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starter feeding before using to make bread

r0bz's picture
r0bz

starter feeding before using to make bread

I maintain a 50% hydration stiff sourdough starter and keep 100grams of it in the fridge before I want to make bread I feed it let it ferment outside of the refrigerator for 4 hours and I save 100g in the fridge

now what I want to ask is because it takes a lot of time for the bulk sometimes it gets very late. I have to cut the bulk ferment a little bit short because I had to feed the starter the same day in the morning and wait 4 hours for it to do its thing, I want to know if I can feed the starter a day before and put it in the fridge and use it the next day and have the same good leavening or the starter will perform worse?

also if possible I will autolyze the dough overnight in the fridge also

 

thank you for your answers

GlennM's picture
GlennM

I usually finish the bulk, form the loaf a proof  it in the fridge overnight . Bake it some time the next  day. This way I can leave it bulk right to bedtime. I have great results this way 

r0bz's picture
r0bz

I also do that finish bulk and proof in the fridge, the problem I have is that I feed my starter in the morning and have to wait for it 4 hours before I can include it into the autolysing dough and start the bulk

what I am asking is if  I can feed the starter a day before, store it in the fridge, and then the next day use it ...

GlennM's picture
GlennM

Duplicate

Econprof's picture
Econprof

An overnight levain. If your starter gets a bigger feeding and isn’t kept too warm, it will be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Autolyzing in the fridge might make fermentation slow because the whole dough has to warm up before it gets going. If your kitchen isn’t too hot you can probably just leave the bowl out.

r0bz's picture
r0bz

Isn't it better to feed the starter a day before, wait for it to do its thing for 4 hours or so, and then store in the fridge and the next day take it out of the fridge and use it?

Econprof's picture
Econprof

Both ways would probably work. But a lot of recipes (probably most of the ones I bake from) do use an overnight levain so it’s an option.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

I usually feed my starter before I go to bed and leave it out, feed it again the next morning (that makes it more active), mix the bulk around lunch and complete as I stated above. If the starter is moving along too quickly I pop it in the fridge, if it’s sluggish I warm it up a bit

mariana's picture
mariana

Yes, you can keep a mature (ready to use) stiff starter for up to 24 hrs refrigerated before using it. Let it warm up for 30-120min to activate its microflora before use.

Yes, you can autolyse the dough overnight in the fridge. No problem.

r0bz's picture
r0bz

so I can feed the starter a day before when I want to make bread and then let it work 4 hours outside until I see the air pockets, then put it in the fridge and use it the day after?

mariana's picture
mariana

I am not familiar with your 50% hydration starter, but if it makes good bread, then yes, your method of preparing a portion of mature starter (feed it, keep it for 4 hours "outside" until you see "air pockets") should work. You have tested it, after all, you like your bread.

All I'm saying is that keeping a mature starter refrigerated for 24 hrs is safe, normal and does not affect its performance or the resulting bread for as long as you let it come to the optimal temperature before using it. 

r0bz's picture
r0bz

i have a question for you 

if I do not let the starter come to the optimal temperature before using it. if I take it straight from the fridge and knead it with the autolysing dough what will happen?, my guess is that it will just take it some time to warm up and it will perform the same as if I have waited for it to warm up .....

 

mariana's picture
mariana

It mostly has to do with the schedules and timing in baking. In commercial baking and in bread machine baking at home fermentation proceeds on schedule or else there will be no good bread. Or no good bread on time.

If you do not care about timing then you can use cold starter to feed it right away while it is still cold or cold starter to leaven the dough. It is more or less equivalent to the question of using dry yeast directly or first waking it up in a warm water solution.

Cold makes microbes lethargic they cannot work when they are lethargic. Then by mixing cold starter with other ingredients we give them a new environment causing environmental stress when they are at their weakest, most vulnerable. That is why it makes sense to first wake them up without changing nothing else but temperature and then send them to work. That is what people do, we wake up and only then go to work in a different work environment. We cannot do good work when we are feverish or frozen stiff while butt naked. Microbes are the same. 

Letting our starter to warm up before feeding it or mixing it with the bread dough is a proper habit to develop. It reduces the stress on the starter's microflora and allows it to adapt to the environmental stress better. It both preserves its microflora and makes it thrive and makes it reliable, performing on schedule, without unpleasant surprises.

3 Olives's picture
3 Olives

I do a 1-3-3 SS, BF, and WW the night before and my starter is at its peak for several hours the following morning. It works for me. 

r0bz's picture
r0bz

what is a" 1-3-3 SS, BF"?

3 Olives's picture
3 Olives

1 part Starter to 3 parts Bread Flour and. 3 parts Whole Wheat 

r0bz's picture
r0bz

i am still not quite sure what you meant maybe an example will help

kitui4u's picture
kitui4u

so it is the water added = weight of WW+BF?..so lets say:

Starter 100

WW 200

BF 200

Water 400

The water should be equal to the dry ingredient weight...right?

r0bz's picture
r0bz

no my starter is 50% hydration

 

Yrivergirl's picture
Yrivergirl
  • I also maintain 50% hydration starter.  What happens when I feed if I accidentally double each of the flours & the water, but only added 1 Tablespoon of starter?  What should I expect?  Will it take longer to be ready for creating the Levain?  Will it affect the outcome of the bread?  Or will I have twice as much for creating Levain?  Will it take longer than the normal 24-48 hrs b4 creating the Levain?
  • Please advise?
Yrivergirl's picture
Yrivergirl

I usually begin with 1 Tablespoon of starter..., Adding 25 grams of warm water & 25 grams each of 2 flours.

I started with the 1Tanlespoon of starter...

And I accidentally Added Double, ...50g warm water & 50 of each of the 2 flours!  

What should I expect?  Is there anything I can do about it?

Yrivergirl's picture
Yrivergirl
  1. I usually begin with 1 Tablespoon of starter..., Adding 25 grams of warm water & 25 grams each of 2 flours.

I started with the 1Tanlespoon of starter...

And I accidentally Added Double, ...50g warm water & 50 of each of the 2 flours!  

What should I expect?  Is there anything I can do about it?