The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bread, Bucket Lists and starter maintenance

davidg618's picture
davidg618

Bread, Bucket Lists and starter maintenance

Tomorrow morning, at the ungodly hour of 4AM, I'm heading off to catch an airplane, the first leg of a trip to Sedona,  the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, and Bryce and Zion National Parks. My wife, who suffers from acrophobia, is staying home. My friend of 48 years--we met as Ensigns on a USN destroyer in 1963--is joining me in Phoenix. Two years ago, sharing our Bucket Lists, we discovered neither of us have seen Grand Canyon. We'll be away nine days.

Before leaving, I needed to refresh/replace my seed starter. Following Ms. D. Wink's recommendation, I now maintain a starter by making extra levain each time I bake, and replace my refrigerated seed starter with refreshed ripe levain.  I baked last Sunday, and didn't want to let my starter languish for more than two weeks untouched. I hadn't intended to bake again this week, so yesterday I started to build just enough ripe levain to handle my starter needs. Watching levain builds ripen is in the "watching grass-growing, or paint-drying" fun category, so in the moment I decided to make enough to also bake one loaf.

Back to the trip: Although it's an organized tour, we'll have most hours free to roam as we wish, especially in Sedona and Grand Canyon Village. If any TFLer has favorite sites, sights, diners, drive-ins, dives, brew-pubs or bakeries in those areas to recommend, please do.

Thanks,

David G

 

 

Comments

Just Loafin's picture
Just Loafin

I was only about 12 when we did that whole tour, almost verbatim. Sporting a Coleman pop-up tent trailer and staying at KOA campgrounds didn't afford too many stops at bakeries or pubs ; ) It's breathtakingly beautiful - even to a 12 yr old at the time. If you're into photography, that's going to be a definite shutterbug's bucket item! All I can say, then, is take clothing to account for every extreme imaginable. I can clearly remember it being 105° F on stretches of the drive, then being 70° an hour later and pouring buckets of rain. It all added to the ambiance. Hope you get everything out of the trip that you are looking for!

- Keith

davidg618's picture
davidg618

Yep, photography is #1 on the list since I won't be baking.

David G

freerk's picture
freerk

Have a great trip David.

It's on my bucket list as well, so alas, no tips here. But happy for you that you will be able to cross this one off your list!

Enjoy

 

Freerk

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

David,

I do hope you post pictures when you return for those of us who have never made the trip.  I love pictures :-)

By the way, your last minute loaf looks great too.  I frequently bake those because I can't bare to part with left over leaven from a build....kinda how it sits there in jar all alone just begging for company.....The neighbors get many a loaf that started out that way.

Wondering if you thickened your leaven for your storage too?  I know if I drop the hydration down to 50%  and refrigerate it immediately after being refreshed it lasts for a long time without breaking down.

Enjoy your holiday - great time to go as weather is cooler and tourists are mostly gone since school is back in session.

Janet

davidg618's picture
davidg618

I'll give it a try. Trip photos for sure.

David G

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

David,

Tis a trick I learned from D. Wink too  :-) I think you will be pleased.

Janet