Starter Kit - Organic Rye Sourdough (Dehydrated Wild Yeast)

Product Description:

Re-born in Australia in 2014, and originating from Poland, this live starter culture has been maintained with the best quality organic whole rye flour from Wholegrain Milling in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia. It has a peanut butter texture, an appealing light brown colour, and a very distinct fruity flavour profile.

This kit contains a dehydrated rye sourdough starter that has been allowed 48 hrs fermentation or until it has fully ripened. We spread a thin layer of live mature starters on sheets of baking paper, and slowly dry them in the oven with the fan on, until all water evaporates. The crisps are then crushed in a mortar, followed by grinding in a burr grinder to achieve the final powder form. We then weigh and distribute 20 grams into the final packaging. Once rehydrated, it should be ready to use within 48-72hrs.

Works best for traditional rustic loaves of sourdough and baguettes. Add up to 15-20% directly in your recipe, or prepare a leaven first for extra activity (recommended). The starter often doubles or triples its volume within hours after feeding.

This starter is a genuine product that we use ourselves. The kit comes with printed maintenance instructions and our favourite sourdough step-by-step bread recipe. You can pin them on your fridge for easy access.

For extra support, we recommend browsing online and reading a few articles on sourdough baking. Watch Youtube videos on kneading, stretching, folding, and shaping techniques. Read a good book, like Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, or Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman.

What's included in the kit:

• Zip-lock bag with 20g dehydrated starter

• Detailed Maintenance Instructions (A5)

• Our Best Sourdough Recipe (A5)

Please note the kit does not come with a jar. Do you need a jar, too? Why not upgrading to the Full Starter Kit With A Jar

Preparation:

First Feeding

• Clean and weigh an empty jar. Note its weight on the bottom.
• Transfer 20g of the sourdough starter powder into the jar.
• Add 25g good quality whole rye flour and 25g lukewarm water (1 : 1.25 : 1.25 ratio). Use only wheat flour to maintain pure culture. After mixing all ingredients, you should have about 70g available.
• Stir vigorously so that there are no dry lumps of flour and set aside in room temperature for 24 hours. Mix the contents once again during this time. 
• Starter is revived once the first signs of fermentation are evident (bubbles) and the volume increases 1.5 - 3x. Usually starter will double its volume.
• Note it may take up to 48 hours to see the first signs. It will take longer in cooler temperatures.
• Depending on the rise, feed again after 24-48 hours: discard 20g and replenish with 50g of whole rye flour and 50g of water (1 : 1 : 1 ratio). Now you should have about 150g in the jar in total.
• Let it ferment for about 24 hours and then use directly in your recipe, or prepare a leaven first. Leaven allows you to quickly amplify the amount of your starter for a recipe. Refer to our detailed instructions here.
• Leave on a kitchen bench for a few days until next feeding, or store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Make sure to allow it to warm up and feed before using in any recipe, as it needs to regain activity.

Leaven

• Prepare a separate container (a small bowl, a jar, etc) and add a large spoon of your ripe starter (about 40g). It is now also a good opportunity to replenish your mother starter.

• Add baker's flour and lukewarm water in 1-2-2 ratio (or higher) and mix thoroughly. We add baker's flour (wheat) as all leaven will end up in a recipe which usually calls for baker's flour. However, you can mix flour types as you like, and it will still work.

• Example: if you had 40g of ripe starter, add 80g of baker's flour and 80g of water. This will yield around 200g which will be more than enough for most recipes.

• We recommend using around 15-20% leaven in any given recipe as compared to the total amount of flour. 

• Example: if you're using 1000g of flour in total, leaven content should be 150-200g.

Shipping Notes:

• To avoid disappointment with delayed deliveries, we recommend upgrading to a tracked delivery service.

• Regular untracked letters may take longer to arrive (4-10+ business days).

• We offer $2.50 Untracked Shipping (up to 2 starter kits), or you can upgrade to Tracked Shipping for $5.95 (unlimited kits).

• A dehydrated version may be a better fit if you need more time and flexibility, or if you're ordering it as a gift.

You can bake sourdough just as a professional baker. All it takes is a robust sourdough starter kit and dedicated accessories to help you. In our store, you can get a hold of everything you need. Explore our range of proofing baskets, bread lames, whisks and scrapers for the best experience here.

Please refer to our Starter Maintenance Instructions for more information