Starters - how people use them and what they put in them are as varied as the people that use them. Just Google - Care and Feeding of Sourdough Starters - for a real lesson in contradictions. The good news is you can try a wide variety of "starters" until you find the one/s you like. My favorite is a 100-year old starter method called Everlasting Yeast. I can feed it rye flour if I want a rye starter. I also use whole wheat flour or spelt.... I use what kind of flour I have on hand that might need to be used up, as well what type of starter might work best in a recipe. "Starter" is also called levain, desum, barm, or sourdough. According to "Crust & Crumb", those names indicate a certain method of creating the starter, and the level of acidity and complexity. "Old Dough" is also a starter method - where you keep a bit of dough from your last breadmaking to use as a starter for the next. For more information I'd suggest finding a copy of "Crust & Crumb" by Peter Reinhart and "The Bread Book" by Thom Leonard. Both men are experts in the world of naturally-leavened breads. I've also included a link below for more information. But when it comes to plain old fun and a lot of recipes, you can also choose "Friendship" or "Amish" Starters - which are a modern version of "starter" that includes using bakers' yeast along with flour and water. Starter "purests", flour/water ONLY - usually avoid the "modern" starter versions, but I say to each their own.... The bakers' yeast quickly dies out, and if you're lucky, naturally-occuring (aka wild) yeast will take over. In the book, "Sourdough Breads and Coffee Cakes" by Ada Lou Roberts, she has starter recipes for these starters, as well as recipes using them. She also includes a few homemade yeast recipes. -Grated Raw Potato Starter -Cooked Potato Starter -Peach Leaf Starter -Beer Starter -English Beer Starter -Hop Starter -Alaskan Sourdough Starter "Adventures in Sourdough Cooking & Baking" by Charles D. Wilford includes simple recipes for Primary Batter "A", and Primary Batter "B". Then there's the every popular, "World Sourdoughs From Antiquity" by Ed Wood. "CookWise" by Shirley O. Corriher includes information about: -Firm Sourdough Starter -Wet Sourdough Starter -Starter with Yeast -Sweet Yeast Starter I've found most types of starters I've made over the years can be used successfully in recipes that call for "starter". The differences come with hydration of the starters and the mixture of flour/water and any of a number of other ingredients used in them. But they all have the same thing in common, the naturally-occuring yeasts that make them work. When it comes to Sourdough English Muffins (and English Muffins in general), I cut my muffins - either with a circle cutter or to save time I'll cut them into squares with a pizza cutter (and eliminate second-cuts that are more tough than first-cuts), but I don't usually cut them with my English Muffin Rings. I've never made a "batter" English Muffin recipe, nor do I bake English Muffins with the ring around them. I bake them on an electric griddle without the ring. However, I bake Sourdough Crumpets on a griddle using 4 English Muffin Rings. It's a King Arthur recipe and one of the best uses for that 1-cup starter people toss. You can find the entire recipe in their recipe file entitled: Sourdough Crumpets Or How to Resurrect a Neglected Starter. Sourdough Crumpets (1 c. starter = 8 crumpets) Note: If you make 1 cup of starter into crumpet batter, place it in a 4-cup measuring cup (easy pouring), but the batter expands a LOT and you need that 4-cup volume. For each 1 cup of sourdough starter, sprinkle over the surface: 1 t. sugar 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. baking soda Whisk these in thoroughly. Caution...the batter expands. On a pre-heated griddle (medium heat), place the greased rings. Fill rings with about 1/4-inch of batter and cook it over low heat until the tops are set and full of holes. Remove the rings and flip the crumpets over for a minute or two. After they've finished cooking, stockpile them on a cooling rack (don't stack them like pancakes, they stick together). When cool, pop them in a toaster or toaster oven to brown and crisp. Serve them with butter and jam. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Sourdough Home

Ed, just use more mix in your own bread/cake, and don't worry about giving any away. That's what I do, and it works fine. You can also store the stuff in the fridge or freezer for long periods of time without feeding it. Then let it warm up/defrost and start over whenever you want to make some more. :) Here's my recipe Amish Friendship Bread Note: Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing Do not refrigerate If air gets into the bag, let it out It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment The datelines below can be used to help you keep track of the date or day you are at. If you keep the starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the amish know how to create a starter. Date: Day 1- Do nothing. This is the day you received the batter Day 2- Mush the bag Day 3- Mush the bag Day 4- Mush the bag Day 5- Mush the bag Day 6- Add to the bag: 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk & mush the bag Day 7- Mush the bag Day 8- Mush the bag Day 9- Mush the bag Day 10- Mush the bag and follow the directions below Pour the contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl and add 1 cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 ½ cups milk. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each and put into gallon ziplock bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of this recipe. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To the remaining batter in the bowl (approx 1 ½ - 2 cups) Add: 3 eggs 1 cup oil ½ cup milk 1 cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking soda 2 cups flour 1 large instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or raisons Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Pour the batter evenly in to the pans and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake 45min to 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan and turn into a serving dish. Serve warm or cold. You can also make muffins using the same temperature but bake for 25 mins. (makes 2 dozen) Should the recipe not be passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be sure to tell the recipient which day the bag is on when presented to them. and here is the ancient recipe I used with the starter above I got from my daughters friend: Herman Cake Feed Herman on the 1st and 5th days. Bake on the 10th day. 1st day: 1 c Herman starter 1/2 c sugar 1 c flour 1 c milk Keep in large covered bowl in refrigerator. Stir daily. 5th day: 1/2 c sugar 1 flour 1 milk 10th day: You will have 4 cups of Herman. Use 2 cups for baking, 1 cup for giving and 1 cup for growing. Beat together: 2 c Herman 2 c flour 2 beaten eggs 1/2 t baking powder 1 c sugar 1/2 t baking soda 3/4 c oil 1 t ginger 1 t nutmeg add last: 1 c nuts 1 c raisins or other fruit (or 1 c applesauce) Pour in to greased 9X13 cake pan Sprinkle on before baking: mixed together: 1 c brown sugar 1 T flour 1/4 c melted butter 1 T cinnamon Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes DO NOT OVERBAKE.

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

rhome410 - The soup is really good - never made the bread with pumpkin beer, but I think I am going to have to give it a try. The recipe is from Rachel Ray (the link is below). I have never used the chopped chives and depending on my mood, leave the curry out : Ingredients 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan 1 medium onion, finely chopped 3 cups canned or packaged vegetable stock, found on soup aisle 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained 2 cans (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (found often on the baking aisle) 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 palm full 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, eyeball it in the palm of your hand Coarse salt 20 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped, for garnish Directions Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Saute onions 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve garnished with chopped chives. Here is a link that might be useful: Black Bean Pumpkin Soup