First Sourdough Bread (Part one)

I decided this week to give a try at making some sourdough bread. I've been baking for years, but always shied away from sourdough because of the maintenance factor: it always seemed too high maintenance. I mean, aside from the fact that it takes a while to start a sourdough culture, once you have it, you have to continuously do something with it. Anyhow, I received a new bread book for Christmas and thought that I might venture into the sourdough world.

The sourdough recipe that I am working with starts with whole rye flour. Here it is:

Day One. Initial Mix:
Whole Rye Flour: 4.8oz (1 1/2 cups)
Water: 6oz (3/4 cups)
Honey: .2oz (1 tsp)

Day Two. Two Feedings:
Initial Mix: 5.5oz (half of above)
Whole Rye Flour: 1.2oz (3/8 cup)
White Flour: 1.2oz (1/4 cup)
Water, 90 degree F: 3oz (3/8 cup)

Days Three, Four and Five. Two Feedings:
Initial Mix: 5.5oz (half of above)
White Flour: 2.4oz (1/2 cup)
Water: 3oz (3/8 cup)

So, after the initial mix, the starter has to be fed every 12 hours for five days. Each feeding, only 5.5 ounces of the starter are kept. They remainder is thrown out! This seemed really wasteful to me, but hey - I guess 2.4 ounces of flour is relatively cheap. After five days, this starter is ripe. At first, the starter smells somewhat rotten, like yogurt gone bad. But after 2-3 days, it starts to get the characteristic sourdough tang.

Here is a picture:

I've mixed the final dough and it's in its first fermentation. Give another update soon!