February 23, 2010 - 3:58am
Dehydrating Starters
I am sure it has been mentioned here before ( newbie question ) . Has anybody spread their starters out on some wax or parchment in there food dehydrator and preserved it (dryed) for future use ? I know you would have to check out the heat tempatures in various brands. Just a thought !
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But didn't bother with the dehydrator. You will want to refresh it first if the dehydrating takes longer than 12 hours. If you have arid climate or a dry house, just spread it out where the bugs can't get to it.
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I find if they are completely dried, they take longer to reactivate than dry mixed starters that contain some moisture but are refrigerated. That's my so far experience.
Mini
I dry starters all the time in my dehydrator. I thin them out a bit and spread them on parchment paper.
I set the temp for between 85-105F and let them dry over night. Then I run them through my mini-food processor to get them into fine grains.
An alternative which I used for years is to put parchment paper in a sheet pan and spread the starter out and put it into the oven with just the pilot light (if gas) or the oven light (if electric). Takes about 24 hours.
CAUTION: If using the oven, ensure everyone in the hosue knows you have starters drying. I even take the knob off and put it inside the oven with the starters! Experience talking!!!!
Bob
www.allthingsbread.bravehost.com
Of course! just as you say: spread it on a piece of wax paper a few hours after feeding it! It works great and you' ll have a "backup" in case your liquid or stiff sourdough had any kind of "accident"...Cheers from Quito.Paolo
i send out a lot of bone-dry starters and recommend giving them at least 18-24 hours with their first feeding to revive and become active. if you don't get any activity after 24 hours, the yeast is probably kaput.
incidentally, i mix my dehydrating starters to the consistency of thick pancake batter, let it start to bubble, pour it into a plastic-wrap lined baking sheet and air dry for 24-72 hours, depending on ambient temp and humidity, then break it up in a blender. When you do air dry, make sure to turn the semi-dry starter over so the bottom dries out as well.
Stan Ginsberg
www.nybakers.com