Does anyone know if headspace is an issue when proofing dough?
I'm making a poolish, about 1-1/2 cups of flour to a cup of water. I put it in a proofing container (i.e., for first proof), a clear 4 quart square plastic container with a good lid from a restaurant supply store. It'll be going in the fridge overnight. With so little starter it's mostly air space.
It's humid as all heck out (about 90%) but my home has central A/C so the kitchen is comfortable, about 63%, which of course will be the starting humidity in the container. Will the surface of the poolish dry out, making a crust? Would it be better to cover the poolish with oiled plastic?
I try to create as little plastic waste as possible, so I was hoping to just use reusable containers.
are all I use with levains. I never use plastic wrap. If you are concerned about blowing the top off due to gas build up, drill a small hole in the lid. I haven’t had an issue though using drilled or non-drilled lids.
The concern I had wasn't gas buildup but the starter drying out, or at least the topmost layer. I figured that what prevents drying was limited headspace: the less air, the less moisture that can leave the starter. At some point, the headspace would be large enough it wouldn't be functionally different than not having the starter covered at all, since enough water can evaporate and fill that space to dry out the top of the starter.
I guess that's less of an issue with a starter than a dough (since you're just going to mix up the starter with the rest of the dough) but I wasn't sure if it was something to be avoided.