Sourdough Starter

2 cups white flour
2 cups water
1 packet dry baking yeast

Mix the flour and yeast together in container, preferably glass or
ceramic, that can hold two quarts. Stir in the water and mix well. Cover
the container with a dish cloth and let it sit in a warm spot (I place
container in my sink). The dish cloth will let wild yeasts pass through
into the batter. The mixture should bubble as it ferments (this will foam
up quite a bit). If sourdough spills out onto your counter, it is hard to
clean off once it has dried! Stir it once a day. Let it sit out from 2 to
5 days. Then stir it, cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the
refrigerator.

As your starter sits in the refrigerator, a liquid will form on the top.
It contains 12% to 14% alcohol. Stir that liquid back into the starter
before using.

Your starter should be fed every other week. To feed it, remove one cup
(use it in a baked item, give it to a neighbor, or throw it away) and
replace it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour. Let it sit out for a
few hours; then refrigerate.

When you are ready to cook or bake with your starter, remove it from the
refrigerator and pour it into a bowl. Let it warm to room temperature. At
this time, mix up equal parts of water and flour to equal the amount of
starter you are going to need.

If your sourdough gets too sour, throw all of it away except 1 cup. Add 2
cups of flour and 2 cups of water to it, and let it ferment for a day or
so.

If you will not be using your starter for some time, freeze it. Two days
before you need to use it, let it defrost. Then feed it and let it ferment
for a day.

NOTE: I find working with a sourdough starter can be very time consuming.
Especially if you follow what most sourdough books say and feed them
everyday. That's too much work for me. You even need a sourdough sitter
when leaving town.

Because I don't use my starter everyday, I store it, covered, in the
refrigerator until ready to use. When I decide I want to use my starter, I
then remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature
(usually I let it sit overnight on the counter). I then feed it with 1 cup
flour and 1 cup warm water. I let this sit 8 hours or, preferably,
overnight. It is now ready to use in your sourdough recipes!

--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/