Why does this sourdough recipe call for 2 and 1/3 cups starter? Isn't that too much?
The recipe at this popular site says 2 and 1/3 cups of starter and 3 and 1/3 cups of flour, along with water (1 cup). Is there a printing error? Other recipes are about tablespoons, not cups. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/how-to-make-sourdough-bread/
Not the video, recipe below the video.
Best Answer
That is quite a bit of sourdough starter, but not extremely so. In sourdough recipes that also include yeast in the loaf, you might see measurements of a cup or less, but a tablespoon of starter in a loaf would be pretty negligible.
The recipe here does not include yeast other than what's in the starter, so 2 and 1/3 cup is not extreme. I watched the video; there is no reason to think that the recipe is in error.
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What is the best ratio for sourdough starter?
Feed the starter 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water and a scant 1 cup (4 ounces, 113g) all-purpose flour twice a day, discarding all but 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) of the starter before each feeding. It should soon become healthy, bubbly, and active.What happens if you use more sourdough starter than the recipe calls for?
As a general rule, the less sourdough starter you use, the slower your dough will ferment - resulting in a more sour flavored loaf. The more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf.What do sourdough starter ratios mean?
For a 1:1:1 feeding ratio you would feed the 25 grams of starter with 25 grams of water and 25 grams of flour. Once you add the 25 grams of water and 25 grams of flour to the 25 grams of starter, you will now have 75 grams total starter after your feeding.WORLD'S EASIEST AND BEST SOURDOUGH BREAD, the 1-2-3 method
More answers regarding why does this sourdough recipe call for 2 and 1/3 cups starter? Isn't that too much?
Answer 2
Reasons for starter-heavy doughs would be first that the starter is not particularly active, so the bread needs a larger quantity of starter (Ken Forkish, "Flour Water Salt Yeast", chapter 11); second, the taste or texture effects are desired in the resulting bread. One way to test this would be to bake two loaves, one starter heavy and one not, and compare the results.
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