It's all about the starter
3-4 years of baking now with lots and ups and downs has taught me one important thing. It's all about the starter/leaven. If the starter/leaven is strong and ready, I will get a fast rise and a solid bake. I will be able to bulk rise in 4-5 hours and keep it in a 37 F fridge for more than 12 hours without issue.
I keep mine in the fridge and feed it 2x a day for 2-3 days before I make the leaven. My house is cold so sometimes the leaven takes longer than 8 hours to be ready but now I can tell by looking at it it when it is good to go. Taking the time to get your starter awake and active and giving the leaven a chance to form really makes all the difference. Also a strong leaven allows for the long fridge times which aside from adding the sour flavor allows you to easily work your bakes around your schedule.
Happy baking!
How do you know when it is active enough to make bread? How much does it need to rise in how much time for you to consider it ready? Thanks.
I use an "old" mother starter which I feed and maintain for several years now. From experience it takes 2-4 feedings (once every 12 hours) before it is sufficiently active depending on room temp. I can tell it's ready to make the "young" starter/leavening agent when it is bubbly and has a lot of air holes. If I stir it with a spoon it retracts on itself and you can see lots of air holes.
I use a tablespoon / 25 grams of it mixed with 100-200 grams of 50-50 white/whole wheat flour and an equal weight water and leave that for 8-16 hours as needed from the new starter to look like the previously described active "old" starter. When it looks like that I mixed it with the water, flour salt and other ingredients to make the bread. The bulk rise takes about 4-5 hours in my proofing box (i.e. warmed clothes dryer) and then 0-24 hours in the fridge for the secondary proofing.
Great looking loaf HappyHighwayman :)
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