Sourdough Starter
Once established, a healthy sourdough starter can live forever. However, because I observe the Days of Unleavened Bread, in which we put all yeast and everything baked with yeast out of our house, I need to start a new one every year when the Holy Days are over.
I started today, so I thought I'd keep track of all the steps. I always refer to Sourdough Baking, the Basics, though I've been doing it for a while now. It's a good place to start.
Day One: Mix 1 cup unbleached flour with 1 cup warm water, cover with a cloth, and let sit. Stir whenever the mood strikes - just because. I mix mine in an old peanut butter jar.
Day Two: Pour out 1/2 cup of the mixture and add 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 cup flour. Mix well.
What to do with the 1/2 cup you pour out? I suppose you could throw it out, but I have a really hard time with that. So I use it to bake something. Today I used it to make a loaf of French Bread, mixing the dough in my breadmaker and then forming the loaf to bake in the oven - because it tastes better that way.
Day Three: Today my mixture was thick and bubbly, and smelled mildly fermented. So, it's working! I stirred it down and let it sit the rest of the afternoon and then fed it again by adding 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 cup unbleached flour. I did not dump any out first, because I like a little more starter in my jar - that way, when I take out 1 cup of starter for my recipes, I have a little more left in the jar to replenish.
Day Four: My mixture was thick and had begun forming a little liquid on top, which I stirred in periodically. It should be ready to use, so this evening I poured out 1 cup starter to make my Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, which I should really start calling Whole Grain because I also add oatmeal, 7-grain cereal and wheat bran to - and I really need to update the recipe to reflect that. I also replenished the starter with 3/4 cup warm water and 3/4 cup flour, and I will cover it and let it sit overnight.
Day Five: My replenished starter was nice and bubbly. I let it sit most of the day and then put the lid on my peanut butter jar and put it in the refrigerator - ready to use next time I want bread. Speaking of the bread - it's wonderful! At this stage of the game, it takes longer to rise and doesn't rise as much as it will after the starter has been established, but it tastes so good. And the best part? No added yeast.
many recipes in the world that there is just no excuse for using one twice if it's not something you really enjoy. Now, whether the rest of the family enjoys them or not is another story, but I try to add special notes about who likes what. 
