I am brand new to this forum and haven't had much time to peruse the site, but do like what I see thus far and am hoping to gain much information as I have time to read and learn.  Hopefully someone is online now and can give me some feedback ASAP.  Previously, I baked the Sourdough Banana Bread someone posted and it was the best banana bread we've ever eaten!  It rose good and had such great flavor!  I'm getting ready to bake more of it, which brings me to this post!   I'm new to using and maintaining Sourdough Starter so there is much I do not know regarding taking care of it.  How do I know my starter is okay to use if I have not fed it recently?  I've "heard" it is important to feed Sourdough Starter at least once or twice the day or night before you are to use it.  I haven't fed my starter for about 3 or 4 days.  Does that mean I shouldn't bake with it today and should instead feed it today and bake tomorrow, or is there a way to tell it is healthy and okay to use today?  I would prefer not to waste ingredients if the starter is not okay to use, thus my question.  Thanks in advance for feedback.

Janedo currently has a nice entry on her blog about sourdough starter feeding and sourdough baking during the heat of Summer. (It's in French, and I haven't checked the English version.)

Anyway, Jane offers some good things to think about as the weather heats up. (It's 106F where I am today.)

Here is a link:

http://aulevain.canalblog.com/archives/2009/06/22/14168757.html

Enjoy!

David

Hi everyone!  This is my first post. 

I've had a starter, named "Les," going for about three weeks now.  I started Les out by following the Sourdough Lady's 'Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter' blog instructions to the letter.  Everything went flawlessly, and I made it through one loaf that was pretty good - nice and sour and pretty much what I was looking for. Following this loaf, however, Les has gone downhill.  He's lost all his sour smell and seems to spend most of his time just making a translucent hooch and not much else - very low volume of growth and bubbles.  I've added a little cidar vinegar to see if he'll perk back up, but so far not much luck. 

I followed the directions to the letter UNTIL after that last loaf, when I put Les into the Fridge.  At that point I started feeding him only every couple of days, when he seemed like he was slowing down.

What happened?  Did I kill him by putting him in the fridge, or am I maybe not feeding him enough?  Or is it maybe something else entirely?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Can somebody shed some light on this for me? Why is it so important to use "unbleached" bread or "unbleached" regular flour when baking and feeding your sourdough. Does the bleaching have an adverse effect on the yeasts? Thanks,

Jim