How to

Rehydrate Abigail

Thank you for purchasing Abigail, my inherited sourdough starter that original came from Italy. Abigail is very robust and hard to kill - perfect for beginners!

The step-by-step instructions below will tell you how to revive your starter. You will only need half - so save the other, just in case, or gift it to a friend!

Enjoy the sourdough journey and remember to give yourself grace along the way.

Equipment Recommendations:

  • glass jar with a lid

  • kitchen scale

  • spatula

Ingredients Needed:

  • 5 g sourdough starter

  • unbleached bread flour

  • filtered water

DAY 1

Combine 5 grams of dehydrated sourdough starter in a small glass jar. Add 25 grams of filtered water. Stir until the dry starter is completely submerged in the water. Cover with a lid and allow mixture to sit for one hour at room temperature. 

After an hour, add 20 grams of bread flour and stir with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Note: We’re using slightly more water than flour in this first feeding – a thinner, more hydrated starter allows for increased activity for yeast and bacteria.

Cover with a lid and store for 24 hours.

DAY 2

Your starter may look very smooth and not lively, with little to no bubbles. If so, combine 10 grams of starter mixture (discard the rest), 25 grams of bread flour, and 25 grams of room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.

*As stated above, this starter is very robust! I have rehydrated this starter before and on day 2, it had doubled in size and was very active with visible bubbles throughout the jar. If at any point throughout this process your starter looks like this - it’s ready to bake with! I recommend a float test first - add a dollop to a cup of water to see if it floats. If it floats, it’s ready. If it sinks, keep feeding.

DAY 3

You may start to see some bubbles at this point. Combine 10 grams of starter mixture (discard the rest), 25 grams of bread flour, and 25 grams of room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.

DAY 4

Be patient and stay with it! You’re almost there! You may see more bubbles now but the overall texture may still be smooth. Combine 10 grams of starter mixture (discard the rest), 25 grams of bread flour, and 25 grams of room temperature filtered water in a glass jar. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover with a lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.

DAY 5

At this point, if she hasn’t done so already, Abigail will have doubled in size! You are looking for small and big bubbles throughout and should use for baking while at peak activity. You will know that it is peaked when it’s doubled in size, full of bubbles, and even looks like it’s starting to flatten out.

How to continue to care for Abigail

If left at room temperature: begin regular feedings every day or every other day. Skipping a day here and there will not bother this starter at all. Discard some each time and feed with a 1:2:2 ratio (example: 20 grams of starter, 40 grams of flour, 40 grams of water).

If you do not plan to bake for a bit, store in the fridge: Feed first and let sit on the counter for about an hour. Refrigerate for up to a week. After a week, take out a feed again and either bake or return to the fridge.

Happy baking! Enjoy all of the yummy bread that Abigail with produce and have fun with the discard recipes! If you run into any issues or have questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an email - happy to help!