Massive Pre-ferment
Recently I have been playing around with using a very large percentage of starter in my dough, and then reducing the fermentation period substantially. My thoughts behind it are that fermentation is used to develop flavor, but we already have that in the starter.
Has anyone experimented with this? What is the highest percentage of starter you have used in a dough? Some things to think about:
- Would this work better with a firmer starter? Gluten development happens during fermentation, and firmer starters would give you a head start.
- What feeding schedules would this work best with? You don't want the starter to have been fed too long ago, as you might have too much dough degredation; on the other hand, you need your starter to be active enough to proof your dough properly.
- Would this work better with a high hydration dough like ciabatta, or a lower hydration like baguettes?
Thanks for any thoughts.
Danny - Sour Flour
http://www.sourflour.org [1]