How to Convert Any Recipe To Sourdough | With Conversions (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate sourdough? ›

it's important to know what hydration your sourdough starter is. an easy way to figure this out is to write down the amount of flour and water per feeding, and divide the water amount over the flour amount. i usually feed my starter 30g of flour, and 24g of water. 24 / 30 = 0.8, meaning my starter is at 80% hydration.

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

Generally, you can substitute a packet of yeast for 100g of sourdough starter. If your recipe uses less than a packet of yeast, you can use less sourdough starter, however it won't make too much difference because of the way wild yeast works.

If a recipe calls for 120 grams of levain, you can feed a 1:10:10 ratio (6 grams starter, 60 grams flour and 60 grams water), a 1:1:1 ratio (40 grams starter, 40 grams flour and 40 grams water) or any ratio you wish. It will take more or less time depending on your temperature and feeding ratio.

Since in baker's math the total amount of flour is always assigned a value of 100%, the flour portion of this recipe would be written like so: All-purpose = 70%, whole wheat = 20%, rye = 10%. Sourdough baguettes, 73% hydration in baker's math.

Here's How Much to Add

Lots of baking sites disagree about how to turn all-purpose flour into bread flour. Some people recommend adding just 1 teaspoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of all-purpose, while others recommend 1 to 3 tablespoons per recipe.

Whole wheat flour is an excellent choice for creating a sourdough starter due to its nutrient-rich composition and potential for fostering a robust microbial community. However, it's important to note that the quality of whole wheat flour can vary between brands.

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

Buy A Sourdough Starter (Instead of Making One)

If you are baking sourdough bread on a budget I recommend buying a sourdough starter. Yes that's right, it's actually cheaper to purchase a ready made sourdough starter than spend money on flour to establish a wild yeast colony yourself.

Is it cheaper to make sourdough at home? ›

Some bakeries allow for the rising time needed to make true sourdough bread. Because of the time it takes, prices will be significantly higher than homemade. Most grocery store bakeries claim to make sourdough, but often include more ingredients than just flour, water and salt.

If you are new to sourdough baking or don't have the time or inclination to make your own starter, a bought starter may be a good option. However, if you enjoy the process of creating your own starter and want more control over the fermentation process, making your own starter may be the way to go.

In my experience, the shortest final proof (at room temperature) that I prefer to do is one hour. The longest final proof (at room temperature) is about 3 hours. When going past 2-3 hours in a final proof, the crumb tends to get very gassy and opens up large gas bubbles with a longer countertop proof.

Set the oven to 450°F, turn it on, and set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the lid and allow the bread to continue baking until it's a dark golden brown, probably an additional 25-30 minutes.

Sourdough bread should be cooked in a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 230C or 450F (with the lid off for the last 10 to 15 minutes). You can lower the temperature for the last 10 to 15 minutes of the bake.

The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.

The most accurate way to measure flour is with a digital scale. It removes the guesswork and will help you achieve consistent baking results. All of our recipes assume 1 cup = 120g (or 4.25 oz.)

How Deep Should You Score Sourdough Bread? As a general rule, you need to score your dough around ¼ to ½ inch deep. It doesn't need to be super hard or deep. The trick is to make sure that you do have one score at ¼ to ½ inch deep - whether that's a slash that goes along one side or a small cross on the top.

An average slice of sourdough bread weighing 64g will have 174 calories. If you add around 14g of butter (1 tablespoon), you'll add 100 calories. So a slice of sourdough bread with butter will have on average 274 calories.