I also got some given to me, one of the office staff made the bread every single day for months, I think. She kept adding different fruit to make it "different", LOL. She gave me some starter, I politely took it and just threw it away. When she asked how it went, I told her I had forgotten it on the counter and it died. She promptly offered me more, which I turned down, reminding her that she was baking it all the time and bringing it in, I didn't have to bake any. (grin) A couple of weeks later she stopped baking it and said she got so tired of it she threw it away and that she had about 20 loaves in the freezer. So, I know you can freeze the bread after it's baked and I don't see why you couldn't just make half of the starter, it's all the same proportions and it'll start fermenting. Annie

Been there done that! LOL It's OK, I've got better sweet bread recipes, so not a big draw for me. Love the concept and sentimentality behind it, but that's about it. But......it does bring back memories. One of my best friends from grade school had moved away and we kept in touch through high school and beyond. One day I opened my mailbox to find a soggy, drippy, smelly box in there. Yup. Friendship Bread Starter. This one was fruit based and evidently had fermented a bit in the plastic container and it popped open, drenching her letter, the box and probably the mailman! I was surprised it was even delivered....of course, this was in the 80s before many of our current fears, concerns and regulations! So, Shaun, IF you send some to Lou.....be careful how you package it! :-) Deanna

buehl - The link below is a recipe for "Gluten Free Sourdough Bread" I've had in my "Need To Make" notebook since 3/7/2007 (I'll never live long enough to make everything in that darn thing at this rate...;-). It's a bit odd with the additions of kefir or kefir whey and kimbucha, but those are common ingredients around my house. I always have homemade kefir (made with real kefir grains) and I make kombucha during hot weather - I like it as a refreshing beverage, so I'm sure that was what caught my eye about the recipe. You can also make rice flour starter - it's simple. You can use white or brown rice and mill it into flour yourself in a coffee/spice mill (Fresh-Is-Best) if you don't have a grain mill. If you Google - rice sourdough starter - you will find lots of instructions and recipes. Rice flour starter is similar to making starter with wheat flour and water. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

Helene - that is a great tip! What would you freeze it in? Just a freezer bag with the air squished out? I still haven't done my baking - I really need to get to it today. I am about 4 days overdue in baking it. I have two bags of starter on my counter that I would like to use up/give away/freeze. I am very confused on what amounts to freeze, and then how much of the other ingredients to add to it before I bake it all. The recipe says to take out four 1 cup servings of the starter, bag them up, give them away. Then, the remainder in the bag, you use that in your bread recipe. But, what if I want to just bake with the whole bag and not make giveaway starters out of it? How do I know how much to add to it in order to make break out of the whole thing? I'm sorry if this is a dumb question to you more seasoned bakers out there. GW