Baker’s Percentage: Example:
100% 50 g starter
100% 50 g flour (ideally whole wheat or spelt flours)
60% 30 g h20 4% 2 g salt
Hello and welcome to the world of cultivating wild yeast!! First things first: weigh your sample starter, and determine the quantity of your first starter recipe using the percentage ratio above. Mix together all ingredients- we find it easiest to mix the water and starter together first, then flour and salt until all ingredients are hydrated (i.e no dry flour patchies). VOILA! You’ve just fed and cultivated your “Mom”, an industry term for a sourdough starter. Let Mom ferment in a warm (ideally 78*F, but any warm spot in your home will do) place for 8-12 hours. Have no fear if your starter doesn’t double or triple in size, this is a ratio for a “stiff” starter, which will not rise as much because of the low hydration. After 8-12 hours your starter will look puffy, feel gassy and lighter to the touch but will still be a stiff boi.
When it’s time for Mom’s next feeding, using the same ratios above, feed however much starter your lil bread-making heart desires. Reference the bread recipe that you will be using to see how much starter it calls for. If you’re not planning on making bread for a few days, you can feed it a minimal amount just to keep it going and can bump up the quantities whenever you need. Feed every 8-12 hours, and place any leftover Mom in the refrigerator after every feeding. Your starter will last in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
IT’S BREAD TIME BABY!
You can use a refrigerated or fresh starter in your bread dough. If using fresh, it must be fermented for at least 8 (ideally 12-24) hours after feeding before mixing your dough. If using refrigerated, make sure to use warmer water to mix your dough so that it will not move at a snail’s pace when proofing later. The ideal dough temperature is somewhere in the 75F-85F range. Should you want a faster fermentation, you can use more starter or boost your refrigerated starter by feeding it once or twice before using it.
Hot tip: if you want bread for dinner tomorrow night, feed your starter tonight enough for your recipe and a little extra to upkeep the feeding. In the morning your starter will be ready to mix into your dough, and you’ll have all day to proof and bake your bread for dinner
What the hell is Baker’s Percentage?? BP is the lifeblood of us bakers’ survival (and sanity). In Baker’s Percentage, flour is always 100%. All other ingredients’ percentages are calculated according to the flour. It may seem silly, but it’s a HUGE help in comparing recipes to each other, as well as tweaking quantities in developing recipes. Bread needs more salt? Bump that percentage up by 1. Cookies too sweet? Take the sugar percentage down by a few. BP can be used in any baking application and comes in handy often.