Ornlu said:
Can you share your neading & rising schedule?
I've got a good starter going, and have used it for about 8 loaves of bread now. Here's the recipe I've been using:
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 cups (298g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (454g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter
1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm water
(Source: King Arthur Flour)
I like the recipe because the neading/rising/baking schedule is easy and makes sense to me. I don't want to near it once every half hour for half a day, nor do I want to let it rise for 12+ hours. With that said, it's just mediocre bread. I want to do better.
I feel like you're doubling up by using both yeast and starter here, use one or the other. If you're using yeast, why do you need a starter and vice versa?
Also, for 2.5 cups of flour, that is a lot of yeast and a TON of starter. You can make amazing bread with only .5 tsp of yeast per 3 cups of flour.
Are you getting an open crumb with this recipe, or is it pretty dense?
As for kneading schedule, experiment. I've made great bread kneading it every 30 minutes for two hours, so folding it four times. Find a method that works for you.
With instant yeast, which can rise multiple times, you can knead, let rise, fold, let rise, fold, let rise, multiple times until you get the nice airy product you want to put in the oven.