Forkish Levain maintenance
Hello everyone! This is my first post here.
I've been lurking in the sidelines for a little while and really enjoying the info and dynamics of the Fresk Loaf forum, and now it's time to get a little involved and ask some questions.
I'm a fairly new baker. I've been using Ken Forkish's book for about a month so far, and the results have absolutely amazed me (and my wife and kids are loving me more than ever!)
So for the first couple of weeks, while feeding my levain, I was throwing away a ridiculous amount of product (as the book's instructions suggest), and then I decided to cut the quantities in half while leaving the ratios the same: 50g Levain, 50g whole, 200g white, 200g h2o. (1:5:4?) That worked great, but now I've decided to waste even less and to try and keep the starter in the fridge since I only want to bake about twice a week. His method of storing is very different than the different ways I've seen suggested here, and since his ratios also greatly differ from any I've read about in this forum, I'm a little confused as to how, and when to do this.
So I have various questions:
-Should I store the levain soon after I've fed it, of do it after I've taken the amount needed for a recipe?
-If it hasn't been stored for more than a couple of days, can I use it straight from the fridge, or do I need to get it out, feed it and wait? If so, when do I get it out? I usually feed it around 9a.m. daily...
-My levain is fed in the morning. It reaches maximum expansion at about 6pm, and in the morning when I'm ready to feed again, it has collapsed a little... is this proper chain of events?
I hope I'm not overwhelming this thread with this many questions for a first time contributor, but thanks in advance.
Happy to be here! Smells good!
Bryan
Ask 5 people how to maintain a starter and you will get 10 methods that work. Find one that fits your life and baking style. I keep 225g in the refrigerator and use it as a mother starter. Mine is a 100% hydration mother refreshed every weekend with 25g old mother, 100g bread flour, 100g tap water left out covered on the counter for 12 hrs, then placed in the refrig. I would only use the mother directly in a bread dough before refrigerating. I think cooling makes the mother sluggish, although others use it for 3 days. In most doughs I use 50g of the mother with 300g rye and/or whole wheat and 300g water, maintain at 75 degrees for 10 hrs as a preferment. Dough gets 700g more flour and water depending on the hydration I want. If I keep the dough at 75-78 degrees, from the time of mixing, the dough will be ready for shaping in 2.5 hours of intermittent stretch and folds. I like proofing in the refrigerator and baking directly without warming the dough before, in a preheated DO in the AM. Makes 2 boules.
Lloyd D
Thanks for your answers Idavis & Heath. I'm guessing you are right about the very many different approaches to keeping some Levain.
Just last night I had a great Idea as I was reading the questions that I posted: Since I'm throwing away quite a bit of product while keeping this sourdough, why don't I do some experiments with it, and that way I'll come up with my own answers?!
So I decided that I should pinch some Levain at different times, feed, and not feed, refrigerate early vs. later, while at the same time keeping the room temp ritual the same! I'll be keeping a good journal of how the different techniques work and their results.This way i'll really get to know MY levain in my world with the kind of breads I want to make.
I do need some clarification regarding terminology:
Levain vs Sourdough vs Mother vs Starter vs Culture. Hmm? Are these interchangeable? If I ask ten people, will I also get ten answers?
Peace and Bread,
B.
The dough that is removed from an starter can be added to various bread recipes. Rose Levy Beranbaum recommends this practice and I've had success with it.
Another couple of questions for the experienced:
To cover or not to cover. Forkish instructs me to feed levain and cover it. Everywhere else I see people talking cheese cloths, coffee filters or loose lids... What's the word?
My levain has been refrigerated for 5 days. The morning i get it out i feed it once in the morning but some books recommend feeding twice that day. FWSY doesn't...
Thoughts?