Sourdough Calculator (2024)

FAQs

How to calculate how much sourdough starter to use? ›

For example, for 100 grams of active sourdough starter, I recommend beginning with 15-20 grams of mature starter, then adding the 50% weight in equal parts of 50 g water and 50 g flour to create the amount needed and some leftover.

(The rice flour acts as a barrier to gluten formation and keeps your dough from sticking to the bowl.) To proof them, let them sit, covered, at room temperature for up to 3–4 hours, or let them proof for a little while at room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 12–15 hours.

Once it's ripe, remove the amount you need for the recipe (I almost always use between 100-200 grams) and then save 20 grams, feeding it with 20 grams water and flour. You're back to having 60 grams of starter to keep for next time with enough to bake your bread now.

Hydration is calculated by taking the weight of water or liquid in a recipe and dividing it by the weight of flour to get a percentage. Remember that hydration = water / flour. So in the recipe above, if water is 750g and flour is 1,000g, the total hydration of the dough is 750 / 1,000, or 75%.

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

As with any sourdough recipe, before you start baking bread, you want to make sure that your sourdough starter is as strong as possible. My basic sourdough recipe uses just 50g of starter for 500g of flour (so just 10% of starter).

TIPS FOR PROOFING THE BREAD DOUGH

After kneading, shape your loaf, cover it, and let it proof for 4-24 hours, depending on your specific sourdough starter and ambient temperature.

Note: As loaves begin to overproof they lose their height and shape. The crumb becomes more dense. The holes become more ragged and irregular in shape. The crust begins to thin and separate from the crumb.

If the dough temperature is very warm, for example 80F/27C, the dough will continue to ferment quickly and may only take 1-2 hours to final proof.

With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic.

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

Yes, you can overfeed your sourdough starter. Audrey explains: “Every time you add more flour and water, you are depleting the existing population of natural bacteria and yeast.” If you keep adding more and more, eventually you'll dilute the starter so much that you'll just have flour and water.

High Hydration Sourdough Tips

Watch your dough closely during bulk fermentation. Higher hydration doughs tend to ferment faster. Over fermented dough will become sticky and unworkable. The amount of time it takes for your dough to proof depends on many factors, including the maturity of your starter and environment.

A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a culture which is kept and fed with water and flour at equal weights. Like for instance 5 oz water to 5 oz flour. A 166% hydration starter is fed with equal volume of flour and water, which most typically is one cup of water (8.3 oz) and one cup of flour (5 oz).

Liquid starter: around 90 to 100% hydration (as much water as there is flour) Stiff starter: between 50 to 65% hydration (about half as much water as there is flour)

So, a sourdough feeding ratio is the relative amount (referring to weight) of old sourdough compared to fresh flour and water. Typical feeding ratios are 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 (old sourdough: fresh flour: water). However, even extreme ratios like 1:50:50 would still work.

Common feeding ratios for sourdough starters include: 1:1:1 Ratio: This ratio means using equal parts of flour, water, and starter by weight. For example, if you have 100 grams of a starter, you would feed it with 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water.

Thus, the Baker's Percent for water is calculated by dividing the weight of the water by the weight of the flour—333 grams / 433 grams, which is 77% (rounded to the nearest percent). Similarly, the Baker's Percentage for starter is 15 % (67/ 433). The advantage of this is that you can more easily adjust your recipe.

As a general rule, 100g of sourdough starter can be used to replace one packet of yeast (a packet usually contains 5-7g of commercial yeast).