Sourdough Sunday

[fooddude]

Hi
I'm thinking about baking some sourdough at the weekend.
I've got a starter, given to me by a friend. I've had it for about a week and I've been feeding it everyday, so I think I'm ready to go...
I want to bake it with my son, he's seven, and I'm just wondering if anyone had any ideas for how to make it an extra fun experience for him?

[The Ironic Chef]

Fooddude, sour dough doesn't need feeding every day. Just once a week or after you use a batch. When feeding, remove a cup of the starter, add a cup of flour and a cup of spring water. I try to keep atleast 2 cups of starter alive at all times. Keep it in the fridge. That's all it needs for the week.
When I make bread from my starter I make a sponge the night before. When my children were younger they were involved from start to finish. I taught them along the lines of making bread as a science experiment. When making the sponge the kids poured and scooped the ingredients into a glass bowl and did the mixing.. The bowl was covered with plastic wrap so that they could watch the dough and how it reacted. This is really cool when making a fresh starter too because the kids can watch the bubbles and growth during the process. The differences in the smells of the fermentation. A lot goes on to keep a child interested.
With a 7 year old, give them a big enough piece of dough to make their very own little loaf.They can get a feel for working the dough as you do the bulk of the preparation. And the fun part is that when you remove the baked goods from the oven, the child has a reward for all the effort and learning.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

fooddude, IC offers great advice.

Mine?

Let your 7 yr. old make a mess. If he doesn't have flour all over his face and sticky dough up to his elbows, then he hasn't gotten the full experience- Ha!

[fooddude]

Hiya
Well, we gave it a go with the starter I had, and he was a bit dubious when he smelled it :/
We did a loaf each, and it was alot of fun, but, It seems he didn't like the taste too much.
Does anyone else find that kids aren't too fond of the tang of Sourdough?
Maybe he'll grow into it...
I hope so anyway, cos I love it

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Originally Posted by fooddude

Hiya
Well, we gave it a go with the starter I had, and he was a bit dubious when he smelled it :/
We did a loaf each, and it was alot of fun, but, It seems he didn't like the taste too much.
Does anyone else find that kids aren't too fond of the tang of Sourdough?
Maybe he'll grow into it...
I hope so anyway, cos I love it

Yes it is a strong taste for little ones to adjust to, just give the little guy some time and he'll probably be won over! It may be more appealing if you can slice it and make him a grilled cheese sandwich out of, seems to me that is how I first fell in love with sourdough!

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Can't blame the l'il guy... actually, sometimes I'm not even that fond of it if it's way-strong. But I tend to prefer dark breads, anyway, so I'm not a real fair judge...