A lively sourdough starter is the backbone of flavorful, crusty bread. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just getting started with wild fermentation, knowing how much flour and water to feed your culture is essential for consistent results. Starters thrive when they’re maintained at a stable hydration level—typically around 100%, meaning equal parts flour and water by weight. This calculator helps you determine the exact amounts to add so your starter stays vigorous, bubbly, and ready for baking whenever inspiration strikes.
Many bakers keep their starter on the counter for daily bread or store it in the fridge for less frequent use. In either case, accurate feeding ratios ensure the natural yeasts and bacteria have enough fuel without creating waste. Overfeeding can dilute flavor and leave you discarding excess starter, while underfeeding may weaken the culture, making it sluggish during proofing. With a clear understanding of hydration and total weight, you can tailor your feeding schedule to match your baking habits.
Hydration refers to the proportion of water to flour in your starter. A 100% hydration starter contains equal weights of each. Higher hydration, such as 125%, results in a looser mixture that ferments quickly, while lower hydration creates a stiff starter that ferments more slowly and often has a tangier flavor. Adjusting hydration changes the starter’s texture and how it integrates into bread recipes. Our calculator allows you to specify the hydration level you prefer, making it easy to adapt to different styles of bread.
Maintaining consistent hydration also helps you predict how your dough will behave. For example, recipes that call for a certain hydration assume your starter is the same. If your starter is wetter or drier, you’ll need to tweak the dough’s flour and water amounts. By feeding the starter to a known hydration each time, you eliminate a variable that could otherwise lead to dense loaves or overly sticky doughs.
Deciding how much starter you want after feeding depends on your baking plans. If you bake daily, you might keep a larger quantity on hand. If you only bake on weekends, a smaller amount stored in the fridge is enough. The calculator’s target weight field lets you set the final amount you want, and it determines how much flour and water to add. This approach helps you avoid wasting ingredients and keeps the starter at peak activity for your next bake.
When you first create a starter or revive one from the fridge, you might want to feed it more frequently and at higher ratios to build strength. Once it’s established, routine feedings at a 1:1:1 ratio—equal parts starter, flour, and water—often suffice. However, you can tailor this to your schedule by adjusting the target weight and hydration in the calculator, allowing for smaller or larger feedings without manual math each time.
A healthy starter should smell pleasantly tangy and show bubbles throughout. If neglected for too long, it can develop hooch, a layer of liquid that indicates it’s hungry. Regular feedings refresh the food supply for the yeast and bacteria, maintaining a balanced environment that encourages reliable fermentation. The calculator removes guesswork, showing you exactly how much to feed so you can stick to a routine, whether that’s twice daily on the countertop or once a week in the refrigerator.
Consistency in feeding not only keeps the microbes happy but also leads to more predictable rise times in your dough. If your starter seems sluggish despite regular feedings, consider adjusting the hydration slightly, using warmer water, or placing the jar in a warmer spot. Tracking your feeding schedule along with environmental conditions helps you fine-tune the process. Over time, you’ll learn how your starter responds to different temperatures and flours, and the calculator will be there to handle the simple arithmetic.
Suppose you currently have 50 grams of starter and want 150 grams at 100% hydration for an upcoming recipe. Enter these numbers into the calculator, and it will tell you to add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. If you prefer 75% hydration, the calculator adjusts accordingly—feeding 57 grams of flour and 43 grams of water to reach the same total. These precise measurements ensure your starter remains at the intended hydration, leading to consistent dough texture and flavor.
This method is especially handy when you need to build a large quantity of starter for a big bake or multiple loaves. You can incrementally feed over several cycles, always using the calculator to determine the next flour and water amounts. Because you maintain the same hydration throughout, the starter’s flavor profile stays steady, and you avoid the pitfalls of drastic changes that could shock the culture.
If your starter refuses to rise or smells off, the problem may be related to feeding frequency, temperature, or the flour you’re using. Whole grain flours tend to ferment faster due to their higher nutrient content, while bleached white flour may produce slower activity. Use the calculator to ensure you’re adding the right amounts, then experiment with warmer water or partial whole-grain feedings to boost performance. Keep detailed notes on each feeding so you can spot patterns and make informed adjustments.
Sometimes a starter can become too acidic, leading to a sharp smell and poor oven spring. In that case, discarding a larger portion and feeding with fresh flour and water helps reset the balance. Because the calculator lets you specify any starting weight, you can reduce the retained portion and feed appropriately to bring the culture back to its sweet spot. Patience is key—stick with regular feedings, and your starter will recover.
The Sourdough Starter Feeding Calculator is a simple yet powerful tool that takes the guesswork out of maintaining a thriving starter. By entering your current starter weight, desired hydration, and target total weight, you’ll know precisely how much flour and water to add every time. Consistent feedings keep your starter strong, while accurate hydration ensures your dough behaves predictably. Whether you bake once a week or every day, this calculator helps you nurture your wild yeast colony so it rewards you with delicious, crusty loaves time after time.
Calculate the optimal tea-to-water ratio and steeping time for any type of tea. Brew a flavorful cup every time with our Tea Brewing Strength Calculator.
Calculate projectile range, time of flight, and peak height with our Projectile Motion Calculator. Perfect for physics problems and engineering tasks.
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) with this straightforward calculator. Determine how many calories you need each day based on your activity level.