Golden Sourdough Waffles - Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the 1 2 2 ratio for sourdough starter? ›

A 1:2:2 feeding ratio would consist of one part existing starter, two parts flour and two parts water. For example, if you have 30g of existing starter, you would feed it 60g of flour and 60g of flour. The most common feeding ratios for daily maintenance are 1:1:1 or 1:2:2.

There is no single best ratio, but I've found a ratio of 1:5:5 fed twice daily at 12-hour intervals to produce a sourdough starter that's strong and healthy. This ratio corresponds to 20% ripe starter carryover, 100% water, and 100% flour (a mix of whole grain rye and white flour) at each feeding.

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).

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

Sourdough starters should be fed a minimum ratio of 1:1:1, meaning equal WEIGHTS of starter to flour to water. If you feed your starter this way and keep it at a consistently warm temperature 78ºF, your starter should peak and become active/bubbly in about 3-4 hours.

Sourdough Feeding Ratios:

So If you're using 50 grams of starter, add 50 grams of water and 50 grams of flour. If you want to feed a sourdough starter by volume, the ratio of starter to flower to water is 1:1:1.75. So you would use 1/2 a cup of starter to 1/2 a cup of water to just under a cup of flour.

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.

All you need to do is take 20g of the starter you already have and then feed it with 20g of flour and 20g of water (so 1:1:1). Then you'll have a 60g starter, which is considered a smaller amount. You can of course reduce these amounts even further if you wish, but this is a reasonable size to keep waste to a minimum.

Creating a healthy and vibrant sourdough starter can take anywhere from 7 to 14 days depending on several factors. The temperature of your kitchen is the most important factor to consider. Starters thrive in a warm environment, ideally around 75°F (24°C).

Commercial yeast. You will need to do some water/flour adjustments. For example, if a recipe calls for 100 grams of starter (100% hydration meaning the starter has equal flour/water), you will need to add 50 g water and 50 grams flour to the recipe.

Can you stir sourdough starter with a metal spoon? ›

Things that WON'T kill your sourdough starter

METAL: Stirring your starter with a metal spoon or placing it in a metal bowl won't kill your starter. While we don't recommend making or keeping your starter in contact with reactive metals like copper or aluminum, stainless steel is harmless.

Take a portion of your "mother" starter and feed that with equal amounts of flour and milk to see the effect that it has. You can then use this portion of sourdough starter to make bread or whatever you fancy. But do not feed your "mother" starter with milk - keep that as just flour and water.

*If making sourdough is new for you, do not be discouraged if you starter takes longer to get active than mine – stick with it, it will happen! *Tap water is usually fine, if you are not sure, use boiled and cooled water, you can use it at room temperature or cool; do not use distilled water.

Distilled water might seem like a good option, but it's actually not great for your little yeasty friends. They need some minerals and stuff that are usually filtered out in the distillation process. So go for filtered or bottled water instead, and your starter will be living its best life in no time.

Rye Flour: Rye flour is another popular option for sourdough starters. Naturally rich in amylases, nutrients, and microbes, this cereal flour enables a starter to quickly convert sugars for faster, more efficient fermentation.

So basically, whatever you have in starter, double the amount for water, and triple the amount for Flour. -1-For example, if you have 170g ripe sourdough starter, mix in 340g water and 510g flour (preferably bread flour or any flour with high protein content).

If you are doing a 2:1:1 twice a day feeding, your starter will quadruple in size every day unless you are making bread from it. If you want to make a lot of bread for an upcoming event, but your starter is very small, you might want to feed it more often, or a higher proportion.

Simply put, a levain is a bit of starter that you section off, feed so that the total volume is enough for your recipe (usually with a 1:2:2 ratio), and let rise so that it can be used to make a loaf of bread.

If you feed 1/2 cup of starter with 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water, the starter will be at 100% hydration. If you feed your 1/2 cup of starter with 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup water, the starter will be at 50% hydration.