Sour dough starter ?
 

A friend of mine told me she was going to give me some sour dough starter. I love sour dough bread but have always steered away from making it because I don't like the idea of having to "feed" the starter on a regular basis to keep it going. Anyway, if/when she gives it to me what type of container will I have to store it in? Can I use something plastic or does it have to be a crock type container? Any tips/information will be helpful before (if) I get this starter. Thanks!

I'm guessing that she will give you the container when she gives you the starter. My dad made sour dough when he retired. He made so much he developed carpel tunnel, he made over 20 loaves a week. His was stored in a Rubbermaid plastic container. One that was square and flat like a 10 inch square pan with a lid. He said the flatness helped the dough gas off rather than a tall container. But it will probably depend upon the type of starter. Enjoy your new hobby.

I had a sourdough starter back in the day, more recently (until I had to give up baking due to my diabetes) I had a "Herman" that is a sweet dough starter.

I used a heavy plastic container that originally was a half gallon of locally produced ice cream. It was opaque but I could see the level through it. I believe in non-metal containers and utensils with my active foods, so glass and plastic or wood for stirring. It fit well on top of my stack of dinner dishes in the cupboard, in my temperate climate that was the best place for it, but out of the light. Being on top of my plates meant I had to be aware of it. You want to have at least 2-3 times as much space as starter you wish to keep.

My starter required attention about every 3 days, whether to feed or stir or use. When I wasn't baking a lot, I only fed it small amounts, tablespoons instead of cup portions. If you get more than you want to keep, just throw some of it out! Or bake, the real answer is to use it.

https://foodbodsourdough.com/

This is a great site for all things sourdough. My daughter makes sourdough bread every week, and no longer buys any shop bread.
If your friend is giving you some starter, all of the hard work is done; on the day you want to make bread you will feed the starter, and a few hours later when it has got some bubbles, you make your bread. You will leave a little in the jar, keep it in the fridge, and only feed it again the next time you want to bake. If you are not baking, the starter will be fine in the fridge in a screw top jar, even if you go on holiday.

Your friend will also give you helpful advice I'm sure. I am sure that there are many online helpful US sites for advice too.

I forgot to say that you should give your starter a name, most people do ;)

I keep my sour dough starter in a quart wide mouth mason jar with a plastic lid loosely attached. It lives in the door of the fridge. I have had mine going for over 3 years and feed it about once a week or 2 weeks, or more. I use the info from King Arthur flour and started mine from scratch using their method. KA also has some great recipes using the "discard" from refreshing your starter.

If your friend doesn't come through, like Murphy 224 said, you can make your own by mixing white flour and a pinch of white sugar with some pure water in a jar. Cover the jar with a cloth and set it in a draft free area of the kitchen, preferably in a mildly warm place. In a few days, you will start to see some bubbles from the natural, wild yeasts that have come to live in the happy home that you've provided for them. Let it sit out and bubble on your counter. You may want to add another tablespoon of white flour to the mix in order to feed it and keep it going. After that, put a lid on it and keep it in your refrigerator. You're supposed to keep feeding it, but frankly, I never do and it is still always active when I go to use it. I just refeed it when I use it. I started this batch of starter 9 years ago and it is still going strong.

Some tips:
-Always put it in a fresh, clean jar after you use it, so that you don't start growing things like molds, which you certainly don't want.

-I like to use just white, wheat flour, not whole wheat, or other flours because the bran portions don't break down readily and that makes a mess and invites other pathogens to take hold.

-If you let it rest outside the fridge for at least a day before you use it, it will be more sour and active. Same goes for the, "sponge," or dough. The longer it sits out in a warm, draft free place, the sourer it gets and the better it will rise.

~ C

Thanks, Tropit for that recipe (in case she doesn't get me the starter). So, what is "pure" water? We have a water well...will that do or should I buy some sort of special bottled water? How much white flour & how much "pinch" of sugar? How much starter does it take to make a loaf of bread? Can I use it in a bread machine? Do you have a good recipe for the sour dough bread?
Oh my gosh....I have tons of questions! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png

osewme: I use well water too so no problems with it. Don't know about regular tap water though, seems from what I have read it would be fine unless you have some problem with your tap water.
To answer all your questions, I suggest you go to King Arthur Flour website and read all about sour dough. They can get you started and answer your questions. Here is a link:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/guides/sourdough