Starter Instructions | Rise & Brine

Rehydrate it

Weigh around 5g of dried starter, (more if you want - you'll see faster results, but that’s enough to work with and also save some for another time) and mix it with an equal amount of water. Use a kitchen scale.

Let that rest at room temperature a few hours, or until you see bubbles forming. The goal is to wake it up again, and bubbles or rising mean activity has started, and you can move on. vIt should be well saturated now. Gluten free starter tends to take longer here, even into the next day. Keep it on the warm side of room temperature, 75-80F or bring extra patience.

Bulk/feed it

Put it in a clear container and add more flour and water (I do 50/50 by weight). Feed it a total of 100-200 grams or so (the picture is way more than that); at this point you're starting the typical feeding process. You can use any flour, or mix some together. Experimenting is encouraged. Let it sit for a few hours, and watch for bubbles to form throughout, and note if it rises. It doesn't need to double at all, but it does need to form bubbles, and if it does double, fridge it. The goal is to refrigerate it just before it starts deflating, which will depend heavily on temperature in your home, the water temp you used, etc. If you notice it fall back down, you waited a bit too long, but it's not ruined, you just need to discard some and feed it again.

Form your loaf and rest

Mix the dough for your loaf or boule or whatever shape seems best for eating to you, and add the starter according to your recipe. I do this right out of the fridge. Your recipe might call for feeding before you combine with your dough, that's often because whoever wrote it can't account for how healthy your starter is, don't be shy about responding to your particular environment.

For best results, rest it in a banneton for a night in the fridge. Bake it the next day, or let it continue to cold ferment in the fridge for multiple days. The longer it ferments, the stronger the flavor, better shelf life, easier browning and weaker the gluten becomes.

You did it

Congrats and whatnot. Store it in the fridge and repeat those steps prior to baking, or try other stuff too. Everyone's environment is a little different, and you'll develop a sense of things with practice. Use it once a month or so to keep it healthy and active. Name it if you're fun.

Enjoy!