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I started my starter on Tuesday and have been following the instructions found on the link in one of the lessons. This morning, I went out to find my jar of starter had an inch thick layer of "hooch". I poured some of it off before I fed my starter (whom I've named Earl).

I used whole wheat flour and warm water as the basis of my starter. It's very bubbly and is starting to smell rather sour. When I observe Earl, he will bubble and foam before my very eyes.

My questions are:
1. Did I do the right thing by pouring off the layer of fluid?
2. I've been keeping a very light lid on the jar, but I've noticed that (in pics I've seen here) there's no lid on the jar while it's "starting". Am I screwing up my starter with a lid?
3. The link says that your starter is ready to use when it's bubbly and sour smelling, but just how bubbly and sour smelling should it be?
4. I noticed that FloydM says that he just keeps some of his starter aside, but the article says to use it all to make your sponge... is that just a first time thing? HELP!! LOL

This is a white bread I finally settled on about 20 years ago, when I was baking all the bread for my family of four. We ate so much, I just worked it up for two loaves, so that's what I've got here. It's followed by the single loaf approximations I used earlier this week for the loaf pictured here. It's a good, tasty white bread for toasting or making sandwiches, and if it gets stale, it makes fantastic french toast.

WHITE BREAD
(two 9x5 loaves)

7-1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast (or two 1/4-ounce packets)

mix 4 cups of the flour with the other dry ingredients.

heat to 120F:
2-1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine

add this, along with 1 egg, lightly beaten to your flour/yeast dry mixture and blend until evenly incorporated.

add the remaining 3-1/2 cups flour, a cup at a time, into the dough. it should begin to hold together after about two cups additional. if you're using a mixer, you can continue with that process, or turn the dough out to work the rest of the flour in by hand.

grease a large bowl, plop your dough ball into it, and turn it, cover with a kitchen towel, and set it to rise until doubled in bulk. depending on your ambient temperature, it could take 1-3 hours.

when it's doubled, punch it down in the bowl, and turn it out onto a floured work surface. knead it a few minutes to work out the bubbles, add a little flour if it sticks to your hands. flatten it out into a rectanglish-shape with your hands, and divide it evenly. flatten the pieces out a little more, then roll up tightly as you can, pinching the closing seams together, tucking the ends in if need be, and set them to rise (covered) in greased loaf pans. the second rise goes much faster, again, depending on ambient temperature, 30-60 minutes is typical.

preheat your oven to 375F, and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350F for an additional 30 minutes. keep watch on it, I think my oven runs about 25 degrees hot, at least as compared to Floyd's temperatures. if all goes well, it should just roll out of the loaf pan when tipped on its side. cool it on a rack, resting on its bottom, and the rack will leave cutting guides for you.

Notes
If you coat the top crust with melted butter or margarine while it's hot, it will stay soft. The advantage to this is that slicing the bread won't crush the loaf. But you already know that a loaf like this should be sliced laying on its side anyway, right? It's another deterrent to crushing, and it exposes the cutting guides you made on the bottom of the loaf. And don't forget to use a serrated bread knife!

I skip the step of trying to heat milk without scalding it on the bottom of the saucepan by using powdered milk (1 cup) and the same amount (2-1/4 cups) of comfortably warm tap water in place of dairy milk.

This recipe can also be made into six mini-loaves if you want to have a special little dinner where everyone gets their own loaf of bread. Temperature is the same, adjust your own timing.

Single 9x5 Loaf:

about 4-1/2 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp. or one 1/4-ounce packet dry yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg

start your dry mix using 2 cups flour, add the remaining in after the liquids.

From a recipe we found in Sunset Magazine (Jan 2005)

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed, or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. In a small pan over medium heat, bring blueberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until blueberries pop (a couple minutes). In a small bowl, mix up the cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Add to the blueberry stuff; and stir until it thickens, about a minute.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Cut butter in with a pastry blender (two forks work fine if you don't have one or can't find it) until the mixture looks crumbly. Save about 1/2 cup; pour the rest into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.

3. In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until it's all mixed up. Spread batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan with a removable rim.

4. Take the bowl from step two and mix in the cream cheese, the rest of the sugar (1/4 cup), an egg, and lemon juice until it's pretty smooth. Spread it over batter in the pan, leaving about a half an inch border bare. Gently spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some of the cheese visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake. *The recipe says to concentrate the sprinkling of the almond crumble stuff most around edge of batter - we didn't and when we baked it, the center sank in the middle a little, so that may be why.

5. Bake in a 350� oven until center of cake barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken and the top of the cake is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove pan rim.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Party hat is optional.