How to dry and reactivate your sourdough starter

I have dried my sourdough starter to post it to my Mum, as in Italy, just like here, yeast has disappeared from the supermarkets during the Covid 19 emergency. Here is how I did it, following the instructions of an Italian website.

To dry your starter, blend 50g of 50% Hydration starter* with 50g of strong white flour.  Lay the resulting crumb on a tray and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the mixture dry for about 24hours at room temperature, then store in a jar. The dried starter can be stored in the fridge for about 6 months.

* A 50% hydration sourdough starter is a solid starter, refreshed with 100% of its weight in flour and 50% of its weight in water

To reactivate your starter, mix 30g of dry starter with 15g of water and shape into a ball.

Put the ball in a bowl, cover with cling film. Make a few holes in the cling film with a toothpick.
Let it proof for 24 hours at room temperature.

Open up the dough and get 30 g of starter from its core.  Mix with 30g of strong white flour and 15g of water. Insert in an airtight container and proof at room temperature.

If the starter triplicates in volume in 4 to 6 hours, the starter is ready to be used for baking.

If the starter does not triplicate in volume in 4 to 6 hours, take another 30 g from its core and again mix with 30g of strong white flour and 15g of water. Insert in an airtight container and proof at room temperature. Repeat until the starter is strong.

Always remember that you have to have enough starter to use in your recipe plus about 100g to keep in the fridge.