Choosing the right kind of starter for your sourdough journey really depends on how often you intend to bake sourdough at home, and how much flexibility you are seeking from a living sourdough starter. Are you at home most of the time and wanting to bake bread at least once a week? Or are you away some of the time, and wanting flexibility in how often you’re needed to maintain a live sourdough starter? Do you want to avoid ever needing to make a starter from scratch? 

Let’s delve in to these topics and find out what types of sourdough starter would be best for your lifestyle.

What is a live sourdough starter?

A live starter is the one sitting on your bench, or in your fridge, and one that you are regularly feeding with fresh flour and water. It rises and falls at room temperature, and when it is happily bubbling and doubled in size after feeding – it is ready to bake bread.

What is a dehydrated or dried sourdough starter?

A dried sourdough starter (sometimes called dried starters, dried sourdoughs, or dehydrated sourdough starters) begins life as a strong, active and live starter. It is then spread thinly and allowed to become completely dry and free from any water content, then broken into small, crisp pieces. It is then stored in a clean, dry and airtight container in the fridge for long-term storage. 

Drying a sourdough starter pauses the fermentation process. The live probiotics within the starter are still intact, just in a dormant phase, waiting for the return of water after their period of simulated drought. This makes dehydrated starters particularly useful as:

• Long-term backup in case anything happens to your live starter.
• A source of sharing your starter with friends and family.
• An opportunity to take a holiday from regular feeding schedules without losing your sourdough completely.

For a busy household, keeping a live sourdough starter running for everyday baking AND a dried starter tucked away in the fridge as insurance is often the most stress-free option. If you are a regular traveler, having a steady repository of dried starter in the fridge for when you return home is a great option. This way you can keep the benefits of sourdough baking alive in your homelife, and you won’t need to feed your starter while you are away. Your sourdough starter will respond to holiday breaks like it just doesn’t matter.

Does using live vs dried starter change the bread?

Once a dehydrated starter has been revived properly and is doubling in size after it feeds, it behaves just like any other live sourdough starter. The flavour and structure of your sourdough bread will depend on how active and balanced the culture is after revival from the dried state, and not on whether it was once dried.

The important points for bread quality are:

• Ensuring that a dried starter has had enough feeding rotations with fresh flour and water to become strong again.

• Following a consistent feeding method like the ratios given in Symbiota’s feeding guides, so that your starter will become reliable and ready to bake.

• Selecting good quality starter flour and clean water to support healthy microbes and stable fermentation.

A live stater is faster to use because it is already active. A dried starter simply adds an extra “wake-up” phase of steps to be completed before you bake bread again.

Practical Pros & Cons:

How is a dried starter made and revived?

Although methods vary slightly, our Symbiota general guidance looks like this:

To dehydrate a starter:

1. Use the usual Symbiota recommended ingredients and temperature guidelines.
2. Begin with a healthy, actively fed starter that is peaking reliably after feeds.
3. Spread a thin layer of active sourdough starter onto a non-stick surface.
4. Cover with a breathable but protective material that doesn’t touch the starter.
5. Allow to dry at room temperature, away from direct heat or moisture.
6. Once it is completely dry and crisp, break the dry starter into small pieces and store in an airtight container.
7. Place in the fridge for long term storage.

To rehydrate a starter:

1. Place 20g of dried starter pieces into a clean, dry jar and gently crush.
2. Add 20g flour and 20g water and mix until no dry flour remains.
3. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 24 hours, then discard two-thirds of the volume.
4. Use the Symbiota recommended feeding steps and ingredient ratios to continue the next fermentation cycle steps.
5. Repeat the feed-and-ferment cycle steps for several days.
6. When you can see that the starter is clearly bubbling and doubling in size within 6 hours of feeding – it is ready to go.

Once it reaches that point, you can fold the revived culture back into your normal routine. Feed the starter on your chosen schedule, watch for its peak, and use when it is ready. After only a few cycles, you will be back to baking sourdough after your holiday away in the tropical islands (hopefully!).