No starter... need help converting recipes

Make a yeasted starter the night before.

Just mix well, 4 oz of water with 4 oz of flour and a pinch of instant yeast( 1/16tsp). Leave at room temp over night, and 8-12 hrs later, you will have a nice, bubbly starter. Scale accordingly(half as much, twice as much, etc.)

Use within 16 hours from it was first mixed. If you will not use within 16 hrs, refrigerate it, up to three days. When ready to use, let it come to room temp for an hour or two.

When you are ready to make your breads, in addition to the poolish, you will need add 1/2 tsp instant yeast, per cup of flour used, maybe a scant less. Of course, your proofing times will be much faster than the sourdough. The dough will double in about an hour or so at around 80 deg. If you want it to rise slower, use half again as much yeast.

Note: Instant yeast = bread machine yeast at the grocery store. Instant yeast/bread machine yeast is less complicated to use than active dry yeast(ady). With instant yeast(idy), you just mix it into your dry ingredients.

With active dry yeast, mix the yeast into your gently warmed liquids and wait until it foams. With ady use the full 1/2 tsp yeast per cup of flour.

Given the time constraints, I don't see how you could possibly create a decent loaf of bread for the event; unless you resort to a quick bread of some type.  Not that it's impossible to create a yeasted bread in a few hours, but I've never found the flavor to be worthy of much more than something akin to commercial breads that offer little more than a source for breakfast toast.  A Banana, Zucchini, or other type of bread that uses a chemical levaining agent as opposed to a yeasted dough would probably be your best bet.

You might be able to generate a rather dull flavored bread by simply making a yeasted dough (1.5% active dry yeast by weight to total weight of flour) but I wouldn't recommend it because (IMO) a loaf of bread that disappoints is best left for personal consumption rather than sharing with a group of others.

regular yeasted dough recipe. I don't know what the one poster above has been eating in the way of home made yeasted bread but it sure wasn't made by a competent baker. I have only started making bread with a starter in the past year. I have been making standard yeasted breads for well over 30 years. It is always wonderful to look at as well as   full of flavor and beautiful crumb. I have books and books of standard yeasted bread recipes by very well known bread bakers. I make 3 Challah loaves in 3 hrs start to finish and can easily triple it for bake sales. You can do a search on this forum and find wonderful breads by great bakers that use yeast. Instead of converting your starter recipes just use a regular tried and true yeasted bread recipe. c

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/10/07/dining/cooking/1194822343127/no-knead-bread-revisited.html

This really works. It could take 5 hours for the first proofing.

430g flour

345g water 50°C /120°F MAXIMUM temp

¼ teasp instant dry yeast

¼ teasp red wine vinegar

9g salt, or to taste

Mix; let rise several hours; fold once or twice. Bake in dutch oven / cloche 30min covered, 15min or so uncovered.

Hope this helps,

copyu