More sour starter, and seeding starter with commercial yeast
I know, I said commecrial yeast and sourdough in the same sentence. Don't hit me! :)
My first successful starter came from the recipes and techniques in Bread Alone. The first step involved using a pinch of IDY (less than 1/16 tsp) along with the water and stone ground rye.
I've since used a bit of this starter to seed a white flour starter. Both starters are very healthy, and produce wonderful loaves (see my recent pictures in the photos forum). I never added any commercial yeast after the pinch at the start.
My only complaint is they add almost no sour flavor to the bread. I was thinking that the strain of yeast in IDY hasn't allowed the local yeasties to take over, but the sour flavor is from the bacteria, not the yeast, right?
I'd love to hear suggestions on getting a better sour tang from my bread. I haven't been able to find many posts on the site that deal with this. I really love that tangy flavor in commercial sourdoughs.
Thanks!
-Joe