help with basic principles of starter usage....
I have a new starter going that is just getting ready to be used for the first time, but I am unclear on some general principles. I hope you all can clear them up for me please...
a. when a recipe calls for starter, how soon after "refreshing/feeding" are they expecting it to be used for a loaf of bread? Once it has doubled after it has been fed?, 10 minutes after feeding? what?
b. in recipes where it is appropriate to use the "discarded" starter, (ie pancakes) people talk about saving the starter to use later. In stuff like that, how long can you "save" & accumulate "discarded" starter for this sort of use?
c. what makes a recipe appropriate for "discarded" starter vs "refreshed" starter?
d. how often can you feed to build up a starter if I need a really large batch all at once? If I were to need say 5 or 6 cups of starter for some unearthly reason? How fast could I get it?