# I want to "customize" my own sourdough recipe!



## ChefMike09 (Jan 22, 2018)

Hello to all you pastry chefs out there I'll get straight to the point! I have a mature starter and I have made sourdough based off other people's recipes but I'm looking to make my own recipe, with my own flour blend..whole wheat, spelt, etc..to make it unique to me. How do I go about laying out a recipe I'm not a pastry chef so curious to how you would figure out how much starter, water and of each flour I should add, is there a ratio to follow By? Thanks in advance!


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

I can relate. I have a starter that's over 25 years old. I even named it. 
I have spawned many other unique starters using the main one for years.

You could take 1 cup of starter, add 1 cup of water, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of your favorite flour and stir....now age it on the counter as you would normally. Viola...now you have your own unique starter.

I can add a can of beer to my starter and utilize those yeasts to create a new starter.
I can thicken or thin my starter for whatever bread I'm going to make. Some may even look and feel like a completed dough, but it is still starter.
Experiment.....


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## ChefMike09 (Jan 22, 2018)

I ment a sourdough recipe not a starter  but thanks !


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## ChefMike09 (Jan 22, 2018)

chefross said:


> I can relate. I have a starter that's over 25 years old. I even named it.
> I have spawned many other unique starters using the main one for years.
> 
> You could take 1 cup of starter, add 1 cup of water, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of your favorite flour and stir....now age it on the counter as you would normally. Viola...now you have your own unique starter.
> ...


I ment a complete sourdough loaf recipe


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

ChefMike09 said:


> I ment a sourdough recipe not a starter  but thanks !


Switching Chef's recipe for the one you are using will not make it yours.
There are many sites dedicated to sourdough ratios that deal with the different flours and starters (tweaking a cup or two from the mother is a great way to change up the end product).
Learn all you can about your ingredients and this will give you a good foundation to start experimenting.
Become one with the process ... experience really is the best teacher.
mimi


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

My dad’s “sponsor” suggested he take up a hobby.
After trying out a couple of activities he landed on baking.
Being OCD re keeping his starter alive we got 2 loaves of sourdough bread every Saturday.
After a couple of months of what was (in the beginning) a huge treat my mom gathered enuf courage to mention the boredom.
He started switching things around and to this day I crave those biscuits he paired with his buttermilk fried chicken.
Of course he never wrote anything down...
mimi


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

If I combine flour and water and leave it on the counter, is not that a starter?


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## dueh (Mar 4, 2015)

ChefMike09 said:


> Hello to all you pastry chefs out there I'll get straight to the point! I have a mature starter and I have made sourdough based off other people's recipes but I'm looking to make my own recipe, with my own flour blend..whole wheat, spelt, etc..to make it unique to me. How do I go about laying out a recipe I'm not a pastry chef so curious to how you would figure out how much starter, water and of each flour I should add, is there a ratio to follow By? Thanks in advance!


What is stopping you from just going at it?

Sourdoughs can be made with (from what I have seen) 2% or up to around 40% (bakers percentage) starter. 
A little sweeter/creamier? go for a more liquid starter, and more of a whole wheat flour. 
A bit more fruity/acidic? go for a stiffer starter, possibly rye flour for that bit of extra tang.
if you are only using the sour as the leavening consider how much time you have to give to the dough. folding, autolysing etc.
a 2% inoculation usually take around 24 hours with a few folds to even be ready to cut (search Yohan Ferrant - Do nothing bread)

I tend to stick to around 20%, liquid levain.

Blending flour? think about what flavors you want. something a little sharp like rye? sweeter like wheat?
durum, sprouted wheat, einkorn, spelt, kamut, millet, amaranth....we could just name all the bob's red mill bags.

Big holes, or small holes? adjust your dough hydration. start around 65% and work your way up till you get exactly what you want.

soakers? porridge? adding a poolish? what extra mix ins would be desirable if any?

write down ideas, try them, try them a second time if you like it. every loaf I have ever baked is slightly different. I may have warmer water one day than the next. The room/oven/cooler may be colder than normal. Don't bake a recipe just once.

the easiest way going forward may be to take the working recipe you have been using, and start changing things, one at a time till you get the result you want.

Maybe 20%t wheat flour, then 40, or 20% wheat 20% rye. Or add 5% more water. It is a pick your own adventure OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!!!


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks @dueh for listing the end result of the most common flour combos.
As far as I am aware your post is a first on this forum.
I do admit not doing due diligence on the subject so I may be wrong...

mimi


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

@chefwriter ... having never tried growing a starter based on home bacteria cannot comment on the end result however there is plenty of info out there if you are feeling it.
One of my micro 101 projects was to culture a swab sample from my kitchen sink and the end result showed the presence of a couple of nasties with ecoli being most prevalent.
Staph as well.
Embarrassing since I prided myself on my housekeeping.
If you want to try, add some sugar and leave out any salt from the mix to encourage whatever lands there to grow a bit faster.

mimi


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## dueh (Mar 4, 2015)

chefwriter said:


> If I combine flour and water and leave it on the counter, is not that a starter?


The short answer is yes, that is a starter.

That particular starter, though the flour contains small amounts of yeast, is not active enough to fully leaven a loaf of bread. feed a small amount of that starter daily for about 8-10 days, discarding all but 50 grams which you will feed, and you will eventually get an active, bubbly, yeast culture that has enough oomph to leaven bread.


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