Hello, my name is Gaye and I have been making sourdough bread successfully for many years now. However, I am still keen to learn more about the science. A couple of questions please. In your video you say the following:
"Once your starter can pass the "float test" 12 hours after feeding, it is strong enough to bake with. At this point, you can either bake your first loaf of sourdough bread or retard in your refrigerator, remembering to feed your new starter at least once a week."
Question 1 - if put in fridge at its peak (passing the float test), can it be used straight from the fridge later on.
Question 2 - if it passes the float test and is left at room temperature, how long before it needs to be used? Presumably there is a small window?
Question 3 - my starter often peaks in 3 -4 hours so I use it then, presumably ok
As well as the 1:1:1: formula I often used the method by Emmanuel Hadranjeou in his book How to Make Bread. He keeps a very small portion of the starter in the fridge and then builds this up 12 hours before the bake. He takes 15g of starter, for example, and adds 150g fresh flour and 150g water. With this method I notice that the dough rises quicker. By why? This brings me to my final question which is can you overfeed a starter? I have read that you can, that its like us having breakfast, lunch and dinner in one go, but other bakers disagree.
Many thanks.
Gaye