On 4/19/06, hutchndi > wrote:

> TG do you really think Todd's problem is this deep? I let my starter
> develop
> for 16 -18 hours (using about a cup of it in a 2 loaf recipe) and still I
> can get my boules firm enough to hold their shape and rise well above the
> density he describes, even using the no knead technique.


Sadly, the original poster didn't give a lot of details. So, I'll fall back
on my time honored mantra, "It all depends."

If the starter is healthy, which is actually pretty rare among amateur
bakers, the long rise might not be a problem.

However, if you consistently underfeed a starter the critters that can make
proteolytic enzyme (I am *SO* sure I mispelled that) will take over the
culture. The pretolytic enzyme allows the critters to break down protein.
Once a culture learns that trick, it is finicky at best and generally
unstable. At that point, you are better off creating a fresh starter.

I've had that happen. The starter developes an acetone like smell.... while
you can try to rehabilitate the starter, the next time you skip a feeding
the critters with the proteolytic enzymes will take over again.

That said, if his starter is weak, or has the nasty critters in it, a 16 to
18 hour rise at high hydration could very well cause some very real
problems.

A thicker starter, a healthier starter, and/or a shorter rise could help in
that case.

However, it could also be batch to batch variations in flour, the O.P.
getting lazy about loafing, the O.P. letting the final rise go on too long
or a dozen other things.

Mike