How Do I Preserve Sourdough!

Vacation for your sourdough

Sourdough can be stored or stabilized in a number of ways. The storage depends entirely on how often we bake bread. If bread is baked every 2-3 weeks, it is sufficient to store the sourdough at 4°C in the refrigerator with a TA 160 (100g rye flour, 60g water and 15-20g sourdough).

If you want to preserve sourdough or stabilize it over a longer period of time, there are different methods:

Crumbling, rubbing

This method is best for making sourdough last longer. Sourdough is rubbed with flour until dry crumbs are formed. The crumbs are then sifted through a sieve and stored in a clean jar with a lid in the refrigerator for several months.

Due to the reduced moisture content, the microorganisms are put into a deep sleep without being harmed.

To wake the sourdough out of deep sleep, stir the crumbs with lukewarm water until a paste-like mass is formed. After about 8 hours you can continue it as usual.

Precise and clean work is a prerequisite for successful activation and continuation of the sourdough!

Drying

Sourdough is spread thinly on a sheet of baking paper and simply dried at room temperature. Once this has dried, it is crumbled into small pieces and stored in an airtight jar in a dark place.

To activate it, pour water into the glass and let it stand for 3-4 hours. Then you feed the sourdough as usual with flour and water.

Freezing

You can also freeze the sourdough, but I don’t recommend this method since the ice crystals lacerate the sourdough.