A simple technique for French bread?
I have been making batards and baguettes for about six months now. I started out using Dan Leader's stiff levain baguettes and then found txfarmer's 36+ hour baguettes. So I currently keep a 70% starter and a 100% starter in my fridge, both to make baguettes that are around 76% hydration dough. I would like to streamline things for 2013.
I know people talk about a method of making dough and reserving a portion as the next starter. Is there a name for this method? If so I would love to know what it is called. I was thinking about making a roughly mixed 76% dough (holding the salt) and reserving a piece for new starter. Then letting the dough autolyse overnight. Then add the salt to dough as I do S&F the next day. Then retard in fridge or proof at room temp... I'm not there yet.
My aim is to not have so much concurrent mixing, ripening, proofing and CLEAN-UP going on. Some day I will move on to other breads where it would make sense to keep starter and dough as two separate things, but for now I just want a streamlined process where I can just focus on mastering shaping and learning how to sense when my loaves are proofed (proven).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!