September 18, 2011 - 12:36pm
Searching for starter in Lake Chapala region of Mexico
We recently moved from British Columbia to the Lake Chapala region of Mexico. Frustratingly I seem unable to get a starter started here. I've ordered a dried one from Breadtopia, but the mail is quite iffy here. I'm wondering if there are any other fresh loafers in the Lake Chapala region who might have some starter to spare.
Thanks,
:-Pablo
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Pablo,
have you tried different types of flour? Have you tried different hydration amounts? I'm fairly certain that there's some boogers in the air that would love to make your flour sour! Wow, that even rhymes! :)
Just my 2 cents. Good luck finding a (your) starter!
Thomas
Thanks for the thoughts, Thomas. I've tried flour and water and I've tried the pineapple juice route. I brought 60Kg of organic white flour with me, I've tried that (not all 60Kg :-), some Bob's whole wheat and some rye. I don't want to putz with it any more. I just want to bake, so I'm looking for a starter that's prestarted.
:-Pablo
That sucks! Sorry to hear that. You may have to wait until mail arrives!
Just out of curiosity, are there any local bakeries there? If yes, what are they using? I'm not too familiar with Mexican BAkeries, so I don't know if they use sour dough or not!
I do have some dried SD, so everything falls through, just give me your address!
Thomas
Yes, there are bakeries and it's really quite humbling. I tried for years to get a really crispy crust and I never really did. It seems that every baker here has the secret. I don't know what ovens or techniques they use as yet. We've been here three months and just the language is the main barrier at the moment. I couldn't ask someone to see their operation or understand their explaination. There is an organic farmer's market that someone is taking me to on Tuesday, she assures me that she got some sour dough there and that the folks who sold it to her may well be willing to part with a dab of starter for me. I already have some dried starter in the mail coming to me from Breadtopia, it's just that mail is quite "iffy" here - it may arrive in two weeks or two years or never, so I was looking for a local connection. There's a black, broken-down pickup that drives down my street at various times of the week with a loud speaker for his baked goods, and again, tremendous crust on the little rolls ("bolillos" or "birotes" - they're not sour dough and a bit sweet, but the crust is cracklin') still warm from the oven, about 30 cents apiece. People do amazing things with portable food carts and open fires both. Like I said, it's humbling.