July 29, 2020 - 2:31pm
Does how fast the starter rises affect taste/anything?
I can put my starter on top of the fridge and it takes about 5-6 hours to rise to 3-4 times its initial size. I can also leave it on the table in my kitchen and it takes about 12-13 hours to rise that same size. Does the time it takes to rise affect anything?
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If all things are equal, it would. But in this case temps wouldn't be equal (usually warmer on top of a fridge) so the change would be expected.
If we think of the dough as a big starter (yeah, that's all it really is), different rise times of the starter would be seen as different ferment/proof times. This can change taste, but would have more of an effect on gluten formation hence texture (the longer flour and water mix the more gluten you get). I like a bread with some texture so I shoot for long and slow.
Now if your starter gets the same food and temp is the same, and you notice a change in rise (height or time), something had changed with the starter - could be good, could be bad - so it can be an indicator of trouble ahead (longer time or lower height) or a starter running on all cylinders (less time or higher rise). And of course this will be seen in the timings of the dough.
Time to throw a loaf in the oven - Enjoy!
the more sour the finished loaf will become. It means the bacteria are having a great time multiplying while the yeast numbers are low. That is, if the temperatures are the same.
Above the fridge is warmer and will speed things up both for the yeast and the bacteria. Cool rises will slow both but moderate temps around 75°F will give yeast a slight advantage over bacteria. (Bacteria numbers will always be greater than yeast numbers.)