When I make sourdough, I use the Rustic Sourdough recipe given on the information sheet that comes with the starter. My practice has been to make a rather large amount of sourdough starter for large batches of bread. I use a 30 quart Hobart in my home kitchen, and I make 12 to 16 loaves per batch. When I feed my starter for baking day, I begin the night or afternoon the day before, and I don't discard any of the unfed starter. I grow my full starter by adding two cups of flour and a cup of water, with several of these additions over a period or 12 or more hours, until I have at least four pounds of it to use. I make it a little moister than what the information sheet says, just because I like it to be really bubbly and active. It seems to bubble better when it's just a tad looser and wetter. I've been doing this for a few years now, and it works great. People love my sourdough, even little kids who can be more finicky sometimes. It's excellent for all purposes, sandwiches, toast, or just by itself. I would describe it as mildly sour, which is what we prefer. You don't have to discard any of the starter, if you don't want to do so. You can also make a large quantity if you plan ahead and use larger amounts of flour and water at each addition. The small amount left in my SD bucket goes back into the fridge and will wait as much as three weeks for me to rev it up again. It's easy peasy! :)

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