General Discussion about Prefermenting Dough
I've been baking yeasted bread at home for more than forty years; and have always paid particular attention to the life of the yeast. I am now baking bread in four-loaf batches about two or three times a week. I am not particularly interested in "sourdough" bread as such; but I am very interested learning more about prefermenting dough.
Through this site and other baking sites, I've found some fascinating recipes using prefermented dough. But have been unable to find general information and principles.
My general question is: Are there any usually recommended proportions between the prefermented dough and the "baking" dough? For example, My four-loaf batch of bread dough usually includes about 8-9 cups of whole wheat flour (no white) The yeast is usually about 2% of the dough. What would be the quantity of prefermented dough used for a batch? What would be the added dough (with new yeast?) amount in general percentages. Are there useful rules of thumb for expected outcome? i.e. taste, densities, textures, etc.
Also, in general, how many prefermented batches should be made at one time? Same question in different words: How long will a refrigerated batch of prefermented dough last?
I hope my questions are clear. And I am grateful for any and all observations, responses, opinions, etc.