My starter is 47 years old it is a simple one made from milk and flour Milk sits at room temp in a plastic bowl no cover for 24 hours following day add flour to make a loose batter but not runny and let sit another 24 hours at this point it should be bubbly and cheezy looking and ready to use and then cover and refrigerate. Google for recipes there are so many and yes you can do it in your bread machine.