Starters

You may want to visit this site before your read further
on sourdough starters and the many ways to prepare them.

The Care and Feeding of Your Starter
http://www.joejaworski.com/bread/bread3.htm

How to revive your old starter is it has died or slowed down:
Old starter is characterized by a general lack of life due to poor feeding habits or too long of a time since the last feeding. The cure is simple. If a single, normal proof shows no drastic improvement, do the following: 1. Using 1 tablespoon of the well-stirred starter (discard the remainder or save a little in the refrigerator in case of an emergency), 1 1/2 cups of 75 degrees water, and 2 cups of white-all purpose flour, proof for exactly 24 hours at 72-77 degrees. 2. Examine the starter to determine whether or not it is healthy and fresh. Refer to the section on "fresh starter" or the table of starter stages above for a description of fresh, healthy starter. If the starter is healthy, you are finished. 3. If the starter is not healthy yet, stir well and refrigerate for no less than 12 hours. 4. Remove the starter from the refrigerator and go back to step 1. Old starter may need to go through this process as many as 5 or 6 times before it becomes healthy again ( don't give up even if it takes longer than this. There are very few starters that cannot be restored from this type of abuse.

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/food/sourdough/starters

Notes and Hints on Starters, Yeast and No Yeast Cultures

Remember: a base starter prepared with yeast will break down after a number of successive feedings; use a yeast starter if you only want to make bread for a while-not forever. You can, however, add yeast to the bread dough.
Yeast requires warmth to grow.
Yeast goes dormant at 63 degrees F (14C).
It works best between 80-95 degrees F (24-35C).
Yeast slows down above this until it dies at about 109 degrees F (46C)
Yeast cultures are fragile and are easily contaminated and killed by bacteria. Keep all wooden or plastic spoons, and everything that is added to the pot as sterile as possible.
Do not use metal as your yeast culture pot (this includes the stirring utensil) - use a ceramic or plastic container.
Place a loose fitting lid on top to allow the carbon dioxide to escape. Yeast changes sugar and simple starches into carbon dioxide and Ethel alcohol.
It is possible for the yeast to kill itself by the alcohol it produces. For bakers yeast this happens at about 12 percent alcohol content. To prevent this from happening you must keep an eye on it. When it stops frothing it is either out of food or is nearing it's toxicity level. Add more water and carbohydrates and if your crock is already full, dump some of it out.
Don't expect your yeast culture to act like dried high potency yeast. It will act much more like a sourdough recipe and may take several hours to raise.
If you are a sourdough beginner, I strongly encourage you to get a known good starter. Perhaps from a friend who can also help answer your sourdough questions. If you don't have a friend who is a sourdough baker, you might get a starter from a a commercial source such as Sourdoughs International , or King Arthur Flour; or from a non-profit source, such as the Friends of Carl, who make Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail starter available for the cost of a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
FREE SOURDOUGH CULTURE
(Donations are appreciated!)
Carl Griffith's starter is again available at: http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends.
A volunteer group who wish to keep the Carl starter (1847 Oregon Trail ) going on as long as possible. .Dick Adams has posted his basic pan bread sourdough recipe with photos. Other people have posted their recipes and photos as well. The site contains info from Carl's original brochure (instructions, recipes etc.), a history and photo of Carl, and E-mail addresses of the volunteer board members etc.
For obtaining other free starters people use the http://rec.food.sourdough
Usenet group for posting to trade their own sourdough starters.
Drying Starter
After you have fed your starter and let it get active (at its bubbly peak), pour some onto 6-8" plastic wrap or wax paper pieces. The thicker the layer the longer it will take to dry. I use 8" pieces of plastic wrap, flatten them on the on counter and smear them (thin) with a layer of bubbly starter. This takes only about one night to harden in our low humidity climate. Set aside at room temperature till it gets brittle - may be a few days, depending on where you live and the humidity. Break into small pieces and grind in a blender, coffee grinder or food processor. Store in zip lock baggies on your shelf or in the freezer. There you are! It will keep a long time. The yeast has sporulated and will stay that way for years. At one time it was used to "chink" the walls in log cabins and some of that stuff has been reactivated.
What is sourdough anyway?
It might be less misleading to use the term "natural leavens" instead of sourdough because many people associate sourdough with the American old west. However, sourdough is the term we are most used to, and, in fact, sourdough cultures are used all over the world, and there are some strong similarities in the way they are handled. The basic similarity is that every time the baker uses the culture, it is refreshed, and part of the culture is saved for the next baking session. In this way, the culture is maintained and you always have some in reserve.
A sourdough culture is a mixture of wild yeast and lactobacillus bacteria living in a mixture of flour and water.
Like all living things, a sourdough culture needs to be fed from time to time. It is fed flour and water.
Of course none of the starter recipes are guaranteed to work. These creatures may seem to have a mind of their own. If you are unsuccessful perhaps you might try again, or in another place or season of the year, or you might try another recipe. If you are frustrated with all that, you might consider obtaining a culture from someone who already has one. You probably have a neighbor or relative who has a culture. Otherwise you can obtain a culture from one of a variety of commercial sources. Also many of the readers of this newsgroup have offered to share cultures for as little effort required as sending a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and a zip lock bag. Many of these cultures have been in continuous use for nearly a hundred years. Some cultures (such as the Mid-Eastern cultures from Sourdoughs International) may go back for thousands of years. If you peruse the FAQ file FAQ.culture.bank you will find the addresses of several commercial companies as well as several individuals who are willing to share cultures. Whether you decide to try to capture a new culture, or go with an ancient one, I wish you the best of luck and successful sourdough baking.
Marcia Adams, author of "Heartland: The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens" wrote:
"It is my observation that having this starter around is like getting married -- it is a real commitment, and it is forever. And like that institution, it gets better with age."
Some rules to observe:
Use non-metallic bowls; use wooden utensils for stirring, not an electric mixer.
Leave the starter outside the refrigerator, uncovered. This is so it can pick up from the natural yeast flying about your kitchen. If the open dish bothers you terribly, it can be covered with a single layer of cheesecloth.
Do not use the starter the day you feed it; the bread will not rise as high.
Do not refrigerate it until day 10 (optional). The starter really multiplies after the fifth day, so be sure your container is large enough; I use a 10-cup Pyrex measuring bowl.
Keep a paper and pencil next to it and write down what you do when, so you don't get off schedule.

History
Thought to be the very first instance of leavened bread, sourdough dates back to 4,000 B.C., when ancient Egyptians are credited for discovering yeast's leavening power. Since then, it has spread to many cultures and has a solid place in U.S. history and folklore. In the Old West, sourdough was the only continuous supply of leavening in the wilderness areas, earning the mountain men, sheepherders, pioneers, prospectors and miners of the time the nickname "Sourdoughs." To carry the starter from camp to camp, they would add enough flour to make a ball of dough that was then buried deep in the flour sack. Water and warmth at the next campsite started it growing again.
Tales tell of the cherished sourdough crock with starter given as a part of a bride's dowry and of the starter going to bed with its owner to assure its survival through the long, cold winters.

Sourdough Starter
2 c Unbleached Flour 1 pkg. Active Dry Yeast
1 x Water To Make Thick Batter (remember what I said about using yeast in your starter)

Mix Flour with yeast. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Set in
warm place for 24 hours or until house is filled with a delectable yeasty
smell.

Sourdough Starter
2 c Unbleached Flour 1 x Warm Milk To Make
Thick Batter

This starter is the same as starter #2 but uses warm Milk instead of water. Use the same instructions.

Sourdough Starter
1 x Unbleached Flour 1 x Potato Water

Boil some potatoes for supper, save the potato water, and use it lukewarm
with enough unbleached flour to make a thick batter. without yeast. This
is a good way to make it in camp, where you have no yeast available and
want fast results. This is also the way most farm girls made it in the
olden days. Let stand a day or so, or until it smells right.

Sourdough Starter (large amount)
4 c Unbleached Flour 2 T Salt
2 T Sugar 4 c Lukewarm Potato Water

Put all ingredients in a crock or large jar and let stand in a warm place
uncovered several days. This is the authors last choice for making a
starter, but seems to be in all the cookbooks dealing with Sourdough
Starters. Use only as a last resort.

Basic Sourdough Starter
2 C milk - put in glass or ceramic bowl (not metal) and
set stand uncovered in warm place for 24 hours. Stir in
2 C flour and allow to stand 2 days until bubbles and gets sour smell. Store in fridge in quart size jar or crock with loose cover. (If cover is too tight CO2 may cause explosion.) If liquid rises to top give it a stir. Starter gets better with age. Use it every 10 days or so and when you take some out add 1 C flour and 1 C water, set in warm place for 24 hrs. (or more) then cover loosely and refrigerate.

If you don't use it, activate it every couple of weeks by throwing out all but 1 C starter and adding equal amounts of flour and water. Try to keep 2 C. on hand. Let warm (take out over night) before using.

Alaska Sourest Dough
1 package Yeast
1 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
2 1/4 cups Warm water
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 cups Bread flour
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (distilled or purified is best). Add sugar vinegar, salt, all purpose flour. Add remaining water until a creamy batter is formed. Put in a glass bowl, cover mixture and let sit until it starts to ferment (bubble and foam). About 3-4 days. It starter will begin to have a noticeable "smell", not unlike booze. Should the starter form under 1 inch of clear liquid on top (hooch), simply pour off the liquid and replace with a little water; if more than 1 inch, discard the starter since it is probably bad. Stir again until creamy and measure out what is called for in the recipe.

Replenish starter with equal amounts of flour and water. Store in the fridge and bring to room temp before using. Allow "fed" starter to out overnight 10-15 hours) after feeding it. This reactivates the starter. The starter takes about 2 months to become quite sour.

No Yeast Sourdough Starter
Place 1 cup milk or water (milk gives a better flavor) in a glass jar or crock. (always glass or plastic)
Allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours
Stir in 1 cup flour (the prospectors did not sift anything)
Leave uncovered in a warm, draft free place for 2 to 5 days (80 degrees is ideal), depending on how long it takes to bubble and sour. If it starts to dry out stir in enough tepid water to bring back to the original consistency. Once it has a good sour aroma and is full of bubbles it is ready to use.
Try to maintain 1-1/2 cups starter. Each time you use part of your starter, replenish it with a mixture of equal amounts of flour and milk. Leave at room temperature
overnight or until it again becomes full of bubbles, then cover and store in the refrigerator.
Note: to speed process, cover jar with cheesecloth (to keep bugs out and allow air in) and place outside
for several hours to expose dough to the wild yeast cells floating in the winds. (warm weather is faster; cold weather takes longer)

Sourdough Starter--Using Commercial Yeast
2 cups warm water or milk
21/2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
Combine ingredients in a large bowl, jar or crock with tight fitting lid. Allow to sit in warm, draft free area for 4 to 7 days. Stir vigorously several time a day to add air to mixture. You may use starter usually after 3 days or after it becomes bubbly and frothy. To use starter, remove amount called for in recipe and then replace
the amount removed with equal 1amounts of water or milk and flour. After feeding your starter, leave out for 24 hour and either use it again or refrigerate it for 8-10 days (and then feed it again with equal parts of flour and water)

Starter Using Yeast
2 c Unbleached Flour
1 x Water To Make Thick Batter
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast

Mix Flour with yeast. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Set in warm place for 24 hours or until house is filled with a delectable yeasty smell.

Yeast Cultures
My Great Aunt Emma kept her yeast culture in a half- gallon crock jar on the back of her kerosene stove.. Sometimes I helped her make bread. When making bread, she used all the contents of the starter except about one cup. This gave her a "seed' to rebuild the culture. To rebuild/replenish the culture she:
-added cool potato water,
-some mashed potatoes
-1/4 cup of sugar
-1 cup of flour
Stirred it up and set it once again near the back of the stove. When potatoes were cooked for supper, she would add the cooled potato water to the yeast culture. If all went well with her culture, the yeast was ready to use for baking the next day or the next week.

Sourdough Starter No Yeast
2 c Unbleached Flour 1 x Water To Make Thick Batter

Mix flour and water to make a thick batter. Let stand uncovered for four or five days, or until it begins working. This basic recipe requires a carefully scalded container.

Sourdough Starter Potato
1 x Unbleached Flour 1 x Potato Water

Boil some potatoes for supper, save the potato water, and use it lukewarm with enough unbleached flour to make a thick batter. without yeast. This is a good way to make it in camp, where you have no yeast available and want fast results. This is also the way most farm girls made it in the olden days. Let stand a day or so, or until it smells right.

Sourdough Starter
1 c Milk 1 c Unbleached Flour

Let milk stand for a day or so in an uncovered container at room temperature. Add flour to milk and let stand for another couple of days. When it starts working well and smells right, it is ready to use.
NOTE: All containers for starters not using yeast, must be carefully scalded before use. If you are careless or do not scald them the starter may fail.

Sourdough Starter
2 C milk - put in glass or ceramic bowl (not metal) and
set stand uncovered in warm place for 24 hours.
Stir in 2 C sifted flour and allow to stand 2 days until bubbles and
gets sour smell.
Store in fridge in quart size jar or crock with loose cover.
(If cover is too tight CO2 may cause explosion.)
If liquid rises to top give it a stir using wooden spoon.
Starter gets better with age.
Use it every 10 days or so and when you take some out add
-1 C flour and 1 C water
-set in warm place for 24 hrs. (or more)
-then cover loosely and refrigerate
If you don't use it, activate it every couple of weeks by throwing
out all but 1 C starter and adding equal amounts of flour and water.
Try to keep 2 C. on hand.
Let warm (take out over night) before using.

SOURDOUGH STARTER
Ingredients
2 cups of flour
1 package of dry yeast
2 cups of warm water

3. In the morning put the mixture in a scalded jar. Cover the jar and place it in the refrigerator for future use. Make sure the container has lots of room for expansion. If you use a lid just place in on the top of jar, don't tighten it.

The starter will keep for a short while in a clean, covered glass container in your refrigerator. If you do not use it for several weeks you may have to take it out of the refrigerator over night before adding equal amounts of flour and water.

When you are ready to make something using sourdough, simply take it out of the refrigerator and remove what the recipe calls for.

For example, if you want to make sourdough hot cakes you would remove 2 cups of sourdough starter from your glass container and place it in a mixing bowl. Before doing anything else you must replace the starter you removed by adding a cup of flour and a cup of water to your starter, mixing it up and placing it back in the refrigerator. Always remember to replace at least what you remove.

Once the starter gets going, you can add as much flour and water in equal amounts as you want, depending on how much starter you want to keep on hand. The longer you keep it the more sour it will turn. You can learn to control the sourness and keep it where you like it. When you add equal parts of flour and water it cuts the sourness down.

Getting back to the hot cakes, put two cups of starter in a bowl and add two cups of flour and two cups of warm water. The mixture should be thinner than pudding. Place a cover on the bowl and leave it over night on the counter.

In the morning measure out 3 cups of dough from the bowl left on the counter, add an egg, 1 teaspoon of molasses, 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a small amount of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. You'll have some fine sourdough pancakes.

Rye Starters

Baking with Rye Some good rye bread information at Christine's site. Also has photos.