thinking of starting some sourdough...

[godfather_chef]

i really want to start making sourdough bread, but, i'm a little 'afraid'. lol all the recipes i've found either call for ingredients i can't get (i.e. organic) or don't tell me how to actually start it and keep up with it, they basically just say 'a cup of this, a cup of that, a package of this and presto, you have a starter!' i've been making french and foccacia for quite some time, but i think i'm ready to expand my breadly horizons. also, i don't make loaves every day or even every other day, as it seems to suggest with sourdough, is this a problem if i want to keep my starter alive for a long time? any imput would be greatly appreciated!!

Dustin

[KyleW]

Hi Dustin,

Don't be intimidated by the volumes of information about sourdough. You don't need organic ingredients and you don;t need a degree in microbiology to develop a starter and bake great bread.

What you do need is a reliable game plan and a lot of patience. I have the starter formula from Peter Reinhart's book, Crust & Crumb, posted on my website. It's the first starter I made and it works well. I would suggest your get your hands on a copy of hes book The Bread Baker's Apprentice. It has a refined formula that uses just flour and water. I have used this formula as well to build a healthy starter.

Once you have a healthy active starter, you don;t need to bake every day, or even every week. Your starter will be just fine in the fridge for several months at a time.

As you go through the process feel free to ask questions as they pop up. A lot of the 'stress' associated with a first starter is not knowing what to expect. Hopefully we can ease those anxieties

Kyle

[godfather_chef]

thanks for the recipe! although, i won't be able to start on it until sunday, seeing as though i work 2 doubles then saturday. but i'll let you know how it goes!!

[cakerookie]

Could this be used for Deco Bread as well?

Regards Cakerookie...