What do 1:1:1, 1:2:2 and 1:5:5 mean?
The first number is the starter you keep. The second is the fresh flour you add. The third is the water. A kitchen scale makes the comparison repeatable. A spoonful of aerated starter and a spoonful of stirred starter can weigh different amounts.
| Ratio | Starter | Flour | Water | Total after mixing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1:1 | 20 g | 20 g | 20 g | 60 g |
| 1:2:2 | 20 g | 40 g | 40 g | 100 g |
| 1:5:5 | 20 g | 100 g | 100 g | 220 g |
At 1:5:5, you can use a smaller starting amount when you need a smaller build. Ten grams of starter plus 50 g each of flour and water gives you 110 g. The ratio stays the same.
Choose the ratio around your mixing time
Work backwards from when you can mix. Say you feed at 20:00 and need ripe starter around 08:00. If your usual 1:1:1 feed peaks while you're asleep, first try 1:2:2 on a day when you can check the jar. If it still peaks earlier than you want, test 1:5:5 in the same spot with the same flour. A cooler room can also stretch the timing, so record the temperature if you change the location. Try one change at a time.
If your 1:1:1 feed is still climbing at 08:00, a larger feed is unlikely to solve a late peak. Consider an earlier feed or a consistently warmer spot within your usual method. If you have a newly created starter or one recovering from neglect, establish a reliable rise before building a bread schedule around it.
King Arthur compared 1:1:1, 1:2:2 and 1:4:4 under controlled conditions. The larger feeds took longer to reach their respective peaks in that trial. Use that as a reason to test the ratio, while relying on your own observations for the clock. [1]
Make enough for the recipe and the next feed
Add the recipe amount to what you want to keep. Then divide by the sum of the ratio parts.
Say you need 140 g of ripe starter and want 20 g left in the jar. At 1:2:2, you need five parts totalling 160 g. Each part is 32 g. Weigh 32 g starter, 64 g flour and 64 g water. If a few grams usually stick to your jar and spoon, build a little extra and record the actual amount you used.
If the recipe specifies a starter hydration, check that too. Equal added weights of flour and water give a 100% hydration feed. The finished jar is exactly 100% hydration only if the seed also contains equal weights of flour and water. For example, 30 g of 50%-hydration seed contains 20 g flour and 10 g water. Adding 30 g each of flour and water gives 50 g total flour and 40 g total water, or 80% hydration.
How to round a larger feed
For the same 160 g target at 1:5:5, one part is about 14.5 g. On a scale that reads whole grams, round the seed up to 15 g, then weigh 75 g each of flour and water. You get 165 g and keep the ratio intact. Weigh the recipe portion from the ripe build when it is ready and use the remainder for maintenance.
Keep the recipe build separate if you want your usual jar to stay small. Use a spoonful from the main jar as seed and keep the rest on its established feeding routine. This is also useful when your bake calls for a different flour blend. [2]
Compare your ratios over two feeds
Use three identical straight-sided jars, all in the same spot. Stir the established starter before dividing it so each seed portion is as comparable as practical. Put 5 g in each jar, then add 5 g, 10 g or 25 g each of flour and water. Mark the starting level on each jar. If your scale struggles at 5 g, use 10 g seed and double each addition. Leave room for expansion.
Write down the feed time, temperature and flour. At each check, note the height and whether it is still rising, near its top or falling. If it was rising at 23:00 and falling at 07:00, the peak is somewhere in that window. Repeat the comparison on another day before relying on a single night's result. If a ratio reaches the right window but yields too much starter, scale the weights down together.
Crispy Crust’s planned starter history is designed for exactly this comparison. It would keep the feed ratio, flour, temperature and rise observations together, so you can use the last comparable feed when planning tomorrow’s mix.
Use the starter feeding calculator to calculate the build you need while keeping a reserve.