Instructions: SOURDOUGH STARTER

1. Heat 1 cup skim (nonfat) milk to 90F to 100F.

2. Stir in 3 tablespoons plain, fresh, high quality yogurt.

3. Pour mixture into a 1-quart glass or ceramic crock, jar, or bowl. Cover with a non-metallic lid; set in a warm place (between 70F to 100F) for 24 hours. On a warm day you can place the starter outside in the sun or on the kitchen counter. On cooler days, place it in a gas oven with a pilot light, on top of the water heater, or on a heating pad set on low.

4. After 24 hours, the milk will thicken and form curds. At this point, gradually stir in 1 cup white flour until well blended. Cover with lid and set in a warm place again until it ferments and bubbles and a clear liquid forms on top, about 2 to 5 days. Stir daily.

5. Starter is now ready to use. Stir, cover loosely, and refrigerate.

IF AT ANY POINT IN THE PROCESS THE STARTER TURNS PINK, SMELLS RANCID (NOT JUST SOUR), OR DEVELOPS A MOLD, THROW IT OUT AND START OVER.

REPLENISHING THE STARTER

Every time you use some of the starter you must replace it with a like amount of milk and flour. For instance, if you use 1 cup of starter, return 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of flour to the jar. Follow the directions for feeding the starter.

FEEDING THE STARTER TO KEEP IT ALIVE AND HEALTHY

A starter should be used as often as possible, at least every 2 to 3 weeks. If you are not using it that often, plan to feed it once a month to keep it going.

1. Bring the starter to room temperature. (You can place it in a bowl of warm water to speed the process.)

2. Add equal amounts of warm milk (90F to 100F) and flour

(1/2 to 1 cup each)

3. Cover with lid and allow to stand in a warm place (70F to 100F) for 12 to 24 hours until bubbly and a clear liquid has formed on top.

4. Stir, cover loosely (set lid on jar but do not tightly seal; gases must be allowed to escape), and refrigerate.

REJUVENATING A NEGLECTED STARTER

If you forget to feed your starter monthly, dont throw it away thinking its gone bad. Chances are you can still revive it.

1. Pour off the liquid and discard all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the starter. Temporarily place reserved starter in a bowl.

2. Wash out the starter container with hot water.

3. Put the starter back into the container.

4. Follow the directions for feeding the starter using 1 cup warm (90F to 100F) nonfat milk and 1 cup flour.

5. You may have to repeat this procedure once or twice to bring it back up to a bubbly, sour smelling starter again.

SOURDOUGH FACTS TO KEEP IN MIND

. Use only wooden utensils and glass or ceramic containers.

The acid in the starter will corrode any metal with which it comes in contact.

. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator; do not put in a tightly sealed container. The gases must be allowed to escape.

. The yellowish or grayish-beige liquid that rises to the top is the "hooch". Just stir it back in before measuring out starter for a recipe.

. You can refresh your starter once a year or so with a few tablespoons of fresh, plain, good quality yogurt. . For the sourest taste when making bread, mix the room temperature starter with the liquid and half the flour called for in the recipe. Cover and allow to stand in a warm place until bubbly and sour smelling, about 12 to 24 hours. At that point, combine the mixture in the bread machine with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe. . Your starter can be frozen up to 3 months. Before using it again, let it thaw completely at room temperature for 24 hours until bubbly. You may need to feed it once to bring it back to the bubbly stage after freezing.

NOTES : We condensed the many pages of sourdough data we had compiled into this brief instruction and fact sheet. If you follow the steps carefully, you can produce your first loaf of delicious sourdough bread within a week. Good luck!

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