January 10, 2014 - 10:23pm
transporting sourdough starter overseas
I am travelling for 2 weeks in Southeast Asia culminating in a 24 hour airport-to-airport journey from Asia to North America. I am trying to figure out how to take my beloved sourdough starter with me. Any ideas?
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Dry it. Thin your starter so it resembles pancake batter. Pour a puddle onto a non-stick surface and let it dry thoroughly. Don't try to speed it up by heating in any way -- just air dry. Put it in a plastic bag and throw it in your suitcase. When you get there break off about a teaspoonful, crush it into a course powder, and feed it as usual. In two days it will wake up wondering how it got there.
I keep a backup for my starter in a small sealed container. It will keep like that for years. Powdered it in a spice mill after it was completely dry.
Mail a small quantity in a sealed travel tube/jar to your final destination.
what it is. Sourdough starter culture.
I used to put a thick tablespoon or 2 of thick starter - 60% hydration, in a small Tupperware container and pack it in a checked bag - no worries and always worked.
Not sure if I'd be entirely happy carrying unusual white powders through border control. :-)
It still might violate local agricultural laws. You should check U.S. and destination laws along with any layover locations. Every country has laws and restrictions regarding what foodstuffs that can and can't be imported or exported.
put a Mom's Denture Cream on it :-) I don't think a 60% hydration starter checked in bags would be confused with white powders at border control. I've never had any problem with this small amount in Tupperware.
Happy Trails!
I'v only flown with my starter twice and both times I fed it two or three days before the trip, then on the day of I double zip lock bagged it and labeled it real big with sharpie, I had no problem with confiscation or inflated bags.
Thank you all for the excellent suggestions and help. I will probably do several of them. My main concern is travelling the 2 weeks prior to the plane ride. Drying some sounds like the most practical solution, plus it will just give me a backup, too. Because I live in a tropical climate the starter will peak and begin to overferment within 24 hours and I can't imagine trying to feed my starter over and over again on the road. Thanks again!
to let the starter in any shape or form get too hot. A suitcase sitting on the tarmac or in the back of a taxi can get hot enough to kill yeast. Sunshine is number one enemy during the day.
that this board harbors an international ring of sourdough smugglers. ;-)
You should be okay, unless you are transporting 1kg bricks of sourdough starter. ;-)