Finally, here’s the recipe.

6 Cups starter

1/3 C maple Syrup

1/2 C oil

1 1/2 teas. salt

1 1/2 teas. baking soda

1 Tablespoon baking powder

You can add a couple egg if you want the protein and add milk if it is too thick.

Add eggs or milk before you put the baking soda and powder in. Also you need an extra large bowl because the action is tremendous due to the acid in the starter and it will double in size with the addition of the leavening.

I don’t usually put in all the baking powder. In fact, recently I haven’t had it and I use only baking soda and it has worked fine. For waffles I find it sometimes works better to leave out all the leavening and just add a few eggs.

I keep my starter in a gallon jar (glass) with an air tight lid. It is ideal to pour it out daily and mix in more water and flour, then put it in a clean jar. I don’t want it picking up any off flavors from the other foods in the refridgerator. The large jar allows room for expansion and gasses to build up without a dangerous amount of pressure.

well, i know you dont like to use plastic, but the truth is: i use an old palm oil plastic bucket to keep my starter in the fridge!

you know how those buckets are… so it doesnt usually close up completely. i would say ‘not quite airtight’ rather than ‘loosely covered’. however, sometimes it does get completely closed which isnt a problem because i open it often enough to feed it and that releases trapped gasses.

other times the lid gets pushed too open and the starter can dry out a little on top. no big deal- you can scrape off any really dry bits and just stir it back up.

it really is just easy whatever works and eyeballing it!

i will be making a loaf in the next few days and i will write it all down to have a firm copy of my recipe. depending on when i get to it, i make have a slice for you to try when i see you next week. then you can compare and you may well find your own recipe is best!

I’d love to see your recipe someday, when you have time to share it. I’m glad you said to feed the starter with less volume than it already has. I made that mistake already, but I don’t think it was fatal. The starter has recovered. I’m relieved!

anyway, for the starter, i started with a sterile bowl. i sterilized by boiling water in my tea kettle and pouring it over the bowl. then i let the bowl cool for a minute.

i mixed one cup freshly ground (fine) whole rye flour and one cup filtered water. i covered it with a breathable cotton cloth. a rubber band helps secure it so it doesnt droop into the dough.

each day, for one week, i sterilized a fresh bowl ( i really only used two, alternating them daily) and then mixed in half a cup of rye flour and half a cup of water.

i kept it covered with the cloth and set it out on my counter. this was a couple of months ago and it wasnt very hot out, so it may be faster now.

after doing this for one week (you can try up to two weeks if necessary), my starter was bubbly and a little bit frothy and smelled strongly sour, but not unpleasant. at this point, i put it in a clean container with a lid (not quite airtight) and into the fridge. i feed it every couple of days with equal amounts of flour and water. (usually 1/2 to 1 cup of each). when i use it, im sure to save out at least a cup.

the trick is to always feed it with less than the total volume already in there. use equal amounts of water and flour, and stir well. i do not feed mine daily.

if you get the hang of it and like the bread, you will want more starter and so will want to feed it larger amounts and/or more frequently. and you dont want to foget it completely. try and fee at least once per week. this will also release pent up gasses which can build up if you leave a container of starter unopened for too long.

thats it, very simple! it did take me several trials to develope a bread we all liked, though. i can share my recipe for that later if you like. but one tip is: dont expecta lovely, light snadwich sourdough like you can buy at a bakery! this is going to be heavier, heartier and healthier.

one other tip is that you want to take out the amount needed, out of the fridge, feed it, and leave it out overnight before using it in the bread. you dont want to use it cold and dormant as it will take too long to wake up.

if you want some starter, let me know. we leave on a creek and so have humid air and that may make it easier to catch a yeast at our house??

i hope this helps. its all just stored in my head…