Starter - Biga Recipes?

I have been using a starter routinely when baking, especially for pizza and focaccia. I make a batch of starter, by using a very small amount of yeast per flour, and letting it rise all day, until the rising starter falls back on itself. I then continue on with dough preparation using a portion of starter in the final dough. Does anyone have a great starter recipe, or starter ideas the rest of us haven't thought of? What's the longest you have let it sit in the frig, and then successfully used it in the bread following? After what time does the starter have an adverse effect on what you are baking? Can you use the same ratio of water/flour in the starter as in the final dough? This makes life much easier when you take something unlabeled out of the frig. Does anyone add salt to their starter? I don't. I suppose it wouldn't do anything other than slow starter fermentation. What has worked, and what hasnn't? Any thoughts? Thanks, Kent

Use Apple juice instead of water. Cover bread with p.paper 1/2 way through because the added sugar will cause very deep browning.

If you keep feeding it, years.. I let straight mixed sough sit in frig for

48 hours.. longest .. 10 days (V. GOOD!!!). The 10 day dough was on the brink of breakdown however but had enough structure to give a decent spring.

For me it's when the starter become either dead (read: no go) or too acidic (distroys gluten development in final dough).

If the starter is alive you can use most any ratio, I used 50/50 for a while when i did sourdough.

I never have but have seen some that do.. don't know why other than to slow everything down as you say.

Retarding (friging) the entire dough (24-36 hrs) is easier and better tasting than using a 12hr. starter