Holy Sourdough Starter Batman!

It's official.  I now have enough sourdough starter to begin making sourdough bread!  Actually, that's an understatement.  It'd be more accurate to say that I have a vat of sourdough starter, and I'm hoping that no extraordinary act of macroevolution occurs overnight to transform this pool of seemingly innocent microorganisms into a new species capable of collective organization and intent.

If you are interested in making your own starter, I have to (again) put in a plug for actually getting your hands on the book, Crust and Crumb, by Peter Reinhart.  I can't really replicate all of his helpful notes here, which is why having the book is helpful.

Here's the gist of what I did:

Day 1:  Mixed 1 c. organic, whole-wheat flour; 1 Tbsp. diastatic barley malt syrup; 1 tsp. honey; and 1 c. water (used to soak 1 c. organic raisins prior to addition).
Day 2:  Added 1 c. unbleached bread flour; 1/2 tsp. malt, 1 tsp. honey; and 3/4 c. water.
Day 3:  Added 2 c. unbleached bread flour; 1/2 tsp. malt, and 1 1/2 c. water.
Day 4:  Discarded 2 1/2 c. starter.  Then added 2 c. unbleached bread flour and 1 1/2 c. water.
Day 5:  Added 4 c. unbleached bread flour and 3 c. water.

OOOooo bubbly goodness!

Fresh ingredients were stirred in each evening before bed.  The starter was kept at room temperature for development but has since been transferred to the refrigerator for storage.  The plan now:

• While in use, Refresh the starter every 2 days (by disposing of half, then adding back a 4:3 ratio of flour:water by volume).
• To make dough, take the starter out of the fridge 1 hour prior to mixing.
• When not in use (short term), keep refrigerated and build up with two refreshments prior to use.
• When not in use (long term), freeze the starter for up to 6 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator and refresh 3 times before use.
• If the starter separates in the fridge, skim off the gray liquid prior to refreshing. (This liquor is called "hooch" after the Hoochinoo Indians who used to trade supplies with Alaskan gold miners to obtain the whiskey-like substance.)

Hopefully, I'll get a loaf of sourdough made this weekend.  Then I'll be able to report if this worked!  If so, I'll keep refreshing the starter for a couple of weeks.  Since I have to throw half away each time, I might be looking for volunteers to take some off my hands.  (Note: An acceptable form of compensation for *some* individuals might include a quality photograph of one of my loaves of sourdough... <wink, wink>)