March 27, 2020 - 2:12am
Full Hibernation of starter
Apologies, just found an earlier thread on exactly this.
With shortages of flour affecting a lot of us could someone share any tips on putting starters into full hibernation until the supplies of flour return to normal in supermarkets and stores?
I only started with sourdough 7 months ago and would hate to lose the 2 starters I have nurtured through the months that now produce consistently good fresh, home made bread.
Obviously if I need to scrap them and start again in a few months it's not the end of the world but if there is a way to somehow put them to sleep indefinitely so I can revive them later that would be my preferred option.
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My best advise would be to dehydrate some of it. We often use this to “backup” our starters.
To dehydrate smear thinly some of your freshly fed and matured starter on a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, silicone baking mat, etc. let it completely dry, then remove, crumble, and store for later rehydration. This is an excellent option. The dried starter can last for years.
Thanks for that, I've got about 2 loaves left of white flour so I'll try dehydration when I next feed my starter.
About how much would I be looking to dehydrate (5g or more?)
For making dry powdered culture to store as a safety backup, see https://breadtopia.com/drying-sourdough-starter-for-long-term-storage/ To rehydrate dried starter see: https://breadtopia.com/faq/how-to-reactivate-dehydrated-starter/
and/or this video: https://breadtopia.com/starter_instructions/
When I do a "back-up" I usually use about 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of 100% hydration starter.
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See this discussion: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/62174/long-term-starter-storage and scroll down to see comment(s) from user chefcdp, aka "Carlos", who is one of the principal people in the 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Preservation Society. He da Man!
Very clear instructions, thanks so much.
Hopefully it'll only be a short time before I'm baking again.
and if you have a local Indian grocery store, they might have some high extraction flour ("atta"), and some whole wheat flour, that you can use to stretch out your white flour. they might have some white flour ("maida"), but I don't know if it would be suitable for loaf or hearth breads. Though "maida" is good for naan and other flat breads.
"Sharbati" flour is a smooth whole wheat flour that I have used up to 33% or 50% in yeasted and SD loaf breads. Be careful, as it ferments quickly.