Sourdough Baguettes (Part 3)

This post (and the next couple) will go over the method in more detail. They will be a mix of what I did, observed and concluded during that portion of the process.

Mixing the Leaven and Poolish

I immediately veered to follow my established path for the leaven. I fed my cold starter from the fridge the previous evening and let it develop overnight. I then mixed the amount needed (420g) by mixing 1:1:1 starter,flour and water e.g 140g each. Chad’s method was to take 20g of developed starter and add it to 200g each of flour and water.

My leaven should grow faster and have a bit more acidity due to starting with 7x his amount.

I never had quite figured out “Poolish” or “sponge”. In my mind I had it as synonymous with my leaven. In a way it is… just made with active dry yeast.

I mixed 200g each of flour and water and then added 1g of yeast. Next time I will do two things differently: a) use warmer water (85°F vs room temp and b )mix the yeast in the water first.

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The Poolish did not grow at the same rate as my leaven. I think the two things I mentioned above may be what is needed. I’ll try them first before adding more yeast.

Both are ready when a small amount can pass the “float test”. The float test is where a small amount will float in water due to the gas development.

In the next post I’ll describe the Autolyse. Chad’s method didn’t call for it specifically but I chose to do it.

Always experimenting…