Hi (or should that be Howdy?) from Texas

Hi dough-loving friends,

My reason for joining is actually very similar to Sandaidh below me; I grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, and was spoiled by the wonderful sourdough bread there. Now I live in Texas where good sourdough is very difficult to come by. Every time I visit my family in California I come back with a loaf of GOOD bread! I'm gathering information on making my own starter. I did create a starter about 2 years ago, but didn't know how to transform a sour starter into deliciously sour bread. Then my boyfriend (now my husband) moved into town, and I was somewhat preoccupied...I neglected the starter until it was moldy. Oops.

I'm also interested in getting a better crumb in my French bread. Sandwich bread is easy; it's supposed to be dense and uniform. I hadn't had any good information on getting a light, airy bread until I came here and read a French bread-making tutorial. I forget who wrote that, but kudos! I am eager to try it out. (I just looked for the tutorial again and found it was Floyd. Thank you!)

It looks like there is a lot to read and learn, so enough talking! See you around.

-Sam