Here's a recent experience with ACME's San Francisco Sourdough starter Ed
Bechtel sent me.

I took some sourdough goo to a friend's place near Orlando, and arrived
after 5 PM. By 8 PM I had mixed the goo with about 3/4 cup of flour and
enough water to make some loose dough for sponge. By 10 PM I didn't see
any sign of rising. At 12 PM it hadn't risen much, but so what, I made
bread anyway, about 6 cups 50-50 Gold Medal bread flour and King Arthur
Wheat Flour, the starter, a rounded tablespoon of salt, and 2+ cups water.
I kneaded a stiff but sticky dough for about 5 minutes, divided it in two
hefty lumps, and set each in a bowl lined with oiled plastic wrap, then
covered with plastic wrap.

Next morning at about 8, the dough had not risen noticeably. By 10 AM it
was nicely puffed up. I preheated the gas oven to 400 for about 15
minutes, sprinkled cornmeal on bread pans, plopped the bowls upside down on
them and removed the plastic wrap, which came off easily. The dough was so
slack that it immediately slumped into thick puddles.

I didn't spritz the oven or set boiling water in it. 30 minutes later I
removed the loaves, nicely browned. They had risen to about 2.5 inches,
rather resembling wide, rounded, upside-down pies. After half an hour for
cooling, I sliced off hunks, buttered them and handed them around to
breakfasters. The bread got a standing ovation. Yes, they were more squat
than I like. But the aroma was fabulous, the SF Sourdough tang was quite
evident, the crumb was large without having huge bubbles, the texture was
chewey, and the taste delicious.

I guess Dicky Adams just keeps on being right - all that fancy, fastidious
attention to every nuance and detail is not necessary to make good bread.
I didn't have a proper measuring cup, and I had been tired and just wanted
to slam the bread together the night before. I had ignored my recipe and
any tripling methods of making sponge, and sort of went "by guess and by
golly" (unfair to say because I _have_ made enough bread to guess pretty
well). The bread turned out to be good. If I'd had bread pans it would
have been even better, but the flat loaves satisfied the natives.

I am certain that the very first good bread ever baked was made almost by
accident.

Bob Hurt