Sourdough Starter and Final Proofing Question
I have 3 Starters going. All were created using flour and water, they are all at 100% hydration, and all are maintained at the same temperature (~ 72F). However, they all behave differently. (Starters 2 and 3 were created originally from starter 1)
Starter 1: 5 hours to double
Starter 2: 2 hours 15 minutes to double. 4 hours to triple
Starter 3: 5 hours to triple. 6 hours to quadruple
The above are the times it takes for these starters on their own, before being used in a recipe. When it comes to Final proofing, the recipe might state to let proof 4 to 5 hours before they go in the oven. (The recipe: starter, wheat flour, water and salt. hydration about 71%. no commercial yeast is used). In order to avoid overproofing, would it make sense that the Final proof should be close to the amount of time it takes for the original starter to double? For instance I made 2 loaves using starter 2. The recipe called for a final proof of 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I noticed that the first loaf had doubled in about 2 1/2 hours, so I popped it in the oven, I left the second loaf out until the first was done, about 3 1/2 hours, and it had grown to more than double, which resulted in a less risen loaf than the first. Is there a correlation between the two? any comment is appreciated. Thanks.