Sourdough Starter with History
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A healthy starter can be kept alive forever with proper cultivation. Some of the bread companies in San Francisco have been using the same starter, fed daily, for more then 150 years! (Peter Reinhart, “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)
During World War II, Ted Smith flew 90 missions over Europe as a Spitfire pilot. After the war, Ted wrote a memoir about his experiences in the Royal Air Force. His book “Spitfire Diary” is a candid and colorful picture of his brave compatriots in Squadron 127. In addition to being a pilot and authority on air-to-ground warfare, Ted liked to bake. That’s why he is mentioned in our blog series on sourdough baking.
The starter Ted cultured over 50 years ago played a part in his friendship with Jim Kipping, the Director of Creative News Services at station KLBJ in Austin, Texas. Ted’s life after his time in the Royal Air Force revolved around broadcasting. He began working at KLBJ in 1980 and retired from the station as General Manager in l991. During the years Ted worked at KLBJ, he and Jim became friends with many like interests. When Ted died in 2012, Jim inherited his precious starter—truly a living legacy.
I asked Jim how he takes care of the sourdough starter. Jim remarked first of all on the proper container for such a gift. “ I keep it in a really cool old crock.” The starter is alive and well because, as Jim says, he follows Ted’s directions. “Ted taught me that he kept it in his freezer until he needed to use it, that’s when he usually fed as well, so that’s what I do.”
Citing Peter Reinhart again, Should you want to take a break from bread making, you do not have to keep feeding the barm [starter] to keep it alive. The organisms will go dormant…if kept cold…even frozen; enough yeast and bacteria will survive a long dormancy to reactivate when the refreshment cycles begin again. (“Crust and Crumb”)
For fifty years Ted’s starter transformed flour and water into delicious bread for his family and friends. Now that the starter is under Jim’s care, it has a role in the fine food prepared at the Kipping’s.
