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Starter doubling in 5 hours but dough doesn't follow. What gives?

leandroab's picture
leandroab

Starter doubling in 5 hours but dough doesn't follow. What gives?

My starter is yielding good breads, but I'm still struggling to get assertive signs on bulk fermentation and proofing. Mainly due to lack of teaching and multiple different methods on baking bread.

 

When I bake, I add the levain at peak rise. It always passes the "float test".

After a 30 minute autolyse, I knead the dough until a good windowpane develops. This usually takes 30 minutes between resting and kneading. After that I start counting the bulk fermentation phase.

 

It is as this stage that I take a small piece of it and put into a graduated cylinder (aliquot jar) and wait for 25% to 50% rise. But this only comes at around 6 to 7h of bulk!! At 26-30°C ambient temps!

 

I usually give up at around 4h to 4h30 of bulk, shape it and refrigerate it for a next morning bake.

 

@20% inoculation, is this normal? 

 

 

 

JeremyCherfas's picture
JeremyCherfas

You say that your inoculation is 20%. Is that also your regime for building the starter? Because if that regime is more like 30% or even 50% then the starter is going to double more quickly than your bulk.