On 4/16/06, Spica > wrote:
>
>
> According to my mother - who was born and raised in Portugal - my
> grandmother and her sister made it using some of the dough from the
> previous week's bread baking - my great aunt was the "keeper"; she kept
> it in a dark cupboard in her home. My mother never had an interest in
> bread baking, so that's all I know. I have no idea if this was an actual
> starter which was kept fed or or simply a preferment that she held on to.


If you hold onto a pre-ferment long enough, it will become a sourdough
culture. The lactoacillus baceteria will "move in" and change the
preferment.


> I'm still contemplating on venturing into sourdough - guess I should
> just bite the bullet and try :-)


Absolutely! It's fun, it's easier than you probably think, and it's a great
way to make great bread!

Mike