I keep my refridgerator starter as a very stiff dough (50% hydration) and
have made bread in the past from a stiff starter. It worked just as well for
me as using the wet starter.

Basically, I'd just take the dough ball from the fridge, which is never more
than 30-50 grams (about an ounce or two), and feed it over 2-3 builds until
I got it to the size I needed to bake bread. By that time, it was fully
active. So there's no wet sponge. I'd just break the stiff starter up into
about a dozen pieces knead it into the flour, water and salt.

Recently, though, I've been taking just a bit of the stiff refridgerator
starter and creating a wet sponge from that. I weigh mine, so if I've got 9
grams of stiff starter, that means I've got 6 grams flour and 3 grams water.
I'll usually bring it up to 100 percent hydration and increase the size by a
factor of three. So that means I'll first soften the stiff starter with 15
grams water and then add 12 grams flour.

Over the next couple of builds, I'll bring it up to where I need it for the
bread.

--
Jeff Miller




> -----Original Message-----
> From:
>
> when.com
> [mailto:rec.food.sourdough-bounces+jmiller=daviesmurphy.com@ma
> il.otherwhen.com] On Behalf Of Kevin Griffin
> Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 10:44 AM
> To:
> Subject: "Dough ball" Starter Question
>
> Hello, I'm wondering how one uses a "dough ball" style
> starter as mentioned by group member Will. Right now I'm
> using a slurry style starter. I take a few tablespoons of
> the slurry and add some water and flour to start a sponge.
> If I add more flour to the slurry starter to make a dough
> ball, how do I start a sponge from it?
>
>
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