What is the guideline sourdough to flour to water ratio for 24-hour feeding?
I have a batch of sourdough that I've been maintaining and feeding for months, and currently trying to save from spoiling after repetitive periods of laziness, where I left the batch unfed for more than two days. It leavens the bread dough just fine and the bread dough smells nice after 12 hours of fermenting, but the sourdough starter itself smells a little off, or I simply haven't liked its smell as of lately. I noticed that with regular feeding and care, though, that undesirable smell is weakening and it's starting to smell more acceptable as time goes by. My hope is that this is the good guys slowly overtaking any bad guys (the ones responsible for the off smell) as the weeks go by, and that sourdough starter can be saved after periods of irresponsibility toward the lovely pets. =)
Now, with that introduction out of the way, my question is: What is the sourdough to flour to water ratio that I should use if I only want to feed my sourdough once a day, or every 24 hours, instead of twice daily or every 12 hours, and still have it stay healthy?
For example, should I be adding 200 g fresh flour and 200 g water (for a total of 400 g) to 200 g of sourdough once a day? Or is it better to use a 2:2:1 ratio of 240 g fresh flour and 240 g water to 120 g of sourdough when one's feeding every 24 hours?
Thanks for any help or tips with this.
Best Answer
I am using as little as 10-20 % old starter, e.g. 100g flour, 100g water and a teaspoon old starter, which is somewhere around 15g, plus/minus. To be honest, I usually eyeball the ratios, aiming for the just-right consistency of the flour/water mix, then add the starter. A few percent deviation is ok.
Don’t forget that the growth in your starter is roughly exponential, so if you want to double the time to maturity, you need significantly less than half of what you would use otherwise. And the environment also plays a role, during summer heat or near the radiator a starter will grow and collapse way faster than on the counter on a cool spring or autumn day.
If you need longer phases between feeding, I suggest parking your sourdough in the fridge and feeding it only once a week.
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What is the best ratio for flour and water to make a sourdough starter?
Think of it as one part starter, one part water, plus one part flour (or 1:1:1). Just remember to keep all parts equal by weight. This is the ratio that I recommend for starting and feeding your starter until it is well established (after the 10-14 day initial time frame).What is the ratio for feeding sourdough starter?
Add 10g (1/3 ounce) flour and 10g (1/3 ounce) water, and stir together until smooth, for a feeding ratio of 1:1:1. Discard remaining starter; clean and, if desired, sterilize used container.Can you feed sourdough every 24 hours?
If you want to bake with your starter throughout the week, you'll want to keep it at room temperature and feed it once a day. Don't freak out if you forget a day, just feed your starter twice in a 24-hour period before using it for baking.Can you add too much water to sourdough starter?
While your starter may seem too dry or too wet, and may not rise the way you expect, no permanent damage has been done. You can correct its consistency by adding a little more flour or water, and then being more careful the next time you feed it.Understanding Sourdough Starter | feeding, ratios, leaven, when to use, what to feed
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