sourdough newbie questions

[Guest guest]

Hi all, I'm a new member and fairly new to making fermented foods. I picked

up " Nourishing Traditions " about two months ago and I've been trying to

make some of the recipes in there with some decent level of success.

I've done some of the fermented veggies-ginger carrots, sauerkraut, salsa,

beets.

Then there is the soutdough.

I made the starter from rye, all fresh ground, and the add-flour for the

bread proper from freshly ground spelt. I tried to stay very true to the

recipe in " Traditions " . Salt used was Celtic, water filtered. I'm using

glass for all of my bowls and pans. I proof in the oven with humidity,

overnight so it doesn't fall.

Overall it's not bad if very dense, more than I expected it to be. I cannot

do " cheaters " style loaves as I am also cooking for a friend who has to

stay away from modern wheat. (it's not celiac, it's something else) I do

seem to be getting approximate doubling of loaves in 6-8 hours proofing

time. It's not doughy in the center although it is quite moist (but with

visible crumb structure). It does seem to have a very hard crust, perhaps

almost too hard. Could this be from using glass bread pans? I know I can't

use metal. Is there a way to ease that effect?

Also I have a question about starter. This recipe is very large and makes

5-6 loaves at once. For the effort it takes I am grateful I am not doing it

everyday. But now I have about 4 loaves left over. Perhaps I should have

given another couple to my friend, but she is on vacation this coming week

so I didn't want to overburden her. It appears I do not need to make more

bread for a while. My starter has now been going for a little over 2 weeks.

Can I refrigerate safely now, or do I need to keep feeding it? If so, can I

get away with reduced amounts of feeding? What do I store starter in?

I hope there is someone here with a bit more experience here who can help

just a touch.

Lidia