on the room, temperature is variable. Even dry starter is sensitive to temperature. Very warm temps will hasten its demise.
Probably vacuum sealing would be a benefit although I have not tested it. I would still put the vacuum sealed packet in a glass or hard plastic container because I am not familiar with the permeability of the vacuum sealer plastic. Definitely store in a freezer
dabrownman,
I have freeze dried starter, but I can only do it in the Winter when my attic is at freezer temperatures. It works but I never did any storage life comparisons.. I always dry start at room temperature on sheet pan lined with plasticrap. I have avoided the dehydrator for fear of over drying. If the starter is completely desiccated, it is dead .. just flour with some organic contaminants
Yes, the old 5 to 7 day method of making a rye sour. I did that before I ever made the connection that i was creating a sourdough starter. One year I got carried away and ended up with a very large basin of rye dough. I ate rye bread the rest of the Winter from my attic freezer.
I use a particular strain of sourdough starter so I must dry some for backup in case of some disaster or another I know that you can start from flour and water and get a new starter going in a week or less if you use rye flour. However, you do not know what kind of behavior your new starter will have and some have been known to take more than a week to settle down
If you begin a culture with my dry start, you can be baking bread in 24 hours with a known good culture.
I don't discourage anyone from starting their own sourdough culture, it is a good feeling to personally create your own. However, if you want to bake bread right away, your best bet is to borrow a bit of start from someone who has a lively culture. You will also have something to compare with your home grown
After reading the post, I plan to store the vacuumed packed starter in the freezer. I'm a computer kind-of-guy so having a backup appeals to me. The thought of perpetuating a starter through the years would be nice.
I did dry some starter and it reconstituted (like chefcdp said) right away. So I'm sure in the short time it works. I would think that storing the same way to years would also be viable.