February 15, 2010 - 7:17am
Is there a general rule of thumb to convert to a sponge recipe?
I generally make WW recipes that mix all ingredients,rise overnight in refrig and bake the next day or do a short autolyse and then mix/bake, in order to fully hydrate the WW.I use sourdough with a small amount of instant yeast for these loaves.
SO, is there a general; rule of thumb on how to convert one of these recipes to making a sponge,first, with a portion of the WW?
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In The Bread Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum suggests this general formula for converting a recipe to using a sponge: combine all the liquid, 40% of the flour, and a little less than half the yeast. Stir with whisk for 2 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then "blanket" the sponge with the remaining flour and yeast. Cover, allow to ferment on counter for an hour, then stash in fridge overnight.
In practice, I usually skip the blanket and the hour on the counter, and it seems to work fine for me.
As I reread your post, however, I see you're using sourdough, which I don't do. Maybe this could be modified somehow?