RWheeler
01-31-2012, 20:46
In the time leading up to my departure for the trail, I've been doing whatever I can to keep my mind off of the actual hike, so I don't go crazy with it being so far away still. One of the things I've been doing a lot of recently is baking, something I used to do very very frequently.
I've been getting more into baking fresh bread - it's easily my favorite thing to make. Recently, I've started making sourdough, which I originally avoided due to the unfamiliarity of making starter. Once I finally gave it a try though, I realized how simple and rewarding it is.
Now, the thing to keep in mind is that the taste you get from sourdough is very very dependent on the yeast that you use to ferment the flour in the early stages. These vary a lot by region (hence why San Francisco sourdough is really its own thing - the yeasts that occur naturally in that area, along with the climate, makes for a very identifiable starter), giving me the idea of catching some yeast during my upcoming thru to create an Appalachian starter.
The basic process for those unfamiliar actually seems very hiker-friendly for the most part. You start by adding a few tablespoons of flour with a little liquid to mix up a paste. You can use water, or more effectively, an acidic pH juice (i.e. pineapple). Let that sit for a couple of days, uncovered, and yeast and bacteria that are in the environment will find their way into the mixture, then start to digest the sugars in the flours (and juice), releasing alcohol as a by-product and dividing to create more yeast. All you have to do is feed the starter some more flour, and add some more liquid volume, and after a couple of days, you have a nice volume of fermented starter. Boom. Take a portion of that (leaving some behind to keep the starter stock going, just keep feeding) and mix with some flour and water and then from there, continue like you're making normal bread.
I was thinking that I could use a Ziploc bag to hold the starter, maybe keeping it in one of the external pockets of my pack so I can keep it exposed to the air and just add some flour to it every now and again. Then the next time I decide to stop at a hostel I can bake up some sourdough rolls as a nice change of food-pace. If the starter ends up being a good flavor, I'll keep it and continue to maintain it once I finish the trail.
Do any WB members bake bread regularly that may have any feedback on this? I know the daytime temperatures will be very ideal in terms of getting a very active starter. What I'm worried about is if I might risk killing the yeast I have from overnight temps (i.e. would it be better to risk killing yeast from cold by closing the Ziploc and hanging it in my food bag, or better to maybe keep it in my sleeping bag for the warmth?) or what to do with the starter on rainy days. I know there are probably better places where I can ask this, but it's worth a shot asking here. WB likes new stuff sometimes, right? :cool:
I've been getting more into baking fresh bread - it's easily my favorite thing to make. Recently, I've started making sourdough, which I originally avoided due to the unfamiliarity of making starter. Once I finally gave it a try though, I realized how simple and rewarding it is.
Now, the thing to keep in mind is that the taste you get from sourdough is very very dependent on the yeast that you use to ferment the flour in the early stages. These vary a lot by region (hence why San Francisco sourdough is really its own thing - the yeasts that occur naturally in that area, along with the climate, makes for a very identifiable starter), giving me the idea of catching some yeast during my upcoming thru to create an Appalachian starter.
The basic process for those unfamiliar actually seems very hiker-friendly for the most part. You start by adding a few tablespoons of flour with a little liquid to mix up a paste. You can use water, or more effectively, an acidic pH juice (i.e. pineapple). Let that sit for a couple of days, uncovered, and yeast and bacteria that are in the environment will find their way into the mixture, then start to digest the sugars in the flours (and juice), releasing alcohol as a by-product and dividing to create more yeast. All you have to do is feed the starter some more flour, and add some more liquid volume, and after a couple of days, you have a nice volume of fermented starter. Boom. Take a portion of that (leaving some behind to keep the starter stock going, just keep feeding) and mix with some flour and water and then from there, continue like you're making normal bread.
I was thinking that I could use a Ziploc bag to hold the starter, maybe keeping it in one of the external pockets of my pack so I can keep it exposed to the air and just add some flour to it every now and again. Then the next time I decide to stop at a hostel I can bake up some sourdough rolls as a nice change of food-pace. If the starter ends up being a good flavor, I'll keep it and continue to maintain it once I finish the trail.
Do any WB members bake bread regularly that may have any feedback on this? I know the daytime temperatures will be very ideal in terms of getting a very active starter. What I'm worried about is if I might risk killing the yeast I have from overnight temps (i.e. would it be better to risk killing yeast from cold by closing the Ziploc and hanging it in my food bag, or better to maybe keep it in my sleeping bag for the warmth?) or what to do with the starter on rainy days. I know there are probably better places where I can ask this, but it's worth a shot asking here. WB likes new stuff sometimes, right? :cool: