I've always been hesitant to get into sourdoughs because I worry I won't make them enough to make keeping the starter around worthwhile. The Laurel's Kitchen approach to sourdoughs though seems to be a sort of hybrid method. They use a rye sour to achieve the distinctive sourdough flavour (and to help "condition" the dough), but the actual leavening power still comes from active dry yeast.

The fact that the sour isn't expected to provide any of the leavening and is simply there to help flavour the dough makes it a bit more forgiving than what I tend to think of as your "typical" sourdough starter. It can sit neglected in the fridge for months on end and still be good to go when you finally get around to making sourdough again. Thus, it doesn't come with quite such a high level of commitment to these tangy baked goods as a more all-in-one starter might.

Manuel's Rye Sour

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. rye berries, milled into flour
• 250mL water
• 1/2 tsp. milk
• 1 grain/granule active dry yeast

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Keep in a covered non-metal container at room temperature -- ideally between 20 and 25°C (68 and 77°F) for 3-5 days, stirring twice a day.
3. Mixture should smell pungent and sour, but not unpleasant. If it smells bad, it has likely gotten too warm and should be discarded.
4. Store in an airtight, non-metal container in the fridge.
5. Let mixture come to room temperature before using.
6. Whenever you want to use your sour, simply take out as much as you need and replace it with equal quantities of fresh rye flour and water. (eg. If you use 3/4 c. of sour, replace it with 3/4 c. rye flour and 3/4 c. water.)