Category Archives: bread

Quick Focaccia

Posted on by
1

img_8247

There is something about making breads that just feels like a win.  Focaccia always does that!  The very best focaccia recipes allow for the dough to rest anywhere from hours to days.  If you are like me, some days you are driving home from work thinking focaccia would really boost dinner TODAY.  Not 3 days from now.  This recipe is for those days.   If you’ve got a little over an hour, you’ve got enough time to pull this off – and trust me, it’s easy.  No intensive kneading or stand mixer necessary!

  • 2 Tbso olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh herbs – I used basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano and thyme. minced

Mix well and if it looks a little herb heavy, add a bit more olive oil. Set aside.

  • 3/4 cup warm water (the perfect temperature for blooming yeast is between 105-115)
  • 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pack)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Top with flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Proof yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup warm water – 105-115 degrees F until foamy and active.
  • In a bowl, combine flour, salt.
  • Add in yeast mixture & olive oil, and mix to get it all together.  You may need to add a couple tablespoons more warm water.  You want this to be slightly sticky.
  • Cover and allow dough to rise for around 30 minutes.  The time isn’t as important as that you need to let the dough to pretty much double in size.
  • Add 1 -2 tbsp  olive oil into small baking vessel – either  9 x 7 inch sheet pan, or this also works well in an 8 x 8 square baking pan. You want a fair bit of oil here, rub it all around the sides of the pan as well.
  • Add dough and stretch to fit pan, if dough springs back, let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes and try again.  The rest helps the gluten to relax.
  • Once dough has been stretched enough to fit the baking sheet, allow to rest (covered) for 30 minutes.  Honestly, do whatever time you have – I find this to be fairly forgiving.
  • Dampen your fingers and dimple the dough like you are playing a piano.
  • Drizzle herbed olive oil over dimpled dough and allow it to fill in the dimples, I like to be generous with the herb oil mixture.
  • Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary that isn’t all minced up.
  • Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Once out of the oven, allow to rest on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crusty as well.

So many ways you can serve this;

  • Use it as an appetizer with a charcuterie board
  • Fresh out of the oven with simple oil and vinegar
  • Try it with your best olive oil and my dukka recipe, (If you’ve never tried dukka you are in for a treat!)
  • Completes a soup or salad meal
It’s October and this is what my herb garden still looks like!
Ready to go, and this herby oil smells so fresh – today I added in some roasted garlic.
Ready for the oven – love the way those little dimples fill up, I think those pockets of oil help crisp up the top.
You just know how good your house smells – it’s ready to dunk in your soup.

Aloo Garlic Stuffed Naan

Posted on by
Reply
The best naan I’ve made …. to date anyway!

I can’t pretend to be humble when it comes to my cooking, but these naan impressed me more than I usually impress myself! The dough is very pillowy soft and tender, they were so delicious I pulled six out of the oven and they were inhaled.

This is the kind of thing you do when you have a little time on your hands, not necessarily because they are so much work, but it is important to give the dough time to rise and develop that light texture you want in a naan.

NAAN

  • 1 tsp dry active yeast
  • 2 tsp sugar (separated)
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm water (around 100* )
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dry herbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp plain yogurt

In a large glass, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in the warm water and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes until it is foamy.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, remaining 1 tsp sugar, baking powder, garlic powder and herbs.

Once yeast is nice and foamy stir in the olive oil and yogurt. Mix well and then stir into flour mixture with a fork. Using your hand, mix and knead in the bowl just until everything is incorporated. As soon as it is together, soft, and slightly sticky, cover it all and let it rest until doubled in size. This could be anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.

FILLING

  • 1 cup cooked & chopped up potato (could be leftover mashed potatoes too!)
  • Saute 1/2 -1 cup of minced onions in ghee, until nice and soft (amount of onion depends on your love of onions!)
  • Remove from heat and stir in one crushed garlic clove and 1/2 tsp dried coriander.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Set aside until cooled down.

(Ghee is clarified butter and most grocery stores carry it now, but you could easily substitute olive oil or butter)

Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it down and divide into 6, rolling those into balls.

Flatten each ball with your hands until they are 6-7 inches across. Divide the potato stuffing amongst the flattened dough pieces, and then gather the outer edges like you are forming a little pocket or purse.. Once you have completely encased the potato mixture press down gently until flattened and once again about 6-7 inches across.

Brush the tops with beaten egg, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper, chili flakes and sesame seeds.

Bake at 400 until golden brown – about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and rub with a little melted butter and sprinkle with minced cilantro.

Ready to flatten, you can see the bits of herb and they already smell great.
This dough was the easiest naan dough I have ever worked with – so tender and easy to flatten.
Once you have them all stuffed and flattened back out, sprinkle with beaten egg and toppings. Confession time? Somehow I got on a roll and before I knew it I had brushed the tops with melted ghee, not the egg wash I had planned on. Hmm. Still turned out so do whatever floats your boat.
Using your finger tips, flatten around the outer edge to create a bit of a border. Some of them puffed right up like a pita, and others didn’t, and either way they were delicious!
Ready for the oven
Soft potato and onion filling made these the best ever!
Next time I’m going to leave out the garlic, and try using a different stuffing …. ham and cheese maybe? They’d be great for lunches.

This naan dough originally came from an Indian Cookbook I have – Aarti Sequeira “Aarti Paarti”. I’ve loved watching her on Food Network. She added fennel and nigella seeds, and didn’t stuff them. I had something different in mind so I used this dough, and then watched endless YouTube videos on stuffing naan to come up with my own version. Have fun, play around and let me know if you come up with any other stuffings.

In making naan, I often stand over my cast iron pan, frustrated by trying to get nice char marks and yet still allowing the bread dough to be fully cooked inside without burning the outside. This often leaves me less than satisfied! This totally hands off approach yielded the softest naan and the breads were fully cooked while still having wee bits of crunchy dough around the edges and on the tops of the ones that puffed up like a pita.

Sourdough Bagels! The best!

Posted on by
3
Absolutely perfect bagels. Tender inside with a light crust and so tasty!

BAGELS

  • 345g flour (AP or bread)
  • 220g water
  • 100g ripe starter
  • 1/2 tsp (4g) honey
  • 10g salt

BOILING & TOPPINGS

  • Large pot of water
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 egg
  • Sesame seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • Everything bagel seasoning
  • Pretzel salt, etc. whatever you want!

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Mix the honey & water to dissolve. Add the starter into the water and combine thoroughly with a whisk.
  2. Pour the water/starter/honey mixture into the flour bowl and mix by hand to combine (either with your hand or with a wooden spatula). Mix until you see no dry bits of flour. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
  3. After 1 hour, sprinkle the salt on top and pinch it into the dough with lightly wet hands. Pull the dough around to create a smooth ball. Let rest for 1.5 hours. This dough is lower hydration, so you won’t need to build up as much structure. It’s mostly about time and letting the dough ferment.
  4. After 1.5 hours perform pull/folds all around the dough by stretching the dough up on one side and folding it back over into the center. Again, it helps to do this with wet hands. Do this on all sides until you have a smooth round of dough in the bowl. Cover and let rest for another 2 hours.
  5. After two hours have passed, it should be ready to go into the fridge for the night. No need to move it to a new container, just pop it right in. Timings will vary depending on the time of year, the temperature, humidity, strength of your starter, etc.
  6. In the morning, line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and flour a work surface. Turn the dough out, gently press it into a flat-ish circle, & divide into 8 equal pieces.
  7. Shape each piece into a ball, pinching it up and then rolling it around a bit with the pinched/seam side down. Make little circles of flour on the parchment paper where each ball will sit, seam side down. Sprinkle a little flour on top of each dough ball, and then cover with plastic wrap, a damp linen, or place it into a giant plastic bag. Let them rest for about two hours.
  8. Pre-heat the oven to 425F. Bring a large pot of water + 1/4 cup maple syrup to a low boil. Uncover the bagel dough balls and get ready to shape them!
  9. To shape the bagels, flour your hands, pick up a dough ball and press your thumbs into the center top of the dough. Press all the way through until you form a hole in the center. Then with your other fingers under the dough, gently pull the inside of the bagel toward the outside, but don’t fully inside out the bagel.
  10. Once you’ve shaped all the bagels, bring the pot of water/maple syrup to a roiling boil. Carefully place two bagels at a time into the boiling water (“seam” side down) and let them poach for 30 seconds before flipping them over and letting them poach for another 30 seconds. Remove the bagels using a spider or slotted spoon. Let the excess water drip off before you place them down on the parchment paper again, the same side up as before (“seam” side down).
  11. Prepare an egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 tbsp of water. Let the boiled bagels cool for a couple of minutes before brushing them with the egg wash. (If you don’t have eggs or are vegan, you can brush the bagels with a bit of non-dairy or dairy milk).
  12. Brush the egg wash (or milk) generously onto all the bagels, and then sprinkle toppings on OR pick up the bagels and dip them down into a shallow bowl full of toppings.
  13. Bake the bagels for 25-30 minutes at 425F. When you take them out, they might feel hard initially but will soften up as they cool. Immediately move them to a cooling rack and let them sit for about an hour.
  14. Slice and enjoy!!

This recipe came from the blog nokneadtoworry.com and it was perfect! Lots of recipes have malt syrups or powders but this recipe was so simple and yielded delicious bagels. Paulina has lots of tips and videos to help with whatever dough you are creating.

Out of the fridge and ready to take a 2 hour rest.
I couldn’t believe how good they look already.

Sourdough Pita

Posted on by
Reply

img_3526

Just look at those puffs!  I’m obviously a foodie weirdo given how exciting it is.

What??  Still with the sourdough posts?  I am still learning how versatile my sourdough can be, and these sourdough pitas were absolutely the best.  For the first time, with all my attempts at pita that puffed up beautifully – this recipe gave me a fantastic result. 8 pita, with 7 of them puffing up like a balloon and the 8th puffing up partially.

 

  • 1 cup (8 oz, 224g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • 1 cup (8 oz, 240 ml) warm water
  • 2 3/4 cups (13.75 oz, 385g) bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 25g) olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz, 14g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the starter, water, and 1 ½ cups of the flour. Mix until it forms a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
  2. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add the olive oil, sugar and salt then mix to combine. With the mixer running on low, add the remaining flour. Mix until the dough begins to clean the bottom of the bowl and form a ball around the hook. If mixing by hand add flour until you can no longer stir, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface to finish by hand. Knead 5 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
  3. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature.
  4. After 30 minutes uncover the bowl, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough then flip the dough over. You’re basically turning the dough inside-out to redistribute the yeast.
  5. Cover the bowl and after 30 minutes repeat the procedure. Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes repeat the procedure again. Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes the dough should be ready.  By now the dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish give it another hour or two at room temperature.
  6. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight (see note). Remove the bowl from the refrigerator in the morning and allow the dough to come to room temperature.
  7. Preheat the oven to 450°F. If you have a baking stone place it in the oven. If you don’t have a baking stone, place a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven to preheat. If you have a dark colored baking sheet use that. A dark pan will absorb heat better than a light-colored pan, so the bread will bake faster and puff better.
  8. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll two pitas to ¼” thick and 7”-8” around. If the dough springs back too much let it rest for 5 minutes and continue rolling.
  9. Immediately place the rounds on the preheated baking stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake until they are puffed and the bottom is nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes. You don’t need to flip the bread. Remove the baked breads and wrap in a clean kitchen towel while you continue rolling and baking the pitas.
  10. The pitas are best the day they are made, but they also freeze very well.

img_3520

I did prep the night before, and this little ball of soft goodness sat on the counter for a couple of hours before retiring to the fridge for the night.

img_3521

Look at those delicate little air bubbles …… just what I was I was looking for.

img_3522

I think the secret to getting a puff is to not overwork the dough.  This amount of dough makes 8 pitas, roll each out to about 7″ and you will get the right thickness.

img_3523

I could have danced around the kitchen when I saw this puff!

img_3524

Steaming in the towel is part of the whole process.  The pita will collapse and stay ever so soft.

img_3525

 

This sourdough pita recipe came from baking-sense.com and if you want more information on how to create the perfect pita, just hop on over to that site.  I love how detailed their explanations are, complete with photos from every step.

Sourdough pancakes

Posted on by
Reply

img_3493

Still looking for ways to use that sourdough starter or discard you created during this Covid-19 pandemic?  These pancakes are ideal!  You get that sourdough tang along with the fluffiest pancakes.  If you love buttermilk pancakes these will be a hit.

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sourdough starter (or discard from your fridge)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk (any kind will do)
  • 1 large egg, well beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp butter or light oil of your choice

Whisk all the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet.  I used a separate bowl to mix the wet just to get the egg incorporated but you certainly don’t have to.

Mix batter together just until it the dry ingredients are absorbed.  Don’t overmix or your pancakes won’t be as tender as they could be.

Use a little cooking spray or butter on your hot griddle and pour 1/2 cup batter on for each pancake.  Flip when the air bubbles have popped (about 1-2 minutes) and then flip over for another 1-2 minutes, just until lightly browned on the second side.

Make a big batch on the weekend and freeze for easy week day breakfasts!

img_3491

This is from 1 1/2 times the recipe ….. a big batch of pancakes!

Perfect & Quick Yeast Loaf

Posted on by
1

Sloan and Stella requested garlic bread to go with spaghetti and meatballs, and I can’t blame them.  With no intentions of running to town, I looked up a recipe for a quick, easy yeast bread that didn’t require over night resting and this one was just perfect.

img_3441

This one recipe makes two loaves, enjoy one for dinner tonight and treat someone to the other!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 cups warm water not over 110°F
  • 5 1/2 to 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • cornmeal or flour for dusting
  • boiling water

Instructions

  • In a large bowl mix together the yeast, sugar, salt and water. Let this stand until the yeast is dissolved. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time to the liquid and mix thoroughly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead. (This may be a little messy, but don’t give up!)
  • Knead It: Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. Let the dough rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl with a few drops of olive oil (preferred) or non stick baking spray. Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Let It Rise: Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
  • Shape it: Punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any air bubbles. Cut the dough in half and shape into two Italian- or French-style loaves. Place the loaves on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes.

Bake it:

  • Lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and lightly brush or spray them with cold water.
  • Place an aluminum roasting pan on the bottom of the oven. Fill 1″ deep with boiling water. Slide loaves onto baking stone* in a cold oven. Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Alternate method:

  • For a lighter, crustier bread, let your shaped loaves rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven and roasting pan with water to 500°F for 15 minutes. Brush the loaves with cold water, place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  • * If you don’t have a baking stone, you are welcome to try using a flat cookie sheet. Please note your bread will not have as nice of a crisp crust.

61308930847__59fe78c7-49d7-4825-8d56-7816064dd64a

Any project is better when you’ve got Stella helping!

img_3459

A nice crumb, and not too crusty, this bread is ideal for when you haven’t planned it out early in the day or with sourdough, the day before!

Sloan

Toasted up, Sloan thought it was delicious dipped in her soft boiled eggs the next morning.

 

I found this on a site called gatherforbread.com and it fit the bill perfectly for deciding I wanted a French style bread the same day I needed it!  No overnight resting and so quick and easy to make, the results made it seem like I had worked a lot harder!  While not a true French or Italian loaf, it is similar and we thought it was just as good for toasting the next day.

Garlic Herb Naan

Posted on by
Reply

Garlic Herb Naan 1

Hands down, these were my best naan yet!  I think I had to convince myself to go with the lightly oiled pan as well as brushing butter on the naan itself before putting it in the pan – but it was SO worth it.

  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup warm whole milk
  • 1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted and divided in half
  • 2-4 cloves garlic, grated
  • 3/4 cup chopped mixed herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, chives, and/or dill)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, honey, and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble on top.

2. Add the milk, yogurt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 2-4 minutes. The dough should be sticky. Dust lightly with flour and knead the dough into a ball using your hands. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size, or if not using right away, overnight in the fridge.

3.  When ready to cook divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a large oval, about 8 inches long and about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, you want the pan screaming hot. Brush both sides of the naan with half of the melted butter. Drizzle the the skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil, then carefully use a paper towel to wipe the oil around the skillet. Place the naan on the hot skillet, immediately cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute, bubbles will form. Flip and cook, uncovered for another 1-2 minutes, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the rest of the naan, keeping them wrapped in a towel while you work.

5. To make the garlic herb butter. Melt together the remaining half of the melted butter plus the garlic. Heat over low heat until the butter is lightly browned and the garlic golden. Remove from the heat and add the herbs. Brush the garlic herb butter over the warm naan and serve. These are best served warm, right off the skillet, but leftovers are still delicious. Keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Garlic Herb Naan 4

Even from this photo you can see little air pockets waiting to puff up, and you can see how soft the dough is.  With only two of us to cook for during this Covid 19 pandemic, I cooked up 4 of them, and rolled the other 4 out to put in the freezer.                                                                             One busy day ahead I will have naan ready for the fry pan, and I’m pretty happy about that.

 

This is one of those “sometimes” recipes where you just have to go with full fat milk and full fat yogurt.  Of course, if you aren’t able to do that, they will still be delicious, just not quite as delectable.

Garlic Herb Naan 3

Naan is perfect for dipping in this creamy coconut shrimp curry.  

Thanks for this amazing naan recipe go to http://www.halfbakedharvest.com

I love her recipes – they always seem to turn out perfectly – I didn’t change a single thing on this.  If you don’t have a stand mixer, no worries, just mix by hand and then get your workout kneading the dough until it is soft and not too sticky.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Posted on by
2

I love those round loaves of sourdough bread, crunchy crust, chewy interior with lots of holes …… but this is not one of them.  Sometimes I also just want a soft sandwich loaf with all the flavour of my sourdough breads.  This makes enough for 2 loaves.  I made one in a traditional loaf pan and the rest of the dough turned into the most amazing rolls I’ve ever come up with.

Soft sourdough 6

Ingredients

Levain

  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (128g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (128g) cool water (60° to 70°F)
  • 3 tablespoons (44g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter

Dough

  • 5 1/4 cups (631g)  Unbleached Bread Flour or  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
  • scant 6 tablespoons (50g) milk powder
  • 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (340g) water (70° to 80°F)
  • all of the ripe levain
*All-purpose flour will produce a somewhat stickier dough.

Instructions

  1. To make the levain: Mix all of the levain ingredients together and place in a covered container with room for the levain to grow. It will almost double in size, and will take about 12 hours to ripen (ferment) at room temperature (70°F). When perfectly ripened, there’ll be large bubbles (mostly below the surface) creating a somewhat rippled effect. It’ll appear almost fluffy. If the levain is covered with a froth of tiny bubbles, it’s a bit over-ripened; but don’t worry, you can still use it.
  2. To make the dough: Mix and then knead together all of the dough ingredients, including the levain, to make a smooth, supple, and not overly sticky dough.
  3. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
  4. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into 8″ logs. Place the logs in two lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ bread pans. Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a couple of plastic shower caps), and let the loaves rise until they’ve crowned about 1″ over the rim of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours.

Soft sourdough 4

Look at all this from just a few moments work!  I almost injured my arm I was so enthusiastically patting myself on the back.

This recipe yielded such a beautiful soft sandwich loaf for sure, but it was these rolls that stole the show.  The dough is tender and incredibly flavourful.

Soft Sourdough 1

It’s the same principal as a cinnamon bun – but savoury!  You can fill the roll with anything you like.  Today I used Black Forest ham, cut into small squares, and spicy Calabrese sausage cut into little strips along with kalamata olives and diced yellow pepper.

Today I got frustrated because I wasn’t able to use tomato sauce like the pizza roll I envisioned.  So, Plan B …… I defrosted one of my basil almond pesto blocks, stirred in a bit more olive oil and spread that over the dough.  In the end, it was the happiest of Plan B’s ever!  In fact I got so excited by how good it was smelling that I rolled it all up, forgetting to add cheese.  Oh well, another Plan B – cheese sprinkled over the top before baking.

Soft sourdough 3

A mixture of aged white cheddar and mozzarella graced the top of these rolls right before baking and it was just fabulous.

I’ve been reading a lot of the King Arthur Flour website recipes during my sourdough explorations, and this recipe also came from there.  We don’t have any of that particular flour around here, but I wonder how much difference that makes?  We do have Rogers Flour locally and that is what I have been using with great success.

Olive Sourdough Loaf

Posted on by
5

Okay, my goodness …. you have to try this loaf.  Love kalamata olives any day of the week, but add them to a loaf of sourdough goodness, include some fresh garlic chunks and oregano right out of the garden and you have a sure fire winner.

olive loaf 6

I think it is the combination of sourdough starter with the yeast that creates the perfect crumb and texture for soft and delicious bread.

  • 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, ripe (fed) or discard
  • 1 1/4 cups (283g) lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup (50g) olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped; or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups (539g to 574g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup (71g to 142g) drained, pitted, and coarsely chopped kalamata olives
  1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the olives, mixing and kneading to form a smooth dough then fold in the olives.
  2. Cover the dough, and allow it to rise until it’s doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
  3. Gently divide the dough in half; it’ll deflate somewhat.
  4. Shape each piece of dough into a round loaf. Place each loaf on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

olive loaf 3

Knead the olives in until the dough is soft, only slightly sticky to the touch, and smooth.

Olive loaf 1

This loaf came out of the oven looking irresistible.  It was amazing!

 

 

olive loaf 4

I was looking for a loaf shape today, so baked them in these pans.

olive loaf 5

Just look!  These olive loaves were absolutely perfect – the texture and flavour can’t be beat.

This recipe came from the King Arthur Flour website, and if you ever have any questions about baking, check out their website, they have everything.

 

Sourdough Crackers

Posted on by
Reply

These crispy, crunchy, tasty crisps are the perfect way to quickly use up some of that sourdough starter discard that is threatening to take over your fridge.  Eaten on their own, or as a vessel for your favourite dip, they are a winner any way you serve them.

Sourdough crackers 8

A little fresh homemade tzatziki sauce was the perfect way to eat up a bunch of these crisps!

  • 200 grams (about 1 cup) mature sourdough starter
  • 60 grams (about 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
  • 60 grams (about 1/2 cup) whole wheat flour
  • 12 grams (about 2 tbsp) rye flour
  • 32 grams (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried herbs de Provence (or any herbs you like)
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

 

  • flaky sea salt for topping

In mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for the flaky sea salt.  Mix well, kneading until you get it all together in a nice smooth ball.

To get 200 grams of starter, I often use what I have left from the jar I am feeding, then add to it with starter discard that is in the fridge.  If using entirely discard from the fridge you can either wake it up with a feed and use it once you see it has doubled, or just use it straight from the fridge.  With these crackers you are mainly looking for the flavour more than a rise like you expect from a loaf of bread.

Wrap tightly in plastic and put in the fridge for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours.  Sitting helps the sourdough flavours to develop, as well as make the dough easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Cut dough in half, place one half in fridge and roll out the other very thin, as thin as you can get and still work with it.  If you like a hardier crisp, then just roll out to 1/4 inch.  I’ve also used my pasta rolling machine with varied success.  When the dough feels soft and supple it works extremely well, but if your dough ends up a bit on the drier side of things it is easiest to roll out by hand)

You can either cut the dough before putting on the baking  sheet, or bake them as is and then break them into rustic crisps.

Spritz very lightly with water, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt right before baking.

Bake for 12-15 minutes – make sure you rotate your pans half way through for even baking.

Sourdough crackers 4

This dough is with the exact measurements and seasonings listed above.  It made a drier dough, and was much easier to roll out by hand than it was to put through the pasta roller.

Sourdough crackers 3

This dough was made with less whole wheat and rye flour, and it was by far the easiest dough to work with and slid through the pasta rollers with ease..  For seasoning I used my granddaughter Sloan’s magic taco seasoning mix.  They were delicious!

These crackers are only limited by your imagination!  Use any variety of flours or seasonings and get creative.

Sourdough crackers 1

These literally took minutes to make, and they are ready for the fridge.  I rested the dough until the next day (just because that was easiest today), and then rolled them out the next day.

Sourdough crackers

I cut these ones into long triangles prior to baking, but it is just as easy to create a more rustic crisp by baking them first and then breaking them up.

Sourdough crackers 2

These herby little bites were cut into a square (fish) shape prior to baking.

Sourdough crackers 5

Aren’t they pretty??  I loved these!  So easy to make, and the extra bonus is that so far I haven’t actually had to “discard” any of my discard.

I found this recipe during one of my many ventures down the internet rabbit hole in search of ways to use sourdough discard – it was on http://www.loveandoliveoil.com

img_3328

Pretty hard to go back to buying crackers when you realize how easy these are, and how absolutely delicious.