Have you ever wondered why the amount of sourdough starter in the recipe you're following has been chosen? All the recipes are so different! It can be confusing....
I'm hoping I can simplify it for you. This post aims to help you understand why certain amounts of starter are calculated and how to adjust them to better fit sourdough baking into your life.
To put it simply: The ratio of sourdough starter to flour in your sourdough recipe is important and can affect many aspects of the sourdough baking process.
As a general rule: the less sourdough starter you use, the slower your dough will ferment - this will result in a more sour flavor. The more sourdough starter you use, the faster the dough will ferment - this will result in a less sour flavor.
When To Use Less Sourdough Starter:
Remember, the less sourdough starter you use, the less chance you have of over fermenting your dough during the bulk ferment - reducing the risk of sticky dough. This allows for a longer bulk ferment - so if you ever need to extend the bulk fermentation due to a busy schedule, use less starter!
Some other good reasons to use a smaller amount of sourdough starter:
as I said above, you can ferment your sourdough for longer periods, which means that you can comfortably do an overnight ferment (as long as it's not too hot in your house!).
you can develop a really good flavor with a small amount of starter because your dough can ferment longer giving the bacteria more time to develop flavor in your bread.
You can continue to make sourdough during the hot, summer months. If it's really hot and humid (like it is here!) you could reduce the amount of your starter even more!
When To Use More Sourdough Starter:
For the most part, a small amount of sourdough starter is all you need. But there are some instances where you might want to increase the amount of starter you use.
Some examples:
If it's really cold, you could increase your sourdough starter to make your bread ferment more quickly.
If you're in a hurry and want to make your sourdough ferment faster, you could increase your starter up to 200g - this will decrease your bulk ferment time.
You want your loaf to be less sour - using more starter decreases fermentation time, making your starter less sour (for the most part!).
Do I have to Adjust the Water and Flour Amounts if I Change the Starter Amount?
NO- you don't have to adjust the amount of flour and water in your recipe when you increase (or decrease) the amount of starter you use.
BUT - you do need to understand that changing the amount of starter might change the level of hydration in your bread. This isn't always a big deal - I think it really depends on how much starter you're adding or subtracting.
I recommend experimenting with different amounts of sourdough starter based on the time you have available and ambient temperature.
Further Reading: