old starter uses

Hi:  Some people save up old starter and make stuff like waffles and pancakes, and some people make bread, too.  I wanted to try it as well!

Three weeks' worth came out of the fridge, totalling 800 grams of 100% starter (various apf, rye, ww).  It was mixed with 200g bread flour and 12g salt (my preferred with ~1k loaves) to make a ~65% hydration dough, and did in-bowl stretch/fold until dough came clean off the scraper.  Sat it on my cable modem in a stainless bowl to help warm it up.  Then I repeated this again an hour later, and then after one more hour, a mild, bench 4-way stretch and fold.  Let rest 10 minutes, then split and shaped, into banneton, sat for 45 minutes over the cable modem, and finally back to fridge overnight.  Baked at 500F with steam for 15 minutes, then another 30 minutes at 450F.

Dough was fragile, mild tearing when handling.  Held it's shape but collapsed in the oven.  Were you expecting a flat loaf?  Me too.  Pale loaf?  Check.  But.. it was NOT dense, fluffy, and slightly crumbly but held a chew. The flavor was unique, and crumb was actually kind of tasty.  Not acetic or overly sour, just a mild tang and some fun flavors.  Didn't like the crust flavor, though, bitter and unpleasant.