Breads Part III
Sourdough  Starter

Sourdoughs were originally produced by wild yeasts.  The wild yeasts in the San Francisco area produce a unique flavor in breads.  Some sourdoughs are over a hundred years old.  You can buy dried versions and then activate them.  Or you can make your own, catching the wild yeasts indigenous to your area.

I have tried to make a dry sourdough starter to no avail.  So I use the following recipe which I devised after studying several sources.  It works well.

Ingredients
1 cup spring water
1 cup butter milk
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour 

Mix the flours and yeast together in container, preferably glass or ceramic, that can hold two quarts and will take a lid.  Stir in the water and buttermilk, and mix well.  Cover the container with a dish cloth and let it sit in a warm spot.  The dish cloth will let wild yeasts pass through into the batter.  The mixture should bubble as it ferments.  Stir it once a day.  Let it sit out from 2 to 5 days.  Then stir it, put a lid on it, and store it in the refrigerator.

As your starter sits in the refrigerator, a liquid will form on the top.  It contains 12% to 14% alcohol.  Stir that liquid back into the starter before using.  

Your starter should be fed every other week.  To feed it, remove one cup (use it in a baked item, give it to a neighbor, or throw it away) and replace it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of unbleached flour.  Let it sit out for a few hours; then refrigerate.  

If your sourdough gets too sour, throw all of it away except 1 cup.  Add 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water to it, and let it ferment for a day or so.

If you will not be using your starter for some time, freeze it.  Two days before you need to use it, let it defrost.  Then feed it and let it ferment for a day.