NMNF QUERY
I am considering converting my 150g fridge-stored 100% hydration rye starter (Firebolt) to NMNF. I presently replenish it once a week back to 150g after each bake, though I hasten to add it has, on occasion, happily survived several weeks on the trot without interventions.
My two regular weekly bakes each require a 150g levain build, typically comprising 50g Firebolt (straight from the fridge), 25g white bread and 25g whole wheat flour and 50g water. The levain builds for 4 to 6 hours at ~26oC into a healthy, bubbly potion.
My query - how would I handle this build with NMNF? Do I back-calculate with the rule of 7: i.e. 150g required levain/2 = 75g flour/7 = build of 10g NMNF, add 10g*2 flour/water, then + 20g*2 flour/water and finally + 40g*2 flour/water = 150g over ~12 hours? Alternatively do I compensate the lower hydration starter by building the levain with 37.5g NMNF to which I add 12.5g water, and then proceed according to my present method of build over 4 to 6 hours?
Comments will be appreciated.
P
with the first plan you outlined. I only see one tiny error in the way the levain building schedule is set up. But using the rule of 7's, it won't be necessary to hydrate the starter and then do your builds separately.
If you look at the second table of examples that are in the NMNF post, he starts with such tiny quantities of seed starter for his levain builds that by the time he's completed the third build it's practically 100% hydration (actually it's off by 1-2% but when you add the remaining dough ingredients, this is virtually negligible).
So using your example: 150/2=75g flour ; 75/7=10g flour ; Dabrownman then starts his first build at a ratio of 1:2:2 which means you'll use 5g starter, 10g flour, and 10g water. The second feeding doubles the first, so add 20g flour and 20g water. And the third feeding doubles the second, so add 40g flour and 40g water, for a final mass of 145g. The only slip-up on was the original amount of starter - it should be half the amount of the first flour feeding.
Then, breaking it down, the 5g of 66% starter is 3.01g flour and 1.98g water (rounded to 3 and 2, respectively) 3 + 10 + 20 + 40 = 73g flour. And 2 + 10 + 20 + 40 = 72g water. So you're literally 0.5g away from having an exactly 100% hydration levain.
If you're absolutely dead-set on the final levain amount being 150g add an extra 2.5g each of flour and water in the last build and it'll bring you up from 145g.
When you've finally depleted the majority of your refrigerator stock, take a little of the 100% hydration levain and build it back into a 66% starter that you can return to the fridge. See the first table in the NMNF post for examples. Note the water addition in the last step is smaller, which is where you reduce the hydration to 66%.
If you're strictly looking for leavening, and not super concerned about flavor development the other way might work. But even Dabrownman admits that at the farthest stretches of time on his maintenance schedule, (around 16 weeks, or so) while the starter has become very flavorful and sour, it loses some of its oomph - that's why he recommends the 3-stage build to revitalize the yeast.
If you're really pressed for time, you can also try a Two Stage Levain Build, using basically similar principles.
Hope this helps!
--Mike
Thanks Mike, for your remarks. Following on, my present levain build to end-dough has 25g rye flour - 4.88% of total flour, whereas your advice indicates only 3.01g - 0.575% total flour. I look forward to seeing what difference, if any, this makes to flavour. If pressed for time, I may rather adjust temperature than follow the two stage build. An alternative is that, as the paraphernalia to build the levain is quite insignificant in mass, I may simply pack it all in my lunch box and tend to the build at work!
The 3.01g mentioned above was just to show the amounts of flour and water in 5g of a 66% hydration starter. I was only using that to show the total amount of dough vs water comes out to a 100% hydration levain in the end.
If you're using rye flour in your starter (which follows the NMNF recommendations) then that's a good thing. But for the purposes of Baker's Percentage calculations flour is flour. So if you're using a mixture of flours the baker's percentage is just calculated off the total flour mass added to the bowl. A breakdown of individual flours is important more in the overall formula when you're making a new batch or sharing a recipe.
As for the taste difference, a large portion of the sourdough lovers on this site use a mixture of grains in their starters, and rye is a favorite among them. It lends a significant flavor component, and yeast really seem to love it which makes for a more vigorous levain.
Taking the starter to work is a great idea. I've even taken my breadmaker to work. Throw a batch in and turn it on in the break room when I first get there, and by lunch time everybody gets to share fresh bread. Plus it makes the whole place smell like a bakery. ;-)
--Mike