Oh, yes, I've had Carl's starter in the past. I like it. Should order some more. I've also got a great wild yeast starter I grew from concord grapes I grew in my back yard. It's and excellant starter. At the moment, I don't have any starters going--being between 2 houses, I just don't have the time to keep them going, but I do have some of 'mine' dried for back up, that I can reconstitute whenever I have time to get back to artisan bread baking.

I got a package of Goldrush San Francisco Sourdough Starter many years ago and that is how I started mine. You can also make your own. I have Sourdough Jack's (Mabee) Cookbook, which I use to make all kinds of things.

azzalea - I am looking for information on how to make dried starter. How did you do it? Thanks.

Clare

Here is a recipe I got back in the 80's.
Starter
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar or honey

In a non-metal bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (110 - 115 deg.). Add flour and sugar, blend well. Cover with clean cloth or plastic wrap. Let stand in warm place (80-85 deg) for 5 days, stirring once a day. When ready it should be bubbly and have yellow liquid on top. Stir that back in before using. You now have sourdough starter. Keep in refrigerator indefinitely.

To make bread, 14-36 hours before making bread take a cup of starter and put in large bowl. Add slowly while stirring up to 2/3's the total flour called for in bread recipe. Mix vigorously but only put in enough flour so that you can still stir it with a spoon. Cover and let stand in a warm place for amount of time stated. The longer it sits, the more sour it gets. I let mine go for 48 hours because we like it very sour. After the time is past, follow your sourdough recipe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Goldrush San Francisco Sourdough Starter

Drying your starter is very easy...just put some on foil or cling wrap or even parchment and spread it as thin as you can. Let it dry and crumble it ...when you know it is dry, freeze it.

I like to use freezer paper for drying my starter.

Choose a very dry day, if possible.

Measure out the amount of starter you usually keep to start your next loaf (1/2 cup? 1 cup?)

As RuthieG said, spread out as thin as possible on the freezer paper, parchment, foil or film. Let the starter dry completely. Crumble as fine as possible--you can use a food processor or mini processor, if you want. The finer it is, the easier it will rehydrate.

Put your dry starter in a plastic bag, noting on the bag what quantity you started with (let's say 1/2 cup).

Dried starter will keep pretty much indefinitely. when you're ready to use it, empty the dried flakes into a glass measuring cup, add water to the amount noted (1/2 cup, for the sake of our discussion). Stir now and then, until it's all dissolved, then feed and use as you regularly do.

I always try to dry an emergency back up of each of my starters--that way, if you get tied up and can't bake, or go on vacation, and your original dies, you're covered.

Alternatively, you can also freeze some extra starter--that works well, too.

Thanks for the information on drying starter. It will be easier for me to share mine that way.
Clare

Ever since I first made the New York Times no-knead bread, that's all I make. I'll use it to make rolls, cinnamon bread, sometimes part whole wheat, but it's just better than any other bread I've made before.

Made beer bread today about 4 PM. It's already gone. Not one piece got to cool.

I have a big bucket of dough using the "no knead" recipe in the fridge right now. I love how I can take out enough for either 2 rolls for my husband and I or splurge and have 4 rolls!

I haven't had any success with keeping my sourdough starter alive. I want to have some sooooo bad!

I am a baaaddddddd "starter" mommy!

Deb

I love bread! I would eat it constantly if I could. I used to have a bread maker and I used to get really fat! Never met a bread I didn't love. I've also had the Friendship Bread starter (Amish) and kept it going forever and was able to share with friends.... I also gained weight off of that! I eat very little bread now and I am not a happy woman!