Awesome tips! We're not going on vacation any time soon, but I may have to put my starter to bed for a while since I'm going in for lumbar fusion on Sept 13--so definitely no baking in the Challenger Pan any time soon. I'm already having a hard time putting it into the oven. I will try this flour-dry version of starter upkeep you suggested, but if I do bake, it'll probably be in the toaster oven since it does heat up to 450F. It'll be fine for pan breads. As to your "rolling parchment paper problem" - I have a solution: cut the piece you want, then wet it under running water, crumble it up to wring it out and then flatten it again. I'll stay put where you want it and it adds extra moisture to your pot! Have a great vacation!
Thanks, Andrew, for your ideas on keeping a starter alive. I recently revived my starter after it sat in the refrigerator for a good 4 months. The starter is about 15 months old, created from your quarantiny directions last spring. It’s only 30 grams of starter. When I went to revive it after such a long hibernation 2 weeks ago, I started with a 1:1:1 feed. 12 hours later, not much had happened, but I fed it again, and it started to blossom. I fed it twice a day at 1:1:1 for 3 days, and it was nearly quadrupling in 6 hours by the end. I then baked your sourdough loaf from https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/loaf-classic-recipe which was my most successful attempt yet at sourdough loaves and your focaccia from https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/recipe-no-knead-upside-down-test, which turned out superbly. It’s back in the refrigerator now (30 grams), its last feeding being 2:2:1. Four months is probably more neglect than necessary, but it did come back nicely. I’m guessing, but don’t know, that the better than a year of more consistent feedings prior to that hibernation contributed to this success. I will definitely feel more confident about my starter’s ability to survive once I start traveling again.
Nancy - glad to hear it! I know that starters can survive long periods of neglect, but it nice to know yours didn't need long to get back to full health!
Your formula for traveling with your starter resulted in a very thick, not fully incorporated mixture. It clumped and was firm. There was dry flour in the bottom of the jar I could not get to because so dry. Once I arrived I refreshed it to make pajeon but have not baked a loaf with it. It was still quite thick at the end of the day. How do I know if the balance is off? Not sure if it will work for a loaf. It was fine for pajeon. Thanks.
Cindy - I don't ever mix my starter in a jar, because it makes it nearly impossible to even out its texture. I always mix in a clean bowl and then transfer to the proofing/storage container. It also lets me stir/knead the mixture fully, which is especially important when reducing the hydration to 50%. It's stiff, but certainly workable in a bowl.
If you didn't mix yours well, it may not have proofed fully. It should clearly expand within 12h of mixing (it was so hot when I was traveling that mine did in just a few hours). If you are at your final destination now, I'd recommend mixing the funky one together fully, then using it to inoculate a fresh 100% hydration one, at 75% (ie: 100g flour/100g water/75g starter, etc.).
Awesome tips! We're not going on vacation any time soon, but I may have to put my starter to bed for a while since I'm going in for lumbar fusion on Sept 13--so definitely no baking in the Challenger Pan any time soon. I'm already having a hard time putting it into the oven. I will try this flour-dry version of starter upkeep you suggested, but if I do bake, it'll probably be in the toaster oven since it does heat up to 450F. It'll be fine for pan breads. As to your "rolling parchment paper problem" - I have a solution: cut the piece you want, then wet it under running water, crumble it up to wring it out and then flatten it again. I'll stay put where you want it and it adds extra moisture to your pot! Have a great vacation!
Sabine - thanks for the tip about the parchment! I like the idea that it adds steam to the pot.
Thanks, Andrew, for your ideas on keeping a starter alive. I recently revived my starter after it sat in the refrigerator for a good 4 months. The starter is about 15 months old, created from your quarantiny directions last spring. It’s only 30 grams of starter. When I went to revive it after such a long hibernation 2 weeks ago, I started with a 1:1:1 feed. 12 hours later, not much had happened, but I fed it again, and it started to blossom. I fed it twice a day at 1:1:1 for 3 days, and it was nearly quadrupling in 6 hours by the end. I then baked your sourdough loaf from https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/loaf-classic-recipe which was my most successful attempt yet at sourdough loaves and your focaccia from https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/recipe-no-knead-upside-down-test, which turned out superbly. It’s back in the refrigerator now (30 grams), its last feeding being 2:2:1. Four months is probably more neglect than necessary, but it did come back nicely. I’m guessing, but don’t know, that the better than a year of more consistent feedings prior to that hibernation contributed to this success. I will definitely feel more confident about my starter’s ability to survive once I start traveling again.
Nancy - glad to hear it! I know that starters can survive long periods of neglect, but it nice to know yours didn't need long to get back to full health!
Your formula for traveling with your starter resulted in a very thick, not fully incorporated mixture. It clumped and was firm. There was dry flour in the bottom of the jar I could not get to because so dry. Once I arrived I refreshed it to make pajeon but have not baked a loaf with it. It was still quite thick at the end of the day. How do I know if the balance is off? Not sure if it will work for a loaf. It was fine for pajeon. Thanks.
Cindy - I don't ever mix my starter in a jar, because it makes it nearly impossible to even out its texture. I always mix in a clean bowl and then transfer to the proofing/storage container. It also lets me stir/knead the mixture fully, which is especially important when reducing the hydration to 50%. It's stiff, but certainly workable in a bowl.
If you didn't mix yours well, it may not have proofed fully. It should clearly expand within 12h of mixing (it was so hot when I was traveling that mine did in just a few hours). If you are at your final destination now, I'd recommend mixing the funky one together fully, then using it to inoculate a fresh 100% hydration one, at 75% (ie: 100g flour/100g water/75g starter, etc.).