April 16, 2010 - 1:56pm
Not feeding starter prior to bread baking
In thinking about creating a rye starter, I was perusing the various threads and stumbled upon a huge mistake I've apparently been making with my AP starter: I do not feed my starter prior to baking with it. I've been taking it out of the fridge, using what I need, feeding it to replace the volume I used, letting it sit at room temp for 4 hours or so, then re-refrigerating.
That said, it has made excellent-tasting sourdough -- even more so as it has matured -- with a very well-balanced tang.
Thinking about all the factors that make great bread, my starter has performed well on every count. What could be improved by feeding my starter *before* baking? Oven spring, perhaps?
Thanks for your thoughts :)