Can I add instant yeast to sourdough dough that is not very active?
I have a sourdough starter (rye flour based) that is quite active and I use it a lot.
I decided to make bread today and used AP flour instead of bread flour on purpose. I wanted to see what would happen. Turns out, not much is happening and the dough is not very active and not rising much. I wanted to bake it in a few hours. Assuming it doesn't pick up the pace by then, can I add instant yeast to it to at least get some rise out of the bread? I don't really throw out all that flour and it smells sour so I think some flavor will be there.
Or am I better off leaving it overnight to give the starter more time to work on this dough?
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You could also move the dough somewhere warmer, which will help the yeast grow. Perhaps cover it with plastic film wrap to keep the heat inside the bowl (rather than say a cloth). Yeast generates a little heat on its own too. Many electrical devices generate excess heat, that can be used as a warm place - like the top of your refrigerator, near the cooling-grill at the back.
Also you could feed the yeast with a little honey or sugar.
If you have instant yeast, I would leave the sour-dough starter to take as long as it takes, and simply make another bread in the meantime with the bread making yeast. Sure it's not sour-dough, but tomorrow you can make "proper" sour-dough!
Yes, you can add instant yeast to a sourdough. However, the fact that you used AP vs bread flour should not have much to do with the fermentation activity. The different flours have different protein contents, which impact gluten development. Certainly, allowing it to ferment overnight is an option, but if you are short on time you can use an instant yeast to speed things up.
I would let it prove overnight in the fridge rather than adding instant yeast which is a different variety of yeast that will be competing with your sourdough yeast.
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