Hi Didi, we're glad to hear you're eager to learn. It sounds like you've already developed a solid sourdough routine for yourself. The answer to your first question depends on how active your starter appears after the initial feeding, and how long you let it rest between feedings. If it has only been a few days, you might be ready to bake after just one feeding. If it's been a week or more, it might need two feedings to fully "wake up." For photos of what a ripe sourdough starter should look like, check out this blog here.

As for your second question, the sourdough recipes on our website are based on a 100% hydration starter. This means that the starter is made up of equal parts flour and water. Like you mentioned, you can scale this basic ratio according to your needs. We usually use 4 ounces of each, but if you want more starter to work with, 9 ounces also works. You should always check your recipe source to see what kind of starter you should use—it sounds like for Nancy's recipe, the starter is a bit thinner which will allow it to ferment faster. I hope that helps! Kye@KAF

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