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Feed your starter as you would to bake and when it is at it's peak, spread it in a thin layer on either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
If you have a dehydrator or an oven with a fan and can operate at less than 100°F, place it in the dehydrator or oven at 85-90°F with the fan on. If you don't have an oven like that, just place it in the oven with the oven light on. That should be able to keep the temperature somewhere in the range of 75-80°F.
if possible, reduce the dried starter to a powder or small flakes. A food processor works great for this, but if you don't have one, just manually, break the chips up as small as you can. This will help the water reabsorb quicker when it is time to rehydrate
- Pro Tip: I use my Breville Air Fryer Pro Smart Oven on the Dehydrate setting at 90°F.

Rehydrating:

First, add an equal amount of water for the weight of the dehydrated starter. For example, if you have 10 grams of dry starter, add 10 grams of water.
Although you would only stir a starter at the beginning of a feeding, during this first rehydration phase, you will want to stir it a few times to make sure the powder/flakes all get exposed to the water.
After 12-14 hours, your starter should be rehydrated and you will do the first of several feeding cycles to help it fully recover.
DO NOT discard before the first feeding, and use a 1:3:3 ratio. That is one part rehydrated starter, three parts fresh flour, and three parts fresh room-temperature water.
- If you think your tap water contains chlorine, use filtered or bottled water for your feedings.
After the first feeding, you will begin discarding 1/2 of the starter before each feeding and you can reduce to a 1:2:2 ratio to minimize waste. Because the new flour is food for the starter, discarding is necessary to provide a friendly "food-rich" environment for the remaining starter to thrive.
Repeat the discard/feeding cycles until you see that it at least doubles in volume overnight.
- - PRO TIP: Perform the suggested feeding measurements by weight, not volume.

The no-waste "Scrapings" method of maintaining starter

I use the "Scrapings Method" to store my starter in the refrigerator between uses.
It doesn't take much for the next feeding. Sometimes my scrapings are even less than this!

It took only 5 grams of Death Starter to jump-start Gloot into being ready to use in just a few days!

Guide to making your own Sourdough Starter

All you need to make a starter is flour, water, and a little patience!

I now have two starters. One made with Rye flour named "Death Starter" and one called "Gloot" which is made with white bread flour.

I actually hate most Rye breads, but only because of the caraway seeds that are usually included.

A Rye starter can be used to make pretty much any kind of bread, even if you don't like Rye. When you think about it, the flour in your starter is usually no more than 10% of the flour in your recipe!

Why did I create "Gloot" with white / whole-wheat flour?

I realized that because rye flour has no gluten it does not really contribute to the gluten development as much as the white and whole-wheat flours.

It's not as hard as some people would tell you:

Don't let what you might have heard about "care and feeding" of starters scare you off!

Read to the end of this article to see how easy it can be to maintain.

It is actually pretty hard to kill a starter. Once matured, it is an environment that causes the yeast and good bacteria to thrive, and actively fights off bad things like mold.

These two photos show what should be happening overnight when you have a healthy and active starter!

There are different types of starters ranging from liquid to stiff.

My starters are 100% hydration.
Starters can range from liquid to stiffer than mine.
The key differences are:

"Regular" Starter:

100% hydration
Delivers a balanced sour flavor.
Is a slower moving environment. The time to expand when feeding as well as the bulk fermentation time may need to be increased.

Liquid Starter:

500% hydration
Provides an environment that favors the lactic acid.
Delivers flavor with dairy notes and is more sour.
High-energy environment and can accelerate the pace of your starter expansion after feeding and during the bulk fermentation.

Stiff Starter:

50% hydration
Provides an environment that favors the acetic acid
Delivers flavor with vinegary notes.
Is a slower moving environment. The time to expand when feeding as well as the bulk fermentation will be longer.
More forgiving for flour with a lower gluten/protein content.

What you Need:

A jar three times the size needed to hold your batch of starter when you feed it. Remember, it grows!
Unbleached Flour:
- Rye (Sprouted flour would be best).
- or white or whole wheat
Water
Something to stir the starter (tip: a chopstick is my favorite tool for this).
A small rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar after mixing.

How to Make It:

First, this is just my method. There are many different methods you will find if you search.
Mix equal parts of flour and room temperature water (I would start with 50 grams of each).
- TIP: add the water first, stir to combine with the original starter, then stir in the flour.
Cover, and leave at room temperature. You will keep your starter at room temperature throughout the process of maturing it (likely 6-10 days).
- You can screw the lid on your jar, just don't seal it tight. You need to allow for the fermentation gasses to escape!
Discard most if the starter. Don't fret about discarding...the discard can make some awesome pancakes, pizza dough, etc.
Add another 50 grams of water, stir to mix the remaining starter and water, then add the flour, stir well, and cover.
Repeat this daily discard and feed cycle until it has matured.
When it can double in volume overnight, looks bubbly on the sides of the jar, and smells a little sweet and tangy, you are ready to bake with it!

How to Keep and Store it:

Once you have used your starter to bake, ideally you should only leave "scrapings" in your jar of no more than 10-20 grams.
Cover it tightly and put it in your fridge.
That's it, you're done!
When you want to use it again, just follow the feeding process you did while you were creating it. If it has been dormant in the fridge for a long time, it may take an extra feeding or two to wake it up again.
I have had mine sitting in the fridge for as long as two months, and I have seen a "scrapings" starter revived after as long as a year in the fridge!

Photos of my "Scrapings" -- You don't have to save much to preserve your starter for the next bake
I sometines have less than 1/2 this much left when done baking!

Starter FAQ's

Q: When is my starter ready to use?

A: Because a really healthy starter can more than double in size, rather than just saying it is ready based on that, you can either wait for the double, or watch for when it reaches it's peak and has just started to collapse. This is the tru peak!