I have been experimenting with different feeding ratios to see how they affect rise time, peak height and peak duration, and I figured the best way to go about it is to do a timelapse comparison like this so I can see the differences very easily.

Ideally, I want to find a feeding ratio that gives me 1) a slow rise time (so I can feed it before bed, and wake up to use it right away), 2) long peak duration (so it’s harder to miss the peak), and 3) high rise (so I know the starter has great leavening power).

To ensure a 1 to 1 comparison, I made sure all 3 test starters have the same total amount to begin with, which is 50g (starter + flour + water).

The feeding amounts were:
- 16g : 17g : 17g (1:1:1)
- 10g : 20g : 20g (1:2:2)
- 4g : 23g : 23g (1:5:5)

Room temp was about 23C / 73.4F. Water temp was about 26C / 78.8F. Flour used for feeding was Canadian AP flour (13.3% protein), but the starter itself had whole wheat flour in it.

Based on the video, it appears that
- The 1:1:1 starter rose the highest, but had the shortest peak duration
- The 1:2:2 starter peaked just a bit lower than the 1:1:1 starter, took 1 more hour to peak, but had the longest peak duration of all 3 starters
- The 1:5:5 rose the least, took the most time to peak, but had a shorter peak duration than 1:2:2 (and longer peak duration than 1:1:1)

It’s really interesting that the 1:2:2 feeding ratio resulted in the longest peak duration. I thought the 1:5:5 would have been the longest.

For this starter culture at least, I feel like 1:2:2 might be the best feeding ratio so far because the peak height was almost as high as the 1:1:1 ratio, but it gave me a 1 hour and 30 minute peak window, making it harder for me to miss the timing. I think if I feed it with ice cold water, or chill it in the fridge for an hour or two, I can probably prolong the rise time to 8 or 9 hours.

Needless to say, every starter culture is unique. How my starter behaves with different feeding ratios might very well be different from how your starter would behave, so be sure to experiment yourself!

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