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Recipe for "sour-start"

NAME

     SOUR-START - Starter culture for making sourdough bread
     Many people think of sourdough as something  from  the  Gold
     Rush  days.   Not  so!   Sourdough  was the first way raised
     breads were made.  ``Way back  then,''  there  was  no  such
     thing  as  active  dry  yeast,  and all breads (along with a
     number of other goodies) needed sourdough starter to rise.
     There are a number of recipes  for  sourdough  starter,  but
     this  is  one  I've  used, and it works fairly well. It came
     originally from the cookbook The Complete Sourdough Cookbook
     by Don Holm.

INGREDIENTS (makes 750 ml)

     500 ml    warm water (about 45 deg. C)
     500 g     flour
     7 g       active dry yeast (optional)

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Get a container  for  the  starter.   Crockery  is
               best,  but just about anything can be used, except
               metal.  Try to get something with a lid.  I use  a
               vinyl plastic food-storage container.
          (2)  Mix flour and water (and optionally yeast).
          (3)  Let the starter sit (uncovered or loosely covered)
               in  a  warm place until bubbly and sour, about 3-5
               days.

NOTES

     If you do a lot of bread  baking,  there  will  probably  be
     enough yeast spores floating around your kitchen so that the
     added yeast isn't needed.  The less yeast  you  add  to  the
     starter, the more ``authentic'' the flavor.
     If the starter starts turning  orange  or  green,  throw  it
     away.  Other nasty things have started growing in it!
     After the starter is ready, it can be used immediately.  Try
     to  use  some of the starter once every few days, or it will
     start to die.  The  starter  can  be  refrigerated  to  last
     longer (use at least every other week).  Make sure the star-
     ter is at room temperature before using.
     After using some of the starter,  replenish  what  you  take
     with equal amounts of warm water and flour.  Let the starter
     sit until nice and bubbly before using again.
     Usually, the first starter made will need a while to  ``come
     up to strength.''  Best bets for first recipes are ones that
     don't require much raising, such as pancakes, or  ones  that
     have additional yeast.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 5 minutes preparation, 5 days wait-
     ing.  Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Bill Turner
     Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division, Santa Clara CA
     {hplabs!}hppsdc!bill