Well I finally made it. I have been making sourdough bread from starter for over a month now. After at least ten pounds of flour and numerous attempts I have it (I think).
Each attempt takes between 16 and 36 hours by the time you get the starter to sponge, mix the loaf and get it to rise.....twice, and finally bake it. The sponge can take 6-24 hours, each rise 4-8 hrs (if it rises at all), and baking only 30-40 minutes. My first dough balls stayed just that, dough balls. Or they went flat and were useful for discus throwing. The flavor was OK, you just couldn't bite them.
There are numerous sourdough starters available and you can make your own. I started with my own, setting flour and water mixture out on the patio for four days until it catches a wild yeast I called it Camulos Way. Yes, you can name your sourdough starter. Mine worked but the yeast isn't wild enough. It won't raise the dough.
Then I found a starter called Goldrush. Sounded old and good but it just doesn't rise well enough either. I'm not sure why because it is a widely known commercial wild sourdough yeast and I paid three dollars for it.
Then while researching sourdoughs on the internet I found a FREE one called
1847 Oregon Trail. It comes from a pioneer family around Burns, OR. Try the link to read about it. I sent away for a start of it because you just can't have enough different starters around. Wow, it worked the first time I tried it. The starter is very active and bubbles bunches. This makes for good bread.
Now I need to find someone who will help me eat it. Ha Ha
