COCOA LATTICE SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I consider this a work in progress, but for a first time using this technique, I am happy with it. You can use pretty much any formula you like, but go for a minimum of 500g total flour, as you will be removing 150g of dough to make the lattice. To cut the lattice, consider getting this gadget. You can always try to cut it by hand, but I imagine that would be quite tricky… at least for me!

COCOA LATTICE SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

400g white bread flour
150g whole wheat
80g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
9 g salt
360g water (I had to add flour as I mixed the dough, it was too sticky)
30g cocoa powder (see comments about it in the method description)

After mixing the dough in the Kitchen Aid for 4 to 5 minutes as I normally do, I went through a series of folding/kneading at 45 minutes intervals for a total of 5 cycles. At that point, I removed 150g of the dough and added the cocoa powder, kneading it into the dough, as best as I could. Not all the amount was incorporated, but the dough was dark enough.

The main dough was shaped as a boule and placed in the fridge overnight. The dark, smaller portion was covered with plastic wrap and also placed in the fridge. Next morning the dark dough was rolled as thinly as possible and cut with the pie lattice gadget. That was carefully placed on top of the main dough right before baking. Keep in mind that the moment the lattice touches the dough you won’t be able to move it and adjust it.

The bread was baked at 450F for 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes without a lid. Slice after completely cool.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The picture above was my first attempt at rolling the lattice, and it was too thick, it barely opened at some parts. So I gathered that dough and rolled it again. Try to go as thinly as possible, which was not very easy, the gluten tends to put up a fight. I definitely want to do it again, using other colors, but mainly making sure to roll the lattice thinner. Wish me luck! Why don’t you try it also and let me know how it goes for you? 😉

We did not detect any particular cocoa taste on the bread. The dark part gets a different texture, almost like a cracker. We both loved it… Stay tuned for more lattice adventures in the bread world!
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17Feb2024

UBE SOURDOUGH, TWO WAYS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Back in December last year I had a lot of fun playing with ube, the Filipino ingredient that was new to me. Today I share two ways to make sourdough bread incorporating ube. The basic recipe is the same, but in the first version I substituted some of the flour with ube powder. The second version incorporates 1/4 tsp ube extract in the dough. The one with the ube powder got a super light purple tone and the texture and structure of the bread was slightly different from a regular sourdough. If you are looking for color impact, definitely go with ube extract. A little goes a long way, and the taste is very mild.

UBE SOURDOUGH – VERSION #1

UBE SOURDOUGH, TWO WAYS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

480g white bread flour
20g ube powder
10g salt
350g water
75-90g sourdough starter at 100% hydration

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the flour, ,ube powder and salt. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time. You will notice the dough will gain quite a bit of structure even with just 4 minutes in the mixer. Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. Because the dough is already a bit developed from the initial time in the mixer, you should get very good structure after 3 and a half hours, or even sooner than that.

After four hours bulk fermentation, shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Leave at room temperature one hour, and then place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F.

Place a parchment paper on top of the dough, a flat baking sheet, and invert the dough, flipping it out of the banneton. Flour the surface of the dough, add the stencil and air-brush if so desired. Score with a razor blade.

Bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

FOR VERSION #2
Use 500g bread flour and add 1/4 tsp ube extract to the dough, following the same method to prepare and bake the bread.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You will notice that the crumb is tighter than usual for a sourdough, and also the color purple is super subtle, quite light. Version #2, with ube extract got a lot more color.

UBE SOURDOUGH – VERSION #2

I used a different method to decorate it, with oats to form little flowers and black sesame seeds in the center. Just wet the surface of the dough a little bit and that acts like a glue.

It was a bit time-consuming to do, so I ended up forming just 4 little flowers. Maybe next time I can go for full-coverage…

The crumb was open and super purple!

So, if you like to play with this ingredient, I would recommend the extract, because I felt the dough was quite affected in its structure when some of the flour (therefore gluten) was removed and replaced with the powder. Also, the color that the extract provides is quite spectacular and stayed unchanged with baking. Flavor is very subtle.

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24Dec2023

CHRISTMAS SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

A sourdough loaf to celebrate the season…

RAS-EL-HANOUT CHRISTMAS SOURDOUGH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

480g bread flour
20g spelt flour
75g sourdough starter at 100%
10g salt
335g water
1/2 tsp Ras-El-Hanout

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the two types of flour, salt and spices. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time. You will notice the dough will gain quite a bit of structure even with just 4 minutes in the mixer. Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. Because the dough is already a bit developed from the initial time in the mixer, you should get very good structure after 3 and a half hours, or even sooner than that.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F.

Bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I think I’m finally getting the gist of stenciling bread. You need to really keep the stencil tightly on the surface, and get just a drop or two of air-brush color in the machine so that you can hold it vertically and get the spray to go exactly where you need. Work in small passes instead of trying to add a heavy layer all at once. I did not even wash the container, I started with green, sprayed it, emptied the air-brush, added the red and tested on a piece of paper until the color came out truly red.

For the scoring I used a razor blade combined with scissors, and after 6 minutes in the oven I opened the lid quickly and scored it deeply again around the design to make sure it would lift during baking.

We all loved this bread, I think the mixture of spices gives it a super subtle extra flavor, not overpowering at all. And of course, the stencil on top is perfect for the season!

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9Oct2023

POLKA DOT LOVE SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Once again I played with wafer paper to decorate sourdough bread, but this time I coupled it with a few strings to generate a cute shape, often used to turn the bread into pumpkin shape, but I opted for a more romantic outcome… Nothing personal against pumpkins, I do love them and honored them in the past (click here).

Start by cutting wafer paper in small heart shapes…. You will need three, and three long strings that you should rub very lightly with oil to facilitate removing later.

Place the strings equally spaced over the proofed dough, flip the dough over parchment paper, and tie the strings on the top, trying to hit the center as closely as possible. Gently insert the paper, coat the surface with flour and score the bread in any design you like. I used the Sonic blade and small scissors, as I often do.

Bake as you normally do, I keep the lid for 30 minutes and remove it for a final 15 minutes, all at 450F. Remove the strings, and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

You can use different patterns for the small hearts, or cut plain wafer paper and paint it yourself.

It is really amazing how well the colors in the wafer paper stay pretty much unchanged with baking, much better than air-brushed or gel colors. I hope you give this technique a try and have as much fun with it as I am having…

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28Aug2023

WAFER PAPER AND SOURDOUGH BAKING

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This post is dedicated to Eha, a lover of butterflies…

I am so excited to share this new technique with you today! I first saw it on Instagram (check this page) and decided to give it a try. The possibilities are simply endless, of course. Basically, you make a design using wafer paper painted by hand or with a stencil, add that to the shaped, fully proofed dough right before baking, score around it with a razor blade. Isn’t that the coolest thing since….. sliced bread?

You can use any sourdough formula you want, in this particular loaf I re-visited the Ras-El-Hanout of my past, because I love that combination of flavors. Below you see the preparation of the wafer paper and the way I scored it (using my Sonic blade).

I used a stencil and painted the black portion with a food safe pen. Then I sprayed the whole surface with air-brush gold. That has to dry completely, so I advise you to make the wafer paper decoration the day before you intend to bake the bread. Or even several days in advance, it stays perfect, no issues.

My dough had enough moisture for the paper to stick to the surface without problem, if your dough is too dry, spray it lightly with water. VERY lightly. After the paper is on the surface, dust the surface of the loaf lightly with tapioca or all-purpose flour. In my case, I mixed tapioca flour with a little turmeric to re-inforce the golden color and the taste of the bread. Slash around the paper and all over the bread with the pattern of your choice.

Another important point – do not forget this – after the bread has been in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, go back and slash AGAIN only around the design. That will make it lift and look much better. Try not to forget this step.

My first attempt making this type of decoration did not work as well for two reasons: I was too focused on the paper and did not plan carefully the scoring, so it did not turn out very good. Second, I forgot to go back and slash the design again after 5 minutes into the bake. That made the paper stay glued to the bread and the design did not have the right impact. Anyway, it is the type of thing that you learn the more you do it.

I know I will be playing with this quite often in the future, and I hope you consider this fun technique also. The paper does not darken in the oven, which surprised me a bit, and the air-brush colors also seem to hold up well. If you are the artistic type, you can paint flowers, landscapes, whatever your imagination desires!