Sourdough bread from home-made starter

[Josephg]

Here's some buckwheat sour dough. Sort of purple inside.

 

[olfuzzy]

I've made a lot of these and took to work just to use up some of the excess starter and they've always been a big hit.

Sour dough Coffee Cake:

Mix the following dry ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking soda

Add:
½ cup Crisco oil
1 egg
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 cup starter
Mix together and pour into a 9 inch pie plate. This will be a thick batter.

Topping:
½ stick margarine, softened
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ cup chopped pecans

Combine and drop in pieces over the top of cake. Using a knife, cut topping into cake in swirls.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 

[Sixgun_Symphony]

1 cup starter
2 cups water
3 cups flour
1 tbsp. salt

I believe that sourdough bread making might also be good for camping except for the 4.5 quart cast iron Dutch oven. Maybe a cast iron skillet with another cooking pot as a cover. Would like to hear suggestions and solutions you may have already tried. Best wishes, Dave.

My advise is to purchase a dutch oven from Camp Chef, they're affordable.

 

[Sixgun_Symphony]

This will be time, person & place specific. As an example, it is very unlikely Frontiersmen in the East or Mountain Men in the West would have baked bread in camp though baking was possible in towns, forts and other settlements. The availability of wheat flour is also a consideration - common people had corn (primarily) and corn flour doesn't work for a yeast bread since it doesn't contain gluten and doesn't rise.

In other words, you are doing something that in all likelihood WOULD NOT have been done in camp.

Now, if you were demonstrating cooking in a Dutch oven (another item unlikely to be dragged to camp), you'd be good. But if you are trying to demonstrate what would have been done while out in the field between 1700 and 1850, you'd be probably would be in left field.

It all depends on what you are trying to achieve...

Prospectors were called sourdoughs because they kept a small jar of starter on their person to keep it warm so they could bake bread at their camp.

Chuck wagon cooks were also known for baking sourdough bread at camp.

The Lewis & Clarke expedition cherished their dutch ovens. They were likely baking bread.

 

[Hawken]

The Lewis & Clark expedition cherished their dutch ovens. They were likely baking bread.

You know I've wondered about that. They took several hundred pounds of Flour with them, but no mention of fresh bread. Or yeast. They had to though. Just weird there's no mention of it.

A semi-related issue. In those days Army regulations required a Rum ration every day, that was part of their pay benefits and allowances. A fair part of officers and NCO duty day revolved around issuing hooch to the boys.

They ran out on July 4th 1805 iirc. They had to know how to make beer, or wine - using wild grapes, or serviceberries, or chokecherries or whatnot. No mention of this either.

Yeast are definitely are friends!

I like to make what's called a "Poolish" or pre-ferment. Basically take about a third or maybe half of the given flour in the bread recipe and an equal amount of water. The consistency will be about like pancake batter. A very small amount of yeast is added, and let rhis rock in a warm place for up to 24 hours. This gives a much better aroma and flavor, better browning, and keeping qualities.

Bread flour has a lot better "whang" to it then AP flour for some reason too.

 

[R.J.Bruce]

I will defer to those with more background information on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, but as a former chef and baker, I can tell you that several hundred pounds of coarse milled, early 19th Century, whole wheat flour won't go very far in making the robust, 2-3 pound loaves that were common in those days, for feeding a 45-man party.

The same goes for our forefathers/foremothers baking bread on the trail, or in camp EVERY DAY. Even if one streamlines the process as much as possible, there is a time component that cannot be ignored. I would hazard a guess that loaf bread, in any fashion, was a rest day kind of thing. A luxury, or treat to be looked forward to. Biscuits, or some kind of flat bread makes more sense to me.

Without a horse, or mule, I personally cannot see mysely carrying a cast iron Dutch oven on my back in order to cook with it. A lightweight spun brass, or hammered copper pot of 2-3 quart capacity is something I might carry instead. Whole uncooked grains like barley, wheat, oats, rye. Cracked grains, or coarse ground grains like corn, barley, wheat, oats, or rye that can be cooked into a mush/porridge is what I envision a frontiersman carrying, and cooking to eat. Not bread. Not more than several days away from a settlement.

 

[Walkingeagle]

I agree and suspect it was used moreso as a thickener.
Walk

 

[Hawken]

I will defer to those with more background information on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, but as a former chef and baker, I can tell you that several hundred pounds of coarse milled, early 19th Century, whole wheat flour won't go very far in making the robust, 2-3 pound loaves that were common in those days, for feeding a 45-man party.

Absolutely, I'm sure Flour was used mostly for making Hardtack and similar quickbreads, and making gravies and the like. It probably would have been an issue item or ration. They ran out of everything at some point, with the notable exception of powder and lead.

It just seems really odd they didn't make their own hooch along the way, being resourceful types, provided that they had yeast, another assumption. while bread making might not have been a priority it would have been a treat on special occasions or holidays.

They also brought 50 pounds of Coffee, that might sound like a lot to someone who never drinks coffee, but is a pitiful amount for a large expedition. I think that must have been either Lewis or maybe Clark personal stash. I seem to recall reading there was still some remaining even at Ft. Clatsop, which means it was only used sparingly. 50 pounds might not last me 2 years!

 

[Carbon 6]

Since it was a military expedition, the flour may have been for the officers, Lewis and Clark.

 

[Hawken]

If anything, it would have been the opposite. The level of exertion and fatigue for the enlisted men would have been off the charts at times. They needed those calories.

Sergt. John Ordway will continue to issue the provisions and make the detales for guard or other duty.— The day after tomorrow lyed corn and grece will be issued to the party, the next day Poark and flour, and the day following indian meal and poark; and in conformity to that ratiene provisions will continue to be issued to the party untill further orders.— should any of the messes prefer indian meal to flour they may recieve it accordingly— no poark is to be issued when we have fresh meat on hand.—
—Meriwether Lewis

 

[R.J.Bruce]

Poark would have been salted pork in barrels, correct?