How To Freeze Sourdough Starter
Can you freeze sourdough starter? Absolutely! Once you make a sourdough starter, freezing it is an easy way to preserve it for up to a year, so you can have a backup or take a baking hiatus. Only 5 minutes of hands-on time!
Servings: 1 jar
Calories: 100kcal
Equipment
- Mason Jar
- Loose-fitting lid
Ingredients
- sourdough starter
- whole wheat or rye flour
- all-purpose flour
- water
Instructions
FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS
- Feed your starter. Allow it 4-12 hours to become active and bubbly. How long that takes depends on your starter, so keep an eye on it.
- Once your starter is bubbly and doubled in size, spoon dollops of your active starter into a silicone mold, ice cube tray, or muffin tin lined with plastic wrap. The amount of starter depends on your mold. Fill it to the top.
- Freeze for 12-24 hours or until completely frozen.
- Once frozen, remove the starter from the mold. Place the frozen starter in a Ziploc bag and seal. Your starter will last up to a year in the freezer.
THAWING INSTRUCTIONS
- To thaw, first, weigh your frozen starter. This will help you determine how much to feed it.
- Place the frozen starter in a jar, loosely covered, and allow to sit in a warm spot until completely thawed. Mine took about 4 hours to get back to room temperature.
TO REVIVE
- To revive, combine equal parts (in grams) starter, flour, and water. Stir until thoroughly combined. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 12 hours.sourdough starter, whole wheat or rye flour, all-purpose flour, water
- Discard half of the starter. Again, combine equal parts (in grams) starter, flour, and water.
- Continue feeding your starter every 12 hours. Once it consistently doubles after each feeding, it is ready for baking.
- Once your starter is revived, resume your regular feeding routine.
Notes
- For the first few feedings, use either all whole wheat or rye. After a day or so, I usually switch to a 50/50 of all-purpose and whole wheat. You can feed your starter any flour, as long as it is wheat.
- You can use a plastic wrapped-lined ice cube tray to freeze starter, but it’s easier to pop out of a silicone mold.
- For best results, freeze a mature, active starter fed within 4-12 hours. While you can freeze inactive starter, an active one performs better.
- For best results when reviving your starter, note its weight before or after freezing. Write it on the freezer bag so you'll know how much to feed it later.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 100kcal
