In the recipe for Sourdough English Muffins, it calls for sourdough starter “ripe, floating.” I think I get the idea that the starter has to be ripe (does that mean that it’s active, recently fed and allowed to grow and bubble?). But what the heck does “floating” mean? Thanks for guidance.
Jeff
The float test is an old school way to check that your starter is active – the co2 bubbles in the starter that have resulted from bacteria and yeast consuming starches/sugars make the starter float. The test is not necessary and not infallible, but it gives reassurance sometimes.
Thanks.
So - you take a glob of starter and drop it in water and see if it floats?
Yes it will.
I found the float test unreliable, this is because there are exceptions
Only once have I tried the float test (out of curiosity). It sank. Made bread with the starter anyway.
If my starter rises then so does my bread.
I always do a float test before I make my dough. Obviously, my starter/levain will either by ‘under-ripe’, ‘ripe’, or ‘over-ripe’. If it is ripe, I know exactly how long my bulk fermentation will take (since I adjust my levain for a 4 hour bulk fermentation). It is usually ‘ripe’ just before I see holes in the top of my starter/levain. If I do not see holes on the top of my starter/levain and it is not ‘ripe’, then I give the starter/levain more fermentation time. This will allow me to determine if the starter/levain is truly under-ripe or if it is over-ripe. If I attempt to use an under-ripe starter/levain, I risk a doughy bread. If I see holes on the top and the starter/levain is not ‘ripe’, I know my starter/levain is over-proofed. I use it immediately. However, while my bread will not be doughy, neither will it be optimal. It took me several times making bread with a fully ‘ripe’ starter/levain to learn the differences. When mixing a ripe starter/levain into the water and then adding the flour, the flour will immediately become soft and springy! That will not happen if the starter/levain is not ripe.