Mmmm...mother dough!

[DisquietingMetamorphosis]

Hey bakery tour fans, here's a chance to have your own historic piece of mother dough! Instructions and care sound akin having seamonkeys. Originally posted at boingboing.net:


Free, live pioneer-era sourdough starter

For the price of a stamp, Carl Griffith's Oregon Trail will mail you a 150+-year-old sourdough starter culture that was brought west by a pioneer ancestor:

All I know is that it started west in 1847 from Missouri. I would guess with the family of Dr. John Savage as one of his daughters (my great grandmother) was the cook. It came on west and settled near Salem Or. Doc. Savage’s daughter met and married my great grand father on the trail and they had 10 children. It was passed on to me though my parents when they passed away. I am 76 years old so that was some time ago. I first learned to use the starter in a basque sheep camp when I was 10 years old as we were setting up a homestead on the Steens Mountains in southeastern Oregon. A campfire has no oven, so the bread was baked in a Dutch Oven in a hole in the ground in which we had built a fire, placed the oven, scraped in the coals from around the rim, and covered with dirt for several hours. I used it later making bread in a chuck wagon on several cattle drives - again in southeastern Oregon.

Link (via Making Light)

[Alice's Wonderland]

Interesting. But is it any good?

[mcow1]

I have my own starter that's been going for over 25 years now. It's great stuff and makes wonderful pancakes, too.

[I Heart Disneyland]

I guess I don't get it. By starter, what does that mean? And, how can it be going for so long. I feel dumb asking, but.....

[mcow1]

I guess I don't get it. By starter, what does that mean? And, how can it be going for so long. I feel dumb asking, but.....

It's a living yeast culture you keep in the fridge. It's kind of like a batter. Every week or so you remove a cup of it and add a cup of flour and water mixed to replace and feed it.

[I Heart Disneyland]

It's a living yeast culture you keep in the fridge. It's kind of like a batter. Every week or so you remove a cup of it and add a cup of flour and water mixed to replace and feed it.

Interesting! So simple sounding. So, that is how you can keep it around 25 years. The taking out and replacing. Thanks for the explaination!!

[DisquietingMetamorphosis]

Wow, mcow. Does it get better with age?

[tiggerfan]

I wish I could get a hold of some SF starter, now that would be premium

[DisquietingMetamorphosis]

tiggerfan, http://www.sourdo.com/culture.htm was linked as having sourdough starters from some of the world's oldest bakeries. they have what they classify as an authentic sf starter for the home baker, however it's neither free nor cheap!