August 11, 2009 - 12:40pm
Suggestions Please: Bread for 5-day Rafting Trip
I'm going on a 5-day river trip with a group of 14 people. There will be two transportation days prior to getting on the river. So...I need a bread that will stand up to 7-8 days of storage in hot conditions, and that can handle the rough treatment of being bounced around in a dry bag (a dry bag is like a back-pack that will not allow water inside.) We plan to make sandwiches, but the bread doesn't have to be sliced loaves.
It was a bit disappointing to learn that I wouldn't be able to bake fresh sourdough daily along the way, in a Dutch Oven. The fire regulations disallow even briquettes, so now I'm scrambling to come up with a new bread plan.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Terri
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Eight days, eh? Hmm... I'm at a loss.
This site really could use a good hardtack recipe though, so let us know if you find one you like. ;^)
because of its chemistry, based on complex carbohydrates rather that proteins to create structure, high percentage ryes keep a long time -- in fact, a 95-100% rye isn't really even ready to eat until the second or third day after baking. The only suggestion I'd make is to make sure that it doesn't sit inside a sealed and humid plastic bag. Keep it in paper and the water absorbency of the rye, along with its chemical structure, should keep it in very good shape throughout your trip.
Of course, there's always Ry-Krisp and Wasa brod .... have fun!
I hadn't considered solar cooking, but I'm afraid it may be troublesome, as you mentioned, prime cooking time is also prime river time. I actually have a little solar cooking setup, I'll have to experiment with it.
Hardtack is another suggestion I hadn't thought of. I actually like rye hard breads.
And rye sourdough has real possibilities. I'm a new sourdough baker, and haven't ventured into ryes yet, but I guess there's no reason not to give it a go. Thanks for mentioning paper wrap.
If I come up with any solutions worth sharing I'll be sure to report back. Thanks for your suggestions.
Terri
How are you going to heat your food???
The outfitter has a stove of some kind. In the past they've used white gas stoves, so that's what I presume he'll have.
what about thouse folding camp ovens that sit on top of a stove?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=895626
Huh! That's new thought.
I used to have one of those, back in my tipi days, but didn't know they were made in a folding version. They are pretty small, I wonder how large a loaf they'd handle. I'm tempted to get one to play around with.
Actually, you know, this gadget might be a good thing to use in my house on my gas range, and not have to heat up the whole huge oven for something small. See there, I can justify any expenditure if you gimme a minute!
I have good luck shipping 50% rye sour breads into Iraq and Afghanistan. It takes 2 weeks to get there and from all reports it has always been edible. As mentioned above, paper bags seem to work best. I would also caution you to make sure to bake the bread well. Sometimes rye breads will still be a little gummy when they read 205 so I like to leave them in the oven for 5-10 minutes with the door open to help dry them out. Check our Eric's favorite Rye here. It's an easy recipe that is fantastic with a nice collection of seeds and garlic chips. Perfect for a river trip. The recipe is further down the thread.
Eric
Are they personal friends on deployment or is there some kind of program? I'd love to participate if it's the latter case.
SG
The "Eric's Favorite" kind of takes the fear factor out of making rye, I'll be trying that recipe soon. Since I don't have clear flour, what would you suggest I substitute?
like All Trumps or KA Lancelot. I've even used supermarket bread flour. again, though, i'd recommend going with higher percentage rye ... up in the 90% plus range. it's very challenging, but really worth the effort.
too, if you're not totally committed baking it yourself,you might think about using that imported German 100% rye that comes in loaves that look like black bricks. the purity laws ensure that there's nothing weird in the bread and it lasts forever.
Thanks Elagins, I'll use the high gluten flour I have here (Pendleton Mill's Power Flour.) I am interested in working my way up to high percentage ryes, and will do so in the future. When I started baking this spring I was madly trying many recipes, and having many failures, so I had to dial back the enthusiasm and just work with one recipe until I "owned it." I'm competent now, with my sourdough, and will start with the 50% rye this week. Had I known that Dutch Ovens would be disallowed on the river, I would have begun the rye baking earlier.
Stan,
Ever since 9/11 I have had family members in harms way. One fellow in particular just finished his 5th tour of a year each roughly, in the Mid East. I have made shipping care packages an art form and enjoy shipping items the troops will really enjoy. I know they always share what ever they get so I always send enough of everything for his 9 man team.
I suggest you call your local Army/Marine recruiter and get the name and address of a local soldier you can ship to and make a pen pal relationship out of it. They have email access even in the most remote areas. Those guys/gals are eating MRE's every day. They appreciate the effort, believe me. If you want to do this and need ideas, let me know.
Eric
will do, and kudos to your family... five tours is superhuman!!!
S
Glass-Weaver,The 50% rye will last fine and will be easier for you to learn how to handle for now. It's a great bread that has all of the qualities of a sour rye and with the white flour it still acts normal to some degree. You can substitute any high protein bread flour for the clear. Just make sure you let it double fully after folding a few times to develop the gluten in the wheat flour.
Eric
Thanks Eric,
I plan to make the 50% rye this weekend...getting a rye starter conversion underway today. Thanks for the doubling tip!
Hi Terri,
An easy solution is to take freshly baked breads using any pre-ferment: sourdough, poolish, biga, pate fermentee. The acidity in these breads, brought about by the preferment, will give prevent the staling that would occur in other breads. I've baked a three lb. miche pointe-a-calliere that lasted 8 days before it was past the point of edibility.
Try wrapping just the cut end in plastic wrap (like a quarter-inch strip) and storing them in a paper bag. Should keep the loaves moist without losing their crust in the process.
Larry
When I went on long canoe trips in Minnesota we always brought a good supply of Swedish Crispbread. It's not fresh bread, but if you keep it dry it will last for months. The traditional shape is a large round (about 10 inches or so) with a hole in the center, so it could be stored on sticks in the attic. Siljans and Laksands are two brands. If you can't find these in your area just look for Rye Crisp.
Does anyone have a recipe for Knackebrod? I would love to try to make some.
Prairie 19
Flour or corn tortillas--homemade or bought. Light weight, small and versatile and they last a long time.
Thanks to all for your responses. Next week I'll be concentrating on prepping for my trip. I am inclined to try a number of things, just to test them out. I'll report back on this thread about what worked and what didn't.
Prairie 19 --- I Googled "Knackebrod Recipe" and several options popped up. I love a good rye flatbread, so I'm going to try some of them. Thanks for giving me a search title. I hope you find a recipe you like.