Instructions: Have been reading the discussion of sourdough breads and starters and thought you might be interested to know that starter can be dried. You might not want to use the starter for awhile and "put it in limbo" until you want to use it again; you may need to move; you may have a valuable starter that you would hate to lose; or you may want to share your starter with someone who lives several hundred or thousand miles away. Sending dry starter is just like mailing a small package of flour, you can even do it in an envelope, as I have done. The only caveat is that it cannot be dried in very humid climates, and cannot be dried in a food dehydrator because the heat will kill the yeast. If you live in a borderline-humid climate you may be able to dry it in cold weather when your furnace lowers humidity - it would certainly be worth a try

DRYING SOURDOUGH STARTER

Use a cookie sheet with a lip. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the cookie sheet so in effect you have a "plastic pan". Pour 1/2 cup of starter evenly over plastic. It should be a thin layer. Place on top of refrigerator for 1-1/2 days. Peel pieces of dried starter off of plastic and turn over to continue drying other side 1/2 day. Be sure starter is thoroughly dry or it will mold or spoil.

When starter is dry put pieces in a blender or food processor and process until it looks like coarse flour. Store in an airtight container until needed.

RECONSTITUTING STARTER

Add one cup of water, 1/2 cup flour and 1 tsp. sugar to dry starter in a plastic or glass container and follow directions for any starter use. It takes about 24 hours for starter to activate.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.