l, not -l wrote:
Of course, I'm old-school and think it better to read the book than the
CLiff's Notes version; I found that things go much smoother having read the
whole thing for a good foundation, then look up individual issues for a
refresher when a problem arises.

So far, I'm with you.
For those who haven't tried it, take a look,
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/food/sourdough/starters/ the folks who put the
time and effort into making the FAQ did a good job.

I haven't looked at the FAQ in a while. Perhaps I should. However, the
last time I looked at it, it was filled with largely unedited comments
from a number of people. I do truly believe all these people have had
sourdough success, and I also do truly believe that their opinions about
sourdough should be preserved. The methods most of us seem to be using
in RFS may just be today's fad, and some of the methods used by others
may well make a comeback. But, all that said, I don't recommend the FAQ
for beginners because of the many varied viewpoints in it. I also
suggest a newcomer not spend too much time in RFS because that can also
be confusing as the regulars offer conflicting advice or even argue with
one another.

Instead, I suggest that a newcomer get a single guru, whether that is a
book, a neighbor who bakes, a baking class at a local school, a web site
that seems to make sense, or whatever. And then follow that guru. Once
the beginner has achieved some level of sourdough success, it is time to
branch out and consider how other people do things.

Mike


--
Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
wordsmith

Once seen on road signs all over the United States:
You can't reach 80
Hale and hearty
By driving 80
Home from
The party
Burma-Shave