[Sca-cooks] partly on-topic, partly off: bread and sourdough

Susan Lin susanrlin at gmail.com
Mon Jan 25 11:29:24 PST 2010


"My sister says this isn't true.  That sourdough will go bad, just like any
other thing, and that I should freeze my flour."

Sourdough starter will go bad - I have done it several times myself.  You
can leave it out or keep it in the fridge - eventually - if you do not tend
to it ("sweeten" it, etc.) it will die.  But you can always make more!!!

As for freezing flour - well, that all depends.  If you live in an area
where you get weevils or other critters in your flour yes - put it in the
fridge or freezer or in an air tight container.  Also, whole wheat and some
other flours tend to go rancid if you leave them at room temperature.  I
keep those in air tight containers and/or in the fridge.  I'd only bother
with the freezer if you're not using your flour for months at a time.


"I don't know what sourdough from Spokane will taste like....we're
supposedly
at 2376 feet.  will that affect cooking?"

Wild yeast from different areas will taste different - will it taste
significantly different from sourdough or yeast cultures from other places
on the west coast?  That I think is up for debate and I'm sure you can get a
hot debate from this group.  If you know someone that has a sourdough
started you can ask for some and just keep going from there.

As for being at 2376 feet - that probably won't make a huge difference.
Adjustments usually need to start being made over 5,000 feet but I was
always told to try a recipe as described first before making any
adjustments.  Sometimes I need to tweak things a little - sometimes not.

Also, other things to consider:  the humidity of your area - if you live in
a hot sticky place vs. a dry place - your flour with weigh different and
you'll need different amounts of liquid.  But, this all comes with
practice.  Start with a simple recipe and make your adjustments from there.
Even "failures" are usually yummy toasted with butter and jam!!!!

Have fun.

Shoshanna


On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Ian Kusz <sprucebranch at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yeah, spelt contains gluten, but, apparently it's a different gluten.
>  Spelt
> is recommended for those with wheat allergies.
>
> Okay, another question.
>
> Oh, and first, a big thank you to all the responders.  I must admit to
> trepidation any time I take on one of the "big" cooking things.  I mean, I
> was nervous about making corn bread the first time, too.  And baking real
> bread is totally new.  You guys are making it easier to contemplate, at
> least.
>
> Now, I thought that sourdough kept flour from going bad.  My reason for
> doing so was that it was supposedly part of the gold rush, and those guys
> in
> gold panning shacks didn't have refrigerators.
>
> My sister says this isn't true.  That sourdough will go bad, just like any
> other thing, and that I should freeze my flour.
>
> The florilegium shows the method of obtaining a "wild" sourdough, and
> there's a site I know that sells starters.  According to the site, each
> area
> of the world has different wild yeasts, so sourdough from one area isn't
> like sourdough from another area.
>
> I don't know what sourdough from Spokane will taste like....we're
> supposedly
> at 2376 feet.  will that affect cooking?
>
> On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 10:35 AM, Antonia di Benedetto Calvo <
> dama.antonia at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Susan Lin wrote:
> >
> >> First - if you have a gluten allergy you're gonna have to get crafty
> with
> >> your bread because a LOT of breads have wheat flour in them or other
> >> grains
> >> that have gluten so you're not going to be able to use them.  I am not
> >> gluten intolerant but I know a lot of people who are.
> >>
> >> I know spelt and buckwheat are usually okay as well as rice and corn
> >> flours.  I'm sure there are others.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Spelt contains gluten, being a type of wheat.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Antonia di Benedetto Calvo
> >
> > -----------------------------
> > Habeo metrum - musicamque,
> > hominem meam. Expectat alium quid?
> > -Georgeus Gershwinus
> > -----------------------------
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> > http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Ian of Oertha
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