How to Revive a  Sourdough Starter        


1) Using 1 tablespoon of starter (discard unused portion or save a little in the 'frige in case of an emergency), 1 cup 75 degree water, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour, proof for exactly 24 hours at 72 to 77 degrees. It's very important to maintain these precise temperatures and to proof for exactly 24 hours.

2) Examine the starter to determine what stage it's at, i.e. assuming you didn't overheat it, it should be "flat", "barely living", or "healthy". Remember the clues to identifying non-healthy starter: low number of bubbles, early hooch, gelatinous consistency, no froth on top, or any 2 or more of these symptoms. If "healthy" you're done.

3)If not healthy yet, stir it well and refrigerate it for no less than 12 hours.

4) Remove the starter from the refrigerator and go to step 1. This iterative process needs to be repeated a few times...usually around 4 or 5 times or so unless you were lucky. A lot of the home-dried starters revive MUCH quicker than this.