John Ross's information is an excellent way to begin. You can try to capture wild yeast for your starter, or you can make a starter using packaged yeast. I recommend that you get a tried and true starter from the source linked below. For years I tried to make sourdough and was never satisfied with the results until I got some dried starter from Carl's Friends. I've kept it going now for about 4 years. It will only cost you the price of stamp.

Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter

That site seems to have a great deal of good solid general information. I'd suggest using wholegrain flour to get the starter going. There are more naturally-occuring yeast on the outside of grain that is milled into flour, than you'll "catch" from the air. Whole grain flour will help foster a larger colony of yeast in the starter than bleached or unbleached flour, but they will also work. Once it's going, you can change to whatever kind of flour you want.

Rye flour will ferment quicker and you'll get a starter going a little quicker than with wheat flour. Word of caution, rye starter is a little smelly. So after feeding the starter a few times with rye, you can switch to whatever type of flour you'd like to use.

I use freshly-milled spelt because it has more carbohydrates which is what the yeast feed on, but I've used all kinds of flour successfully.

The thing to remember, find a version you like and is successful for you. Starter isn't just ONE type or method. I use a century-old method called Everlasting Yeast, but have used others.

Starter recipes and methods are quite varied and the information for "how-to" have a lot of contradictions, as you probably already found out. "Purist" stick to water/flour mixtures and poo-poo using the modern recipes (which may include adding bakers' yeast to get it started), but you'll find lots of recipes that include sweeteners, milk, buttermilk, etc... Whatever works for you - there's not a right or wrong, just a choice.

For every "never" you'll find an "I ALWAYS!" Such as, never use tap water that has been chemically treated. The chemicals can kill the good bacteria in the starter. Lots of people ONLY use tap water. NEVER wash the container in the dishwasher because rinse-aids left on the container can kill the good bacteria in the starter. You'll find lots of people who always wash the container in the dishwasher.

I like the science that goes with naturally-leavened breads and have included a link to a favorite site for more information.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Food/Sourdough Index

Linked below is a method which worked well for me. It jibes totally, so far as I can tell, with everything Grainlady has said.

The use of pineapple juice as a way of adjusting initial pH is interesting.

The wild yeast starter article is only one of SourdoLady's articles on that site. Navigate around for more.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what kind of container do people use? Should it be glass or ceramic or is plastic OK?
Clare

I have had the alcohol produced by the starter to mark up plastic, so I keep my starters in glass canning jars with plastic lids on loosely.

I use a glass canning jar for my starter, as well. I put a small "Quick Cover" (looks like a tiny shower cap) over mine, with a few holes poked in it for off-gassing. I have a friend who keeps his in his recycled plastic containers he got deli food in (he keeps several kinds of starter and only keeps about 1/2-cup of each kind) and pokes a few holes in the lids. King Arthur Flour would love to sell you a beautiful glazed crock and matching lid with their emblem emblazoned on the side for $26.50. All of them seem to work equally well.

-Grainlady

Thanks for answering my question everyone.
Clare

Opps, I forgot to write quicker and say thank you to all of you who wrote in about my starter question. I certainly do appreciate the help given on this and all the forums. I think GardenWeb has the absolute best community when it comes to helping each other out. Most of the time when I ask a question about anything - cooking, gardening, computers, plumbing etc., I get an answer within the hour. That is so amazing and so wonderful!!

I try to answer questions on the different forums when I see something I can add to.

Those of us reading this and using Gardenweb are so lucky to have discovered this wonderful new world of support, advice and friends. I am sorry for my peers who haven't taken the time to learn how wonderful computers are.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and don't drive yourself nuts trying to do it all.

Ginny

I use the [Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter] which I was sent [dried] in an envelope. I've got some somewhere in the freezer that I dried and froze. I didn't make any for about a year until recently. The starter just sat in the fridge protected by about an inch of alcohol. I took some out of the jar to see if it would start a new batch. It works fine, having a nice strong smell and flavor.