| 1 | Get a container for the starter. |
| 2 | Crockery is best, but just about anything can be used, except metal. |
| 3 | Try to get something with a lid. |
| 4 | I use a vinyl plastic food-storage container. |
| 5 | Mix flour and water (and optionally yeast). |
| 6 | Let the starter sit (uncovered or loosely covered) in a warm place until bubbly and sour, about 3-5 days. |
| 7 | If you do a lot of bread baking, there will probably be enough yeast spores floating around your kitchen so that the added yeast isn"t needed. |
| 8 | The less yeast you add to the starter, the more "authentic" the flavor. |
| 9 | If the starter starts turning orange or green, throw it away. |
| 10 | Other nasty things have started growing in it! after the starter is ready, it can be used immediately. |
| 11 | Try to use some of the starter once every few days, or it will start to die. |
| 12 | The starter can be refrigerated to last longer (use at least every other week). |
| 13 | Make sure the starter is at room temperature before using. |
| 14 | After using some of the starter, replenish what you take with equal amounts of warm water and flour. |
| 15 | Let the starter sit until nice and bubbly before using again. |
| 16 | Notes: * starter culture for making sourdough bread -- many people think of sourdough as something from the gold rush days. |
| 17 | Not so! sourdough was the first way raised breads were made. |
| 18 | "way back then," there was no such thing as yeast (dry), active, and all breads (along with a number of other goodies) needed sourdough starter to rise. |
| 19 | There are a number of recipes for sourdough starter, but this is one i"ve used, and it works fairly well. |
| 20 | It came originally from the cookbook "the complete sourdough cookbook" by don holm. |
| 21 | * usually, the first starter made will need a while to "come up to strength." best bets for first recipes are ones that don"t require much raising, such as pancakes, or ones that have additional yeast. |
| 22 | : difficulty: easy. |
| 23 | : time: 5 minutes preparation, 5 days waiting. |
| 24 | : precision: no need to measure. |
| 25 | : bill turner : hewlett-packard personal software division, santa clara ca : hplabs!hppsdc!bill : |
