April 24, 2012 - 3:10am
When to use sourdough starter?
At what time in a sourdough starter's cycle is it best to start mixing? About the time it should be fed? When it peaks after feeding?
Does is vary according to what kind of dough or method will be used?
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Hi, Olof.
I use my starter as it is near peaking-point, but I'm pretty relaxed about it. My starter takes about 4 hours to double, so I feed it when I get home, and use it somewhere between 3 and 5 hours later; I have not seen a difference in results between an early and later use - I'm not quite as advanced as others around here.
Given that I leave my mixture to autolyze (I love that word) for 1-2 hours, thats a good length of time before the salt is added, and the starter can gain yet another foot hold.
I'm the same. My starter takes about 5 hours to hit peak usually. I feed it then use it between 3-5 hours later.
Thank you both, Grenage and Leslie, for your input.
I make sour dough pizza crust all the time and find that it makes a nice thin crust pizza when we do a thicker crust I add a bit of yeast to it for a fluffier texture.
Gerhard
You know, I may have to try this. Do you have a recipe I can use?
Thanks for being interested in the recipe. One thing the amount of starter is generally more than a cup, I just eye it and it seems to work. Like I said in a previous post if I want a thicker crust I add some yeast to the recipe. The photo of the guy spinning the pizza was taken at a place in Savannah GA were we had some pizza and enjoyed the show that they put on.
Gerhard
The yeast (but not the LAB since it is always done early) population is growing approximately exponentially when the starter peaks. After that, while the food supply has been just about exhausted, things slow down, but the LAB still crank out acid for a considerable period of time. The time to peak depends on your refreshment ratio (1:1:1 will take much less time than 1:10:10) so working in terms of doubling times from peak is a good cononical frame of reference. You are probably indifferent for one doubling time after peak and get a little more acid and a little less yeast activity if you wait one more doubling time. More than peak + 2 doubling times and you are not going to get the behavior you want.
Hi,
My starter often peaks during the overnight @ room temp, so last night, about 1 hr after feeding, I stuck in fridge. How soon can I bake with this, now that it is out of fridge? Can I just add this, as is, to DDT & adjust, or do I need to give it several hours? Is the float test a way to know when it is ready? This is 100% white.