Bakers hold various preferences regarding the proper ratio for building levain, such as 1:1:1 or 1:3:3.

What matters most, it seems to me, is adding the same amount of water and flour. That is, don’t do a ratio of 1:2:3 or 1:3:2. Otherwise, you may mess up your overall hydration ratio.

Also, check out our easy-to-use Sourdough App or the more complex Levain & Main Dough Calculator to build your custom recipe.

Levain Calculator

Indicate the amount of starter you’ll use and the amounts of flour and water you may want to add.

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This, then, will be your ratio.

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By using the above ratio, you’ll gain this much levain for mixing into the main dough.

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