Hello. I'm new to sourdough baking (I make quite a nice "sourdough"
rye bread -- with commercial yeast -- but the world of starters is new
to me), and I've found the extensive FAQ and discussion here very
helpful. I've been lurking for a few weeks.

I'm trying to reproduce a heavy rye bread that my sweetie's father (who
is Latvian) is fond of, and cannot find in Canada.

Last Christmas he obtained (without instructions :-) ) a sourdough
starter from a Latvian woman who makes a type of this bread (not the
heaviest, darkest rye bread).

I have been swamped with work pretty well until now, and I hope I
haven't managed to kill the starter through utter inattention, but
we'll see. As I've been reading through the FAQ, I realize I don't
know a thing about the starter, including what flour it's based on, but
I'll just try to add some AP and water to half of it, try to keep it at
85 degrees, and hope for the best.

But that brings me to my second problem. I have always worked with a
fairly fine dark rye flour, and I cannot find a more coarse flour
anywhere in Toronto. I've called several health food stores, and I've
even tried phoning several specialty bakeries in Toronto to no avail.

Does anyone have a lead on this?

thanks,
Desiree