The longer it has gone since the last feed the less you should use. You don't want a large percentage of unfed starter because the flavour will be off and the gluten will have degraded. It'll certainly leaven bread if given the right amount of time. However if it's been quite some time it makes sense to make sure your starter is healthy, by feeding it and allowing it to mature, before using in the final dough.
thank you! i was starting a loaf about 13 hours past the peak rise of the activity so i worried it would flop. i can feel the starter isnt at airy or light, so im curious to see how this comes out! thank you
I have made the Do-Nothing Sourdough a couple of times and did not always use recently fed starter. It may have taken a little longer to rise, but it worked just fine.
The longer it has gone since the last feed the less you should use. You don't want a large percentage of unfed starter because the flavour will be off and the gluten will have degraded. It'll certainly leaven bread if given the right amount of time. However if it's been quite some time it makes sense to make sure your starter is healthy, by feeding it and allowing it to mature, before using in the final dough.
thank you! i was starting a loaf about 13 hours past the peak rise of the activity so i worried it would flop. i can feel the starter isnt at airy or light, so im curious to see how this comes out! thank you
Is not terrible. Did you store it in the fridge? Better if you did! It also depends on how much you're using. Difficult to recommend without a recipe.
King Arthur has some info on the subject:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2021/10/15/how-to-streamline-your-sourdough-bread-baking
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/pain-de-campagne-recipe
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/do-nothing-sourdough-bread-recipe
I have made the Do-Nothing Sourdough a couple of times and did not always use recently fed starter. It may have taken a little longer to rise, but it worked just fine.
oooooh! thank you!! thats great