The Pursuit of Delish: Sourdough Camp Bread
Baking has always been a hobby of mine, but I wouldn’t consider myself a professional. I don’t own all the fancy equipment, like cake pans, scales, or pie tins, that serious bakers use. I usually dabble, and most of my baking experiments turn out pretty tasty. However, there’s one thing I’ve yet to master: a flourless cake that won’t crumble the moment I serve it. Despite my lack of professional baking gear, I like to think of myself as a decent baker because I follow recipes to the letter.
On a recent trip, I decided to push my limits a little further. I wanted to learn how to make bread, specifically sourdough, so I could bake bread on the road. This is where my adventure began—attending a sourdough bread baking class at La Victoria Bakery in San Francisco.
A Sourdough Class in San Francisco: La Victoria Bakery
Discovering the Art of Sourdough Baking
My friend Julia and I signed up for a sourdough bread-making class at La Victoria Bakery, a historic bakery in San Francisco’s Mission District. The class was hosted by Sour Flour, a company dedicated to teaching the ins and outs of sourdough bread baking.
The class was incredibly informative. We learned about the sourdough starter, the essential ingredient that powers the bread’s rise, and we got hands-on experience mixing, kneading, and cutting dough. However, there was a catch—we only learned how to make sourdough flatbread, not a full loaf. This left us with more questions than answers. Plus, the recipe they gave us didn’t include how to make an actual loaf of sourdough bread.
The Challenge of Going It Alone
Despite not getting the full recipe, I was determined to make sourdough bread. The beauty of sourdough is that the starter is something you can keep alive and feed. It’s almost like having a never-ending supply of ingredients, as long as you take care of it. However, there was one issue—my sourdough starter had been sitting in the cooler for about a month. My first thought was: Can I get sick from sourdough starter that’s gone bad? But I decided to push through and give it a shot. Fortunately, Julia generously shared some of her starter with me after I accidentally threw mine away during our move to prepare for the road trip.
Creating Sourdough Bread on the Road: A New Challenge
The Dilemma: Baking Without a Traditional Oven
One of the challenges of baking bread while traveling is that you don’t always have access to a conventional kitchen oven. Since we were on the road, I had to get creative. I stumbled upon a few recipes online and on Pinterest that showed how you can make sourdough bread using a cast-iron dutch oven and charcoals. The idea was to use the coals like an outdoor oven. I decided to combine a few of these recipes to try and make sourdough bread using this unconventional method.
Feeding the Starter: Getting It Active Again
The first thing I needed to do was revive my starter. Since it had been dormant for a while, I had to feed it to make sure it was bubbling and active. I warmed it to room temperature and began adding flour and water to get the yeast growing. But here’s where things got tricky. Most sourdough recipes I found listed ingredients in grams, which, as someone who doesn’t bake professionally, wasn’t very helpful. I didn’t have a scale with me on the road, and space was tight in our teardrop camper. So, I had to do a little math and convert grams into cups and tablespoons.
For example:
- 50 grams of starter equals about 5 tablespoons of starter
- 50 grams of flour equals about 1/3 cup of flour
- 50 grams of water equals about 1/4 cup of water
This is where the art of baking without precision comes into play!
Baking Sourdough Bread Over Coals
Making the Dough
Once the starter was active, I followed a loose recipe. I mixed 1 cup of starter with 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The dough was sticky, but I didn’t let that scare me. After a bit of kneading, I let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, which the recipe called “autolyse.” This helps the flour hydrate and the gluten develop. After this, I sprinkled in 2 teaspoons of salt, kneaded it a little more, and let it rise in the back of the camper, covered by a damp towel, while we went for a hike.
Letting the Dough Rise
The recipe said to let the dough rise for about two hours, but since we were out for a bit longer, it rose for about four hours instead. This turned out to be just fine—sometimes the dough needs more time, especially when you’re in a chilly environment. After the rise, I shaped the dough into a round ball, tucked the sides underneath to form a nice mound, and then placed it in the dutch oven, which I’d floured. I allowed the dough to rise again in the dutch oven overnight.
Cooking the Bread Over Coals
The next morning, it was time to bake. I cut a small slit in the top of the dough and then placed the dutch oven on top of the charcoals. I had done some research to figure out how many charcoals to use for the right temperature. It turns out that 33 charcoals (each carrying about 10 degrees of heat) are perfect for baking sourdough at about 300-350°F. I let the bread bake for about an hour, rotating the dutch oven halfway through to ensure even cooking. After 30 minutes, I checked on it and was amazed to find that the bread was nearly done.
The Moment of Truth: A Freshly Baked Sourdough Loaf
The Result: A Successful Loaf
I was ecstatic to see the bread emerge from the dutch oven—while it wasn’t perfect (it had a few air bubbles and a little blackened spot on top), it looked and smelled incredible. We all couldn’t believe it. This was my first-ever loaf of bread baked in a dutch oven over coals, and it turned out surprisingly well. It had a crispy outer crust, a slightly doughy inside, and that signature sourdough tang.
My husband couldn’t believe his eyes—he never imagined that he had married a bread baker!
The Taste Test
The taste was everything I had hoped for. The bread was crunchy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside, with that wonderful sour flavor that makes sourdough so unique. We ate it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, made grilled cheese sandwiches, and enjoyed it as an accompaniment to chili.
A Fluke or Beginner’s Luck?
I couldn’t help but wonder: Was this just beginner’s luck, or could I actually do this again? So, a week later, I tried it once more. This time, I didn’t follow the recipe’s exact rise times, as we were on the move again. But to my surprise, the second loaf turned out just as delicious. The bread was a little less sour and slightly less fluffy, likely because my starter wasn’t as active as the first time. But it was still fantastic and didn’t last long!
The Final Verdict: I Am a Camping Bread Baker
From this point on, I can officially call myself a camping bread baker. The key takeaway here is that while precision and perfect execution may be necessary for delicate bakes like soufflés or macarons, when you’re on the road, a bit of flexibility and common sense can go a long way. Trust your senses, and you’ll be fine.
Conclusion
Baking sourdough bread while traveling—especially when you don’t have all the equipment or a conventional kitchen—was a challenge, but also a rewarding experience. By using some creativity, a little patience, and a whole lot of love, I managed to bake delicious sourdough bread right from the heart of nature. And now, I can proudly say that I’m a sourdough baker, even if it’s not the professional version you’d find in a bakery.
FAQs
1. Can I bake sourdough without a starter?
No, the sourdough starter is essential for creating the signature tangy flavor and rise in sourdough bread. It’s the natural yeast that helps the dough rise without using commercial yeast.
2. How do I know if my sourdough starter is active?
When your starter is active, it should bubble and double in size within a few hours of feeding. If it smells fruity and yeasty, it’s ready to use.
3. Can I make sourdough bread without special equipment?
Yes! You can bake sourdough in a dutch oven or any oven-safe pot. The key is to create a steaming effect using the lid or covering to mimic an oven’s moist environment.
4. How long does it take to make sourdough bread?
Making sourdough bread can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, including the time it takes to make and let the starter rise, and the long fermentation time for the dough.
5. Can I bake sourdough bread on a camping trip?
Absolutely! If you have a campfire and a dutch oven, you can make sourdough bread over coals. Just make sure you have a good recipe and the right number of coals for baking.
