Rehydrating your Flour + Water Sourdough starter is simple and straightforward. You’ll be ready to bake your first loaf of bread in about a week.

Day One: Rehydrate your starter

Begin by sterilizing your glass jar and lid by washing them with hot, soapy water and rinsing thoroughly
Fill the jar with the packet of dehydrated sourdough starter (15 grams)
Add approximately ¼ cup of non-chlorinated water to the jar and stir the mixture with a spoon until the starter is fully dissolved
Seal the jar loosely with the lid
Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 24 hours

Day Two: Check for activity and feed your starter

After 24 hours, check for signs of activity. Look for bubbles on the surface and a slight increase in volume. Your starter will continue to get stronger over the coming days as you feed it.
.Feed your starter using approximately 60 grams (½ cup) of flour and non-chlorinated water each. At Flour + Water, we use a locally sourced white sonoran wheat which we love, but any kind of flour will work. Stir the mixture up and replace the lid loosely for another 24 hours.

Day Three: Discard and feed your starter

At this point you will likely see more activity in the form of bubbles and increase in volume. These are good signs that your starter is getting stronger and getting ready to make bread.
You will want to discard about half of the starter before feeding. This will prevent your starter from getting too large, and also make sure you are feeding it enough to grow strong. Too much starter with not enough food doesn’t make for great bread.
Feed your starter again using approximately 60 grams (½ cup) of flour and non-chlorinated water each.

Day Four: Feed and maintain your starter

You will want to repeat the previous days steps of discarding and feeding your starter every day so it can continue to grow in strength
Watch your starter closely, when it doubles in size after 4-12 hours consistently - it’s ready to be used in bread.
Feed your room temperature starter once every 24 hours for regular maintenance. A typical feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (starter:flour:water), but can vary depending on preference, temperature, type of flour used, etc. Flour + Water uses a ratio of 1:4:4 for baking bread. Experiment with what works for you and your kitchen. Lastly, if it fits your baking schedule better, it can be placed in the refrigerator and fed approximately once per week.

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