If you are newer to sourdough you may have fears of keeping your starter alive and want a backup to restart your starter if anything goes wrong. Perhaps you just don’t bake often enough to keep your sourdough starter going on the counter, but hate having to transfer it in and out of the fridge. If this sounds like you (because it used to be me), you may be wondering, “Can I freeze sourdough starter?” And the answer is, yes!
To freeze sourdough starter I recommend drying it first. Spread your fed starter onto a piece of parchment or a silicone baking mat. Allow to air dry for several days. Break the dried starter into cracker size pieces. Transfer to a freezer safe container, and freeze. Starter will keep this way at least a year, some say indefinitely.
Reasons to Freeze Sourdough Starter
No Maintenance
Keeping an active wet sourdough starter on the counter can be a lot of work. You have to feed it daily, perhaps even twice a day, and that takes time, flour, and remembering to get it done (which can sometimes be the hardest of the three). Freezing sourdough starter can be a great way to always keep starter on hand, without having to feed and maintain it.
No Waste
You won’t have to worry about making too much starter after all those feeding, and scramble to find discard recipes or worse yet, dump your starter as waste.
Easy to Share
Sharing your dried starter with a friend couldn’t be easier. You can even send it through the mail to a friend anywhere in the world!
How to Dry the Sourdough Starter
Spread fed sourdough starter into a thin layer on a piece of parchment or a silicone baking mat. Allow to air dry several days.
You could also place your starter in a dehydrator on the lowest heat setting or simply use a fan to create more airflow and speed the drying process.
Once the starter is dry it will be crisply like a cracker, of flaky if you spread it really thin.
Remove the dried starter from the parchment or baking sheet, and break into cracker size chunks. Don’t worry if your starter crumbles smaller than a cracker size. There is no right or wrong size, I just find a cracker size to be easiest for handling and reviving later on. You can take your dried starter all the way down to powder and it would still work.
Freezing the Dried Starter
Transfer the dried starter to a freezer safe container. Place in the freezer.
How long will it keep in the freezer?
Your starter will store in the freezer at least a year. However, I’ve heard of some keeping it much longer than that. Others say it can keep indefinitely.
How to Get the Starter Going Again
If you like to be technical, I’m sure there is a correct ratio of dried starter, water, and flour to revive the frozen sourdough. However, I just “wing it” by combining one or two “crackers” of frozen sourdough starter with approximately equal parts of water and flour in a mason jar (Usually this is 1-2 tablespoons of each). You will want to go heavier in the water than you would when feeding a wet starter, because you have to rehydrate the “cracker”.
Give it a stir, and cover with a cotton cloth or clean coffee filter. Place a canning ring or rubber band to secure the cover.
Place in a warm spot. A warm location will encourage the yeast to replicate and grow faster.
I continue to feed it twice a day (approximately every 12 hours) for the first couple days. Since you only started with a couple tablespoons, by this point your starter should be active and you will have enough starter to begin using in recipes.
Can You Freeze Sourdough Starter Again?
Once you’ve reached the point where your starter is active you can use it in recipes, or go ahead and freeze it again to make another batch of “crackers” to keep in your freezer or give away.
Freezing Sourdough Starter
If you are newer to sourdough you may have fears of keeping your starter alive and want a backup to restart your starter if anything goes wrong. Perhaps you just don't bake often enough to keep your sourdough starter going on the counter, but hate having to transfer it in and out of the fridge. If this sounds like you (because it used to be me), you may be wondering, "Can I freeze sourdough starter?" And the answer is, yes!
Ingredients
- Fed sourdough starter
Instructions
How to Dry the Sourdough Starter
- Spread fed sourdough starter into a thin layer on a piece of parchment or a silicone baking mat. Allow to air dry several days.
- You could also place your starter in a dehydrator on the lowest heat setting or simply use a fan to create more airflow and speed the drying process.
- Once the starter is dry it will be crisply like a cracker, of flaky if you spread it really thin.
- Remove the dried starter from the parchment or baking sheet, and break into cracker size chunks. Don't worry if your starter crumbles smaller than a cracker size. There is no right or wrong size, I just find a cracker size to be easiest for handling and reviving later on. You can take your dried starter all the way down to powder and it would still work.
Freezing the Dried Starter
- Transfer the dried starter to a freezer safe container. Place in the freezer.
How long will it keep in the freezer?
- Your starter will store in the freezer at least a year. However, I've heard of some keeping it much longer than that. Others say it can keep indefinitely.
How to Get the Starter Going Again
- If you like to be technical, I'm sure there is a correct ratio of dried starter, water, and flour to revive the frozen sourdough. However, I just "wing it" by combining one or two "crackers" of frozen sourdough starter with approximately equal parts of water and flour in a mason jar (Usually this is 1-2 tablespoons of each). You will want to go heavier in the water than you would when feeding a wet starter, because you have to rehydrate the "cracker".
- Give it a stir, and cover with a cotton cloth or clean coffee filter. Place a canning ring or rubber band to secure the cover.
- Place in a warm spot. A warm location will encourage the yeast to replicate and grow faster.
- I continue to feed it twice a day (approximately every 12 hours) for the first couple days. Since you only started with a couple tablespoons, by this point your starter should be active and you will have enough starter to begin using in recipes.
Can You Freeze Sourdough Starter Again?
- Once you've reached the point where your starter is active you can use it in recipes, or go ahead and freeze it again to make another batch of "crackers" to keep in your freezer or give away.
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