I have a starter that I really like. I want to dehydrate some of it in case of a disaster, like dropping the jar on the floor, etc. How much do I need to dehydrate in order to have a sufficient amount to rehydrate later on if needed. Does it lose about 1/2 its weight after drying or is it more or less?
not an answer to your question, but, after I smashed my weck jar of starter on the floor and instinctively threw it all out to avoid making true glass bread, MiniOven -- one of the true seers on this site -- helpfully pointed out that I could have removed the slivers by rinsing the slop through a very fine mesh strainer. Then I could have fed the resulting yeast water with flour.
Rob
I just spread my standard starter over whatever it took to cover maybe 1/2 of a sheet of parchment about 1 mm deep. I doubt if it yielded more than 2-3 tablespoons of dry flakes. Vacuum packed themand left in the freezer for at least 2 years before curiosity got the upper hand and I opened the package and reconstituted maybe 1/3 of the sample. After several feedings I had a lively starter, more likely similar to my two year younger starter than the evolved one I still use. I vacuum packed the remaining flakes and they are still in the freezer. Suppose I should package up another batch one of these days…
So the process works for at least 2 years but I’d be willing to bet that the flakes would be viable in 5 or 10 or more. Eukaryotic yeast has been around a lot longer than humans who only discovered how to manage its properties a few thousand years ago. Knowing that my wife created our starter 25 years ago with only the yeast that arrived in a bit of flour or possibly from the air leads me to believe that yeast will likely outlast humanity with or without nurturing.
Good luck,
Phil
A few ounces would be good - like 10. Just remember - it'll take a few to get going again. Enjoy!
PS - I just read this and make ounces grams. Sorry!
I did some Google research and it makes sense if your starter is 100% hydration that you will lose about 1/2 the weight when dehydrating. Thanks for replying.
You can also just keep two starters; every time you refresh your primary starter, put a little into a separate small jar and store it as your emergency backup. It doesn't need to be more than a teaspoon or two, and it should stay potent for at least a week. This is what I did and I even kept the backup in another building because I always thought if my house burns down how I'll regret losing my SD starter. :p It's great to have a backup anyway because I bake once a week and one time my primary SD got a weird smell and growth, so to be safe I pitched it and was able to just use my backup starter immediately.