Will wrote:
> [..]
> Which also suggests that one can usually restore the original
> status... if one is willing to do extended refreshment cycles at
> higher temperature.

For chrissake!

Step 1: With a ready starter:

Take out 35 g and put into a new 1/2 cup sterilized container, label it
and put it in the fridge. Make bread with the remaining fresh starter.

When you want to make bread again - maybe next week or in two month?

From the last container in the fridge, take out - whatever is needed 6,
12, 20 g, put leftover back in fridge, recycle oldest container content
and do Detmold 3-Stage with the starter taken out.

Go to Step 1.


Where is your "extended refreshment cycles" and the "one can usually..."

Compared to whatever I did before - this has by far the least overhead
in starter maintenance, it is well defined and takes out a lot of the
randomness involved in this game.

The main factors - temperature and time are controlled and known in
every step of this loop. Compare this to a kitchen-counter top
continuous propagation which you seem to prefer and it will come out short.

And - as for your idea that starter does not so much influence final
bread characteristics:

If your starter is a little bit too "ripe" and lame by the time you make
bread, you can to nothing in the remaining bread making steps to make up
for it again.

Sam