taking care of baby

I didn't make the starter until last night, because I had to go into town to grab a sizable bag of whole wheat flour -- something of a rare commodity here. I'm gonna get it kicking on whole wheat and then feed it white afterward. Girl on a budget, you know.

I stupidly realized, after whipping it up, that I'll be gone to Yokohama for five days from Saturday. With a starter, you have to feed it daily or even twice-daily until it really gets going. This can take up to a week, but after that you can slow it down in the refrigerator and feed it as little as once a month. If it isn't miraculously frothing and puffing by Friday night, I may have to find a starter-babysitter...or take it with me to Yokohama.

(Instead of flour-sack babies, they should really have jr. high school students take care of starters for a week. And then they can bake delicious bread with the result! In their big, American ovens...ahhh...)

Anyway, optimal temperature for a burgeoning starter seems to be 70-85F. Since the usual temperature in my apartment is below 50F, I kept it under my kotatsu last night (under heat for an hour and then shut off) and I brought it with me to school today. As long it survives the snowy walks to and from the bus stop, it can enjoy the ~70F heated bus and staff room for the rest of the day.

It's hidden in a paper bag so that people don't ask my why I have a tupperware of ecru paste on my desk. Gambatte, tiny yeasts!

If you're interested in making your own or wondering what in the hell I'm doing, here are the links I'm using:
Sourdough Baking, The Basics
Sourdough and Sourdough Starter (site down from excessive traffic, using Google's cache)
Sourdough Home: Starting a Starter, Mike's Way