I am making the foccacia from BBA, and I was wondering if I could just substitute my Vivian (my adorable 100% starter) for the poolish. Anybody have a thought?
Submitted by CSBaker on February 17, 2012 - 8:09am
I am making the foccacia from BBA, and I was wondering if I could just substitute my Vivian (my adorable 100% starter) for the poolish. Anybody have a thought?
Yes
Yes you can defnitely make that substitution. Be aware that your starter (I am assuming that it is wild yeast) will behave very differently than the poolish but it will make a great bread. Use all of your skills to judge when the dough is sufficiently proofed.
Jeff
I am afraid you have
I am afraid you have overestimated my expertise (not hard to do!). Can you tell me in a nutshell how it will behave differently? Will the proofing take longer? Shorter? Can I still do the overnight ferment in the fridge?
It may
take longer on the bulk ferment.
It may take longer on the final proof.
The extra acids in the sourdough may bring some extra strength to the dough, but that will be very subtle.
You can still do an overnight ferment in the fridge, but the sourdough will be more sensitive to the cold and may not rise as quickly as a dough made with commercial yeast.
I'm unfamiliar with the formula, but if you add additional commercial yeast in the final mix, the "longer times" may be somewhat mitigated by the presence of commercial yeast.
Hope this helps.
Answers
My apologies for my brief answer leaving you somewhat in the lurch.....and my thanks to Pat who gave you the answer you need.
Jeff