Any sourdough success stories out ther?

[northender]

I'm trying to create my first ever "starter" inspired by the River Cottage Everyday programme I saw again the other day. It seems very slow going but I'm trying to be patient. Is it worth it?

I haven't done it for a while. It is definitely different and much better than stuff you buy (or at least I prefer my own to shop-bought ones).

It makes good bread, it's a bit of a faff though, so you have to enjoy the faffing.

I make the Nigella one, she cheats and adds yeast at the dough stage so its not a pure sour dough rise. Have never tried the river cottage version. Let us know how it comes out.

Then the fun bit is trying to keep the starter alive from batch to batch (until DH gets fed up with having festering gunk in the fridge and chucks it out)

I kept a starter going for about 7 months once, making bread every few days. Only stopped when I had an accident and went into hospital and DH did, as Himalaya predicted, throw away the festering gunk.

It was good bread, although a bit different from sourdough I've bought in the shops. Fab toasted, and it used to make amazing garlic bread too.

Someone gave me the starter though, so I can't advise about making it.

It is good bread, but a bit of a b*ll ache really. You have to think about when you actually want to eat the bread and work backwards to know when to start making it. And although it might sound simple enough to keep the starter alive, it's just another thing to remember to do everyday. Definately give it a go though. You'll have to make up your own mind whether or not it's worth it.

But it's only the starter that takes a long time. After that you can bake when you want. If you don't kill the starter.

its a faff, but worth the effort & makes a great pizza base too :)

Okay, keeping it going, it smells rank as Hugh predicts, hope it improves, will try to stick with it! Wish I had some artisan baker friend who could give me some established "starter".

Okay, have fed it again but am slightly concerned it should look more frothy than it does. It does smell winey though, but not nice wine

Mine normally look like a primordal swamp rather than frothy from about day 4 or 5, longer if it is a rye flour one. An easy way to start is to keep a bit of old dough back when you next make a loaf using yeast. After a few days in the fridge it will go a bit sloppy - add a bit more flour and water then warm it to room temperature. In a few hours you will have a sourdough starter.

If you aren't going to use the starter / leven for a bit just bung it in the freezer where it will be happy for a few months.

Like Anifrangapani says, the one I used to have looked more like a gruesome cat-sick / mud mix than a frothy yeast solution. Fear not.

Anifrangapani, I have been given some sourdough by a friend, it's literally a large spoonful. It's quite thick. What do I do to turn it into a proper starter and how do I store it and feed it afterwards? At the moment it's in a little jar in my fridge. I'd hate to waste it.

Iamruby...grusome catsick mud mix yup that's what my recipe looks like too. Haven't done it in a while, feeling inspired to start a starter now...

northender, can you write your starter recipe here or do a link? I'd love to give this a go. How long do you leave your starter before you make your first loaf?

Whats a vinegar nother and where would you use it?

Right ladies, exciting news, the starter is looking bubbly on a daily basis now and I'm going to try some bread over the weekend. Agent I'll post the recipe over the weekend and of course update you on whether anything edible results. I like the idea of using a bit of bread dough to make a starter, this has been very faffy.
I'm also impressed that 4 mners were posting on this thread after 10 on a Saturday night!

I think I have the recipe from a HFW book - is it one that uses the juice of half an orange? I have all my ingedients, and I was planning to start when. I found out whether or not yours worked!

As you can see, I live life on the edge - sourdough starters were the highlight of my Saturday night!

Getting tempted here...

Have no recipe though. Which one would people recommend?

This is the recipe I'm using.

Well the first loaf is now a work in progress. I am at the sponge making stage and sure enough it is growing and bubbling. My plan is to make the dough and knead it tonight and leave it to prove overnight, then bake in the morning.
Dh thinks I'm completely bonkers, I've lost count as to how many times he's said "it seems like an awful lot of trouble for a loaf of bread". Just hope it tastes good now!
Agent no this one doesn't have any orange juice in it.