1. Empty your dried starter into a glass or plastic bowl. If you would like to crush the larger pieces, it will help dissolve faster. Your starter should weigh about 15g (give or take a couple grams).
*For best results use glass or plastic, certain metal bowls can be degraded by the fermentation process. Also, a straight sided container makes for a tidier starter jar.
2. Pour 30g of warm (80-85F) water on crushed chips to dissolve and cover with a lid loosely. Chips may take a few hours to dissolve fully, so stir every so often until completely dissolved. Cover lightly with a lid, not tight!
*If you'd like, go ahead and use a marker or rubber band to mark where the line of the starter is. This is helpful for later!
3. Check on it after about 2-4 hours. Add in 15g of unbleached flour and stir (I use bread flour but any unbleached flour will work). Cover and leave someplace warm for a few hours (ideally 70-85 degrees). On top of a fridge usually works if your air temperature is less than 70 degrees. Warmer just means faster and better results, but too warm will cook it.
*Avoid over 85F or so, an oven with the light on may work, prop open the oven to vent and check on the starter often. Most newer ovens get too hot with the light on, so really check it so it doesn't cook.
4. Let sit until bubbles appear. Can be 8-12 hours or more, but could be less depending on the temperature. If it's been 24 hours, still go ahead to the next step and feed, and you should have bubbles after that.
5. Feed again with 15g of water and15g flour without discarding any starter. Cover again and let sit for another 4-12 hours in a warm spot until bubbly. Mark the progress of the bubbles. To get a better gauge of this, use a marker line or rubber band (you're shooting for a 2x rise - however some flours may cause this to rise more or less than double. The bubble are a great indicator).
*Having a clear jar is very helpful during this step because the bubbles start at the bottom and work their way up.
6. Now you can discard half and feed again, using the discard for baking if you'd like!
7. Once the starter achieves at least a 2x rise or a spoonful of the non-stirred, bubbly starter can float in a glass of water, you are ready to bake and get on a regular feeding schedule!
8. If you still do not have bubbles or rise, take out 30-50g) and feed at a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:water:flour, and wait 4 - 12 hours depending on the temperature in your home, before feeding again without discarding. In winter it can take up to 24 hours!