Sourdough Bread Starter

[Naughty Jenny]

Hello All,

Has anyone tried bring sourdough starter, so that all you need to bring is flour and not store bread? I was considering doing this when we eventually set sail. Have any of you tried this? Looking to hear some feedback.
Jen

[colemj]

Michele scored an excellent sourdough starter 5yrs ago and has been using it ever since.

Mark

[Naughty Jenny]

Thanks Mark for your great link! I'll be checking that out lookes like you tons of great information on there. Love your fish catalog thats perfect!

[JPA Cate]

I just Googled on "Sourdough Starter Recipe", and the first one in the list seems to be the same as the one I have on the boat. So, off you go! It takes a while to get used to using sourdough starter, but given time and experimentation, you can turn out some wonderful products!

[colemj]

Sourdough pancakes (excuse me a moment while a wipe a tear from my eye).

Here's a good hint - try everyone's sourdough bread and when you find the one that makes you drop on your knees and give thanks, ask them for some of their starter.

We have found sourdough to vary in taste tremendously due to different yeast strains in the starter. They are not all the same by a long shot.

Mark

[lomalaurie]

Try Bread Making Videos - They tell you how to make sourdough starter from scratch! I did it a few years ago, and it just gets better & better with age They also have fabulous recipes & tips. Their almost no-knead bread is total winner.....

[FlyMeAway]

A boat in the summer is actually a great environment for *making* sourdough starter: warm and humid! I made a starter my first summer living aboard, and it lasted a few months before my fridge "died" (also known as me accidentally hitting the switch before leaving the boat for a week)

Sourdough or no, I do bake my own bread aboard quite frequently while cruising or even at the dock. Nothing like arriving at an anchorage on a cold wet day just as your hot warm bread is done in the oven.

I've found that kneading aboard can be a bit of a pain in the ass. So can making a fresh batch of dough every time you want bread. My go-to bread recipe is this one, which I have found adapts amazingly well on board:

Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day, Seriously | alexandra's kitchen

Adapt for on-board cooking: no need to do the part at the end with the pre-heated stone, flick of the wrist, the water in the oven, etc. -- works fine if you just put it in the oven once pre-heated

[Cheechako]

There's a good article on simple bread in this month's Cruising World. I used to make sourdough, but I found that the longer you keep using the starter the more sour it gets until it's just too much... how to avoid that?
another question; how long does yeast last, how often do you have to re-buy it?

[FlyMeAway]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

There's a good article on simple bread in this month's Cruising World. I used to make sourdough, but I found that the longer you keep using the starter the more sour it gets until it's just too much... how to avoid that?
another question; how long does yeast last, how often do you have to re-buy it?

Stored in an air-tight container and kept in a freezer, indefinitely. Stored in an air-tight container and kept in a fridge, quite along time (6+ months). Stored otherwise, absolutely depends.

I've been baking bread for 10 years, so this is from experience alone.

[1ercru]

Check out Ed Woods site, he's the guru of sourdough, gone around the world collecting live specimens. We have two different ones handy, one for bread and one for pizza. (although we could really do without the separate pizza starter)

Sourdoughs International | Sourdough Starters, Recipes, & Baker's Handbook

[tamicatana]

The Boat Galley on breads and yeast:
5 Tips for Baking Bread on a Boat

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

The Boat Galley on breads and yeast:
5 Tips for Baking Bread on a Boat

All excellent tips. I make bread every few days on board.

I have a few extra tips to add:
- To avoid mess initially knead in the bowl, but then turn out the dough for a decent knead and a better result

- High gluten flour (bread flour) makes a huge difference in the quality of the bread.

- Unless proving overnight, warm conditions are essential. If ambient temp is not above the high 20's (80F), when kneaded I put the dough back in the bowl, top it with a large plate, put a hot water bottle on top and cover with a blanket (don't have it in contact with the bowl as it is too hot and will kill the yeast). A hour later the dough had more than doubled in size. Success guaranteed .

[Teknav]

Hiya Lassey! An easier solution...sail away to San Francisco and haul out all the sourdough bread you want; every bakery makes it. San Francisco is the sourdough capital of the US; even sold at their airports.

...we now resume the current program in progress...

Mauritz
Prefers french baguettes than sourdough!

[JanetGroene]

In my book The Galley Book (now out of print but found on Amazon)) I explained how I kept sourdough started alive in the tropics without refrigeration. With refrigeration you need to "feed" it less often but it's still important to feed and burp it like a baby. I also found that you can use the starter in many things besides bread, e.g. chocolate cake, which keeps the starter active.