Question
Stacy Hogg
I've been trying to get a sourdough starter going for two weeks. The ratio I've been using is 14g starter, 60g water, 60g flour. It's nice and bubbly and smells right, but it does not double in size after I feed it. Is my ratio off?
Answer
What we see with some of these sourdough starters and about 50, 50 is pretty spot on for most cases. Um, you know, sometimes you just feel like it might be a little bit loose, and if it's too loose, in other words, too hydrated, not enough flour, a little bit too much water, you'll find that it could bubble up and bubble up and level up, but then it kind of collapses on itself because it's creating so much air without the, the opportunity for that flower to create some structure, right, to lift up. And sometimes it just won't completely double. Maybe it'll go up by a certain percentage, but it won't double its size. And I would say that's actually not a problem. As long as it's working and creating that good ferment and you, and you have that happening, you're probably good. It just means you have to just maybe have a little bit more time, or maybe that needs a little bit more oomph. Uh, it could be that you want to just let it sit on your counter and kind of activate a little bit harder on the first round. In other words, a little bit more time, a little bit more warmth before you put it in a fridge to let it kind of, um, maybe do its thing, uh, more over time. It really depends on what your practice, what your, what your protocol is. But if you're, if you're worried about the doubling part, you might just increase your flour just a touch and see if that helps with your structure with, um, that sourdough starter. Uh, but it's all, it's all fun stuff. And as long as it's bubbly and smells right, you're off to the right start for sure.
