Every once in a while, I’ll look at the list of search terms that brings people to my blog. As you can see from some of the search terms above, lots of people look for sourdough starter equivalents.
Most of the sourdough bread recipes I’ve seen (and have written) call for starter weighed in grams. If you don’t have a scale, you’ll want those measurements in volume. But I’ve included conversions going in the other direction as well, from US cups to grams. Sometimes you’ll use a recipe that lists an ingredient in cups but you’d rather use your scale—especially if you live outside the US.
I worked out these conversions using my 100 percent hydration sourdough starter, which contains equal parts flour and water by weight. When I feed my sourdough starter (which I generally keep small), I’ll add 40 grams of flour and 40 grams of water to a spoonful of starter from the previous batch.
My spontaneous answer is that it doesn't really matter! As long as you keep your culture happy, feeding it regularly, every 1 or max. 2 weeks (if stored in the fridge), the exact amounts of sourdough, fresh flour, and water that you're going to use don't play a significant role.
My spontaneous answer is that it doesn't really matter! As long as you keep your culture happy, feeding it regularly, every 1 or max. 2 weeks (if stored in the fridge), the exact amounts of sourdough, fresh flour, and water that you're going to use don't play a significant role.
Hate discarding so much starter? See "tips," below. Remove however much starter you need for your recipe — typically no more than 227 grams, about 1 cup.
Dry-sourdough starter ingredients: 1 tablespoon (30 grams) starter, 1/3 cup water (I do 50 grams), 2/3 cup flour (I do 100 grams). A small piece of sourdough starter always carries on. Add in the water to the sourdough starter piece. Add in the flour to the sourdough starter + water.
The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.
If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.
The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. Why do you need to use these two types of flour?
To make 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter to use in a recipe, aim for at least 247g (we'll round it up to 250g) in order to have 20g left over to feed and maintain.
Because starter volume can vary wildly, depending on how thick it is and whether or not it's fully stirred down before measuring. Weight will always be the most accurate way to measure starter — plus it saves cleaning a measuring cup!
A stiff starter is a little more forgiving when it comes to refreshment (feeding) due to the delayed “falling” (when compared to a liquid starter which falls when food is exhausted) of the dome on top when rising.
Although it is possible to bake familiar recipes based on look and feel, precision is essential when it comes to baking sourdough bread, The intended ratio of a recipe and its ingredients is a science that requires precise measurement and practice. If you resort to guesswork then you can quickly come unstuck.
Once a starter is active, it will at least double in height. Thus, you need to use a jar that is at least twice the size of your starter. If you're maintaining a small sourdough starter, then a pint-sized jar will work. A quart-sized jar is good for larger starters.
The more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf. Of course the amount of starter is actually a ratio in relation to the flour - so 50g of starter to 500g of flour will ferment at a much slower rate than 200g of starter to 500g of flour.
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Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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