What's the best starter feeding ratio? (#78)

This adds a section looking at the topic of what's the best starter
feeding ratio.

book/troubleshooting/misc.tex

@@ -706,3 +706,26 @@ measure your dough's size increase.
 Another option could be to use a more expensive pH meter to measure your
 dough's acidity buildup. You can read more about different ways of managing
 bulk fermentation in section ~\ref{section:bulk-fermentation}.
+
+\section{What's the best starter feeding ratio?}
+
+The best starter feeding ratio is commonly either 1:5:5 or 1:10:10.
+In the case of 1:5:5 that's 1 part old starter,
+5 parts flour and 5 parts water. If you are using a stiff starter,
+use half the amount of flour. So that's 1:5:2.5. Depending on when
+you last fed your starter 1:10:10 might make more sense. If the starter
+is old and hasn't been fed recently the 1:10:10 ratio is a better choice.
+By reducing the starter inoculation ratio, you provide the microorganisms
+with a cleaner environment. This way they can reproduce and regrow
+into a more desirable balance to begin your dough fermentation.
+
+Generally, think of your sourdough starter as a dough. Use the same
+ratios you use for your bread dough for your starter. Your starter
+should be trained in the same environment that you later use
+for your dough. This way your starter is perfectly suited to
+ferment the dough into which it is later inoculated.
+
+The only exception to the 1:5:5 and 1:10:10 rule is the initial
+starter set-up stage. For the first days during the starter-making
+process there aren't enough microbes yet. So using a 1:1:1 ratio
+can speed up the process.