How much starter to make based on how much bread I'm likely to bake?
Hello -
I'm intrigued and would like to try making homemade yeast (or "catching" it as I've read people refer to it) using flour and water.
Can I make a basic kind that will work in most types of bread? If so, what kind would that be? I'd like to be able to use it for both sourdough bread or other types of artisan bread as well as sandwich bread (is that crazy?).
I don't think I have a handy container sitting around so I'll probably buy one for this purpose - either the glass canning jar type or else the plastic square kind so many of you get. I'm not sure how big the container should be cause I don't know how much I'll need, never having made it. And what's even more confusing is that from my understanding, there are different amount you need depending on the recipe. And I've read some people use small amounts of starter because they claim it works or tastes better while others use more. Can someone just give me some basic advice for some basic starter that would be appropriate for a variety of bread recipes, or is that just too tall an order?! I need to put in an online order that will take time to process and arrive (I'm ordering wheat berries, containers, lids and other things so this is when and where I'm going to get the container to grow the yeast in, too) and I plan to do the bulk of my research. Hence, my asking advice here prior to that research/order, which I hope you'll forgive me for! It will just save me a lot of time in the long run if I do it in that order.
I *think(* I'll want to make about 8 loaves' worth of bread per 2 weeks on average. Meaning, I may or may not bake once a week...on some occasions it might be twice a week.
Based on the above info, can you give me an idea of how many cups of flour I'd need to get this thing started - no pun intended and what size container might be the safest bet? How much of the yeast mixture once it's ready is most typically used per recipe i.e. per 2 loaves, if that isn't an impossibly difficult question?
Thank you!