I really feel that the Faults, Tips and Myth buster sections should be at the beginning in this course.  There's a lot of information in these areas that I think will be "uh ha" moments for some of you. 

Go there now and have a read, or if you want to get baking quickly, then follow this course through its entirety, and you'll eventually get to the faults and tips section near the end.  I'm giving you a basic understanding of sourdough bread making so that if you need to adjust something for any reason, you'll know how, why, and when to do it.

There are as many ways to make a sourdough starter as there are sourdough bread styles.  I'll give you three methods of making a starter, so you can choose which approach works the best for you.  My preference would be to use the pot set yoghurt sourdough starter because of the science behind being able to get it up and running a little faster. 

The traditional method is the most time consuming and has more things that can go wrong. It's where you simply add flour and water together, mixing it together and then repeating the process the next day.  You need to add to it every day (sometimes twice a day) and keep a close eye on it to make sure it's developing correctly.  The starter takes time to multiply; it's usually left in a warm spot and can take a couple of weeks to be strong enough to make great bread. 

This is an excellent method if you want sourdough tomorrow.  Mad Millie has created a freeze-dried Sourdough Culture and popped it in a sachet for ease of use. The sachets were designed for a single-use (but shhh don't tell anyone, I've got a method to keep it alive so you can use it whenever you want. ;-))

This method was explained to me many years ago, along with using soaked raisin water and similar concoctions to inoculate with natural yeasts quickly. I've recently pulled out my notes and had a play, and I have to say the yoghurt method has been the quickest, easiest and most reliable method to date.  I love it.  Six days for a mature sourdough starter, brilliant!  And although not strictly traditional, it works a treat. 

Beg, borrow or steal a successful starter from a friend.