sourdough starter

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sourdough starter

Postby wingnut » Thu Apr 19, 2012 7:41 pm

I was wondering does anyone take their sourdough starter with them camping?
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby dmb90260 » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:00 pm

Sort of. I have my own house flavored dough, slight sour taste. I often bring a batch of the dough along with me. I usually make three loaves from a single batch.

This is based on 5-minute bread.
3 cups water ( 115-120 deg)
7 cups ( 28oz) flour
2 packets of yeast (2 x 2,25 tsp)
Equal amount of salt.
Add yeast to water and wait until it is working.
Mix flour with salt and add to water.
Mix until dough hangs together, add to 6qt dough bucket & let rise.
Cover and put in fridge.
Use as much as you need, makes three small loaves.
Turn out on floured surface, shape and let rise as oven heats, put in 450 deg oven
I warm a cast iron DO in the oven as reaches 450.
Bake 30 min with lid on, remove last 15 to brown bread.

Do NOT wash the dough bucket before adding more dough and over time you will develop your own house flavor..

At the camp ground i do this over coals in a Camp DO, works fine.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby DragonFire » Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:28 pm

I have a starter and want to know how I can take it and make sourdough pancakes on the road.

That bread is making me hungry!!
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby wingnut » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:48 pm

Dragonfire,

Well if you have the starter going then I have an easy pancake recipe that I like. Then next time you replenish your starter set 2 cups out over night. The next morning add the fallowing to the room temp starter. 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons olive oil,1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl, dilute 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 tablespoon warm water. When the pan is hot fold the water baking soda mixture gently into the prepared pancake batter. ( DO NOT BEAT) Let the batter bubble for a minute or two, Then pour 1/2 cup batter on to a lightly greased hot griddle, cook 1 to 2 minutes each side, plate and serve.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby Tom Kurth » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:53 pm

King Arthur Flour also has a great sourdough pancake/waffle recipe. Go to KA site,then recipes-soudough-breakfast-pancake/waffle.

Best,
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby Flonker » Tue May 01, 2012 10:23 pm

You might want to get a plastic 3 lb coffee can with a snap lid to take some starter with you. The plastic doesn't react with the dough like a steel can would, and is a lot less breakable than a ceramic can. Put about 2-3 cups of starter in it, feed it, and pack it in your kitchen box.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby wingnut » Thu May 03, 2012 6:21 pm

Thanks Flonker, I'll give that a test. I've tried stainless steel container and after only a few days I could taste the steel in the bread. :thumbdown: I wasn't sure if there was any plastic that would work without imparting a taste in the dough.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby Flonker » Thu May 03, 2012 11:06 pm

wingnut wrote:Thanks Flonker, I'll give that a test. I've tried stainless steel container and after only a few days I could taste the steel in the bread. :thumbdown: I wasn't sure if there was any plastic that would work without imparting a taste in the dough.

I can seriously relate. AAMOF, my old cowboy dad, who used sourdough in cow camp high up in the Rockies, told me "NEVER use a steel coffee can to store your starter, it'll taste like rusty nails!" I've used a small (13 oz) plastic coffee can for the starter in my fridge door, it works ok. The coffee 'cans' are food grade plastic, and since you're not heating them up, no plastic migrates to the starter. I recommend a 3 lb coffee 'can' though cause your start is going to be at room temp most likely. And no, that won't hurt it a bit, the prospectors didn't have refridgeration.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby Shutterbugg » Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:34 pm

I know this is a few months old, guess I missed it, not checking in often, but I thought some comments might be appropriate. I don't have any starter going right now, mainly because I prefer rye and can't find rye flour locally any more. But...

I've made my own starter a couple of times, and found out a few things about it. Metal utensils and containers are out because it causes a chemical reaction, which can and usually does kill the yeast and will also make you sick if you're not careful, in addition to the funny taste. Plastic, ceramic or glass only. This includes my utensils for making bread, no metal. I use wooden spoons only.

No chlorinated water. Chlorine will kill the yeast. I use bottled water or let tap water sit uncapped for a couple of days so the chlorine can evaporate. If you can't smell chlorine any more it should be OK. Bring some along for your starter, if you use tap water from a campsite it might be chlorinated. I buy gallon jugs of water just for the jugs. (I DO NOT recommend rinsing out a milk jug.) Keep it uncapped for 2 days, all chlorine should be evaporated. I have to then cap it to keep gnats out. They get inside all the time in summer...

For traveling plastic should work well, tupperware makes just about any size you can think of. Pack it carefully, it should be no big problem to transport.Check it now and then, if it's alive and doing its thing it should build up pressure inside the jar. Open now and then to let the pressure off and to let it breathe, it needs air too. Keep it cooled and it won't need to be fed until you get parked. A large zip lock bag might be worth considering. If you look around you can also find plastic jars that take the same size lids as canning jars. The only one I know of that I currently have is about 2/3 quart, not big enough for starter, I'd want to take at least 4 cups. I'm going to start keeping an eye out at yard sales etc for plastic jars, especially wide mouth.

I wouldn't be uneasy about taking it carefully packed in a glass jar either, but stress the careful part. (I've been camping most of my life, and have used glass many times, as long as it's carefully packed it's not a big problem.) Carry glass in your vehicle, not in a trailer that is much more bumpy. Rolled up in a sleeping bag, blanket or large towel works well. Store vertically, not lying down. I've even carried eggs in a quart jar full of water with a towel wrapped around it...but these days I just use the carton they come in and carry it on the back seat. Best way I've ever found...NEVER in a trailer, it bounces too much. Carry eggs on the back seat of your vehicle, transfer once you park. I haven't broken one in probably 20 years or more. If they can make it home from the grocery store in that container on your back seat or floorboard, they can make it across the country. (sorry about the digression, but it seemed to fit in...)

Starter can also be dried, and transported that way. Dry it in a non metal pan, crush it into flakes, store it in a zip lock bag or plastic container. The pilot light in a gas oven should do fine to dry it. However...I don't know how long it takes to bring it "back to life" when you want to use it. But this is a great way to send some starter to someone else who wants to get some starter going. Just soak it in water, feed and it should be good. Don't dry it in a metal pan like a cookie sheet. Use plastic or line a cookie sheet with wax paper..When dried and then crunched up it strongly resembles corn flakes. I haven't tried to start any, so I don't know how long it takes to make it usable. It has to be able to double its own size before it can be used to make bread, or it can't raise the bread dough and I don't know how long that takes when starting it from the dried state. (never had to use any, I just started my own from scratch) Anyway it might be worth trying at home before hand, might be a useful way to transport it. At any rate, this should be a good way to bring some along if someone else wants some. It takes up very little space once dried.

The main thing is keeping it alive. Starter is a living yeast culture. it can be transported without any serious problems, but pay attention to the temperatures you will be subjecting it to, and make sure you have everything you need to feed it and keep it alive during the trip.
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Re: sourdough starter

Postby Shutterbugg » Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:35 pm

I know this is a few months old, guess I missed it, not checking in often, but I thought some comments might be appropriate. I don't have any starter going right now, mainly because I prefer rye and can't find rye flour locally any more. But...

I've made my own starter a couple of times, and found out a few things about it. Metal utensils and containers are out because it causes a chemical reaction, which can and usually does kill the yeast and will also make you sick if you're not careful, in addition to the funny taste. Plastic, ceramic or glass only. This includes my utensils for making bread, no metal. I use wooden spoons only.

No chlorinated water. Chlorine will kill the yeast. I use bottled water or let tap water sit uncapped for a couple of days so the chlorine can evaporate. If you can't smell chlorine any more it should be OK. Bring some along for your starter, if you use tap water from a campsite it might be chlorinated. I buy gallon jugs of water just for the jugs. (I DO NOT recommend rinsing out a milk jug.) Keep it uncapped for 2 days, all chlorine should be evaporated. I have to then cap it to keep gnats out. They get inside all the time in summer...

For traveling plastic should work well, tupperware makes just about any size you can think of. Pack it carefully, it should be no big problem to transport.Check it now and then, if it's alive and doing its thing it should build up pressure inside the jar. Open now and then to let the pressure off and to let it breathe, it needs air too. Keep it cooled and it won't need to be fed until you get parked. A large zip lock bag might be worth considering. If you look around you can also find plastic jars that take the same size lids as canning jars. The only one I know of that I currently have is about 2/3 quart, not big enough for starter, I'd want to take at least 4 cups. I'm going to start keeping an eye out at yard sales etc for plastic jars, especially wide mouth.

I wouldn't be uneasy about taking it carefully packed in a glass jar either, but stress the careful part. (I've been camping most of my life, and have used glass many times, as long as it's carefully packed it's not a big problem.) Carry glass in your vehicle, not in a trailer that is much more bumpy. Rolled up in a sleeping bag, blanket or large towel works well. Store vertically, not lying down. I've even carried eggs in a quart jar full of water with a towel wrapped around it...but these days I just use the carton they come in and carry it on the back seat. Best way I've ever found...NEVER in a trailer, it bounces too much. Carry eggs on the back seat of your vehicle, transfer once you park. I haven't broken one in probably 20 years or more. If they can make it home from the grocery store in that container on your back seat or floorboard, they can make it across the country. (sorry about the digression, but it seemed to fit in...)

Starter can also be dried, and transported that way. Dry it in a non metal pan, crush it into flakes, store it in a zip lock bag or plastic container. The pilot light in a gas oven should do fine to dry it. However...I don't know how long it takes to bring it "back to life" when you want to use it. But this is a great way to send some starter to someone else who wants to get some starter going. Just soak it in water, feed and it should be good. Don't dry it in a metal pan like a cookie sheet. Use plastic or line a cookie sheet with wax paper..When dried and then crunched up it strongly resembles corn flakes. I haven't tried to start any, so I don't know how long it takes to make it usable. It has to be able to double its own size before it can be used to make bread, or it can't raise the bread dough and I don't know how long that takes when starting it from the dried state. (never had to use any, I just started my own from scratch) Anyway it might be worth trying at home before hand, might be a useful way to transport it. At any rate, this should be a good way to bring some along if someone else wants some. It takes up very little space once dried.

The main thing is keeping it alive. Starter is a living yeast culture. it can be transported without any serious problems, but pay attention to the temperatures you will be subjecting it to, and make sure you have everything you need to feed it and keep it alive during the trip.
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