starter questions
Hello.
I have made a starter using Chad Robertson's method using 50% whole wheat and 50% white wheat flour, let it sit for a few days and then removing 80% of it and feeding the 50/50 blend every 24 hours. I have been using that starter to bake bread for about 2 months now. As the weather warming up (spring), the starter went from double in 12 hours to double in 5 hours. So, I changed from feeding it every 24 hours to feeding it every 12 hours. Is that is ok? Should crank up my air conditioning to slow the fermentation?
I have read some people say that the starter could triple in size, but mine never go more than double. Is that mean my starter is not as active as it should/can be? If so, what else can I do to improve it? Also, I have not smelled any acidity from it, and I've been hoping to get that, but not sure why. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
Some of these cookbooks are written by people who run big bakeries and don't know how to scale things down for the occasional home baker.
"Doubling in size" is merely a guideline, a rule of thumb, not a scientific measurement.
About eight hours prior to baking I make a flour-and-water slurry and add a small amount of refrigerated starter to it. The storage starter then goes back in the fridge and eight hours later it's bubbly and ready to bake.
There are four ingredients to bread: flour, water, salt and yeast. Worry isn't one of them :)
I agree with the others on cutting down unnecessary starter hassle and waste. Like Doughhooker says, Robertson or Forkish with their big bakeries will have no problems using their large amounts of starters.
I bake Tartine breads often, but keep only a small amount of starter in the fridge. With a teaspoon from that I start the feeding process twice a day, one or two days ahead - always to make only a small amount of fresh starter.
A nice bubbly surface is a dependable sign for activity (and the float test for the levain), you don't have to exactly measure the volume of the rise.
Robertson doesn't want his breads to be very tangy, and a frequently fed starter will never develop much acidity.
Karin
I agree with that too. I do find it wasteful. Just wasn't sure if I should keep the starter in the fridge, but now I will. Thanks for the advice.