Tag Archives: Sourdough

LITTLE CUBES OF SOURDOUGH JOY

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The idea of baking sourdough in closed containers so that they retain that exact shape is not new and not mine either, you can check Elaine using a larger cube pan (click here), or in her book The Sourdough Bible. In fact, back in 2020, I shared a recipe for a bread made in a loaf tin that takes that concept into a pretty exotic path (click here to learn all about it). In today’s post, I went a little smaller using a pan that in theory is more appropriate for cakes, but I am thrilled with the way these baby cubes turned out. Needless to say, the husband requested these to go “on regular repeat”. I have no objection to that!

LITTLE SOURDOUGH CUBES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

300g bread flour (I used Bob Mill’s Artisan Bread Flour)
215g water (for 72% hydration)
30g Super 10 Blend from King Arthur (click here)
8g salt
50g starter (at 80 to 100% hydration, your choice)
sesame seeds to sprinkle on the dough (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a KitchenAid type mixer. On second-to-lowest speed, mix the dough for about 4 minutes, then remove to a slightly oiled bowl. Proceed with bulk fermentation with folds at roughly ever 45 minutes. Do 4 to 5 total folds, then allow it to ferment at room temperature until almost doubled in size. Portion small balls of dough weighing 90 to 100g each. Place inside the cavities of your mini cube pan. I used this one. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, turn the oven to 400F. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top of the dough, close the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, bake for 5 more minutes, then carefully take the pan out of the oven, flip the little breads and place them on a rack back in the oven to give uniform color on the sides. This step is optional but I think it gives a better final product, with a more pleasant crust all over.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I wanted to have a dough that would be almost exactly 600g total in weight, so that I could make six cubes. I wasn’t sure it 100g would be too much or not enough, but decided it was a nice round number to start experimenting. You can definitely play with the hydration level, as the bread is contained, you won’t have issues adding more water, so next time I might go to 75% or even higher.

Some of my cubes were slightly lighter than 100g, maybe 92g. You can see that in some the shape was not totally straight, as if the dough failed to fully expand the whole volume of the cavity. It’s not a serious problem, but if you use the exact same pan, aim for 100 to 105g per space.

They are adorable and delicious! As the husband said, the only problem is that once you start eating, you lose a bit the perspective of how much bread am I really consuming? It is easy to keep going because the slices are so small… I wanted to make croutons, but the cubes were gone next day. I will have to make more soon and save one or two cubes to cut croutons and freeze. It think that will be a perfect use for this bread.

1 YEAR AGO: Pappardelle with Scallops and Roasted Artichokes

2 YEARS AGO: Butterfly Pea Flower Accordion Bread

3 YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooker Pineapple Carnitas

4 YEARS AGO: Three Little Cakes

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6 YEARS AGO: Lady Bug Macarons

7 YEARS AGO: Five-Stranded Braided Bread

8 YEARS AGO: Green Olive Salad

9 YEARS AGO: Coffee Macarons Dressed up to Party

10 YEARS AGO: Blogging Hiatus

11 YEARS AGO: Tomato Tatin

12 YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!  

13 YEARS AGO: Farofa Brasileira

14  YEARS AGO: Thai-Inspired Pork Tenderloin

15 YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

16 YEARS AGO:  Summer’s Tomatoes

17 YEARS AGO: Leaving on a jet plane… 

PAPRIKA SOURDOUGH

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For this super simple sourdough formula, I wanted the outside to give a hint of what’s inside, so I dusted the dough with red yeast powder before scoring it with a combination of razor blade and scissors. I really like the look, and it tasted wonderful!

PAPRIKA SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

375g white bread flour
25g spelt flour
70g sourdough starter at 80% hydration (you can use 100% if you prefer)
285g water
8g salt
1 to 2 tsps paprika

for rubbing on surface:
red yeast powder (I used this product)

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 to 5 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a boule and place in a banneton. Move it to the fridge, covered, and leave it there overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, sprinkle red yeast powder all over, rubbing it gently. Score with a sharp razor blade making a grid, and cut the edges with small scissors.

Bake in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 450F for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the red yeast powder because it does not fade much during baking, even if you generate steam by keeping the lid closed in the beginning of the bake. Plus, the color is exactly that of paprika, which is what I was hoping for.

My original plan was to add a little oat flake at the center of each square, but after adding the first three, I lost my Zen. Removed those and said to myself “maybe next time”…..

You cannot quite tell it has paprika, but it gets this sightly more complex flavor, plus the soft hint of color in the crumb makes is special. A lovely loaf, highly praised by the husband!

1 YEAR AGO: Spaetzle, a Classic Made Lighter

2 YEARS AGO: Chicken Roll-ups with Asparagus

3 YEARS AGO: Flower-Shaped Dinner Rolls

4 YEARS AGO: Pride Macarons

5 YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Macarons

6 YEARS AGO: One-Two-Three Macarons

7 YEARS AGO: Marshmallow Macarons

8 YEARS AGO: Fujisan Bread

9 YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Tomatoes with Hazelnut Pesto & Halloumi Cheese

10 YEARS AGO: Red Velvet Layered Cake

11 YEARS AGO: Lemon-Lavender Bars

12 YEARS AGO: Quinoa Fried Rice

13 YEARS AGO: Carrot Flan with Greens and Lemon Vinaigrette

14 YEARS AGO: The Secret Recipe Club: Granola Bars

15 YEARS AGO:  Awesome Broccolini

16 YEARS AGO:  A Twist on Pesto

17 YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes

ONE DOUGH, THREE OUTCOMES

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For some odd reason, we’ve been going through sourdough eating at a fast pace. I used my default recipe two days in a row, first being a regular boule with an attempt of flowery design that had so much enthusiasm in the oven that it exploded through the petals, but I am not one to complain about excessive oven spring…

Next day, I went a bit crazy and did something totally different. I shaped the dough as a batard, and placed it in the fridge overnight. Next day, I divided it lengthwise in half, and used the first portion to bake a baguette-ish creature (not quite as thin), and divided the remaining half in 7 pieces to bake as small boules in a muffin tin. You can watch a short video of my first attempt to do this technique, which had a few issues, but nothing too serious. Halfway through the video, the important stuff got a bit off-center, but I caught in time to re-adjust for the final scoring. Apologies, I am a true newbie at this. Also, if the closed captions are showing and annoying you, I do not know now how to get rid of them. Will have to investigate that for future videos.

Apart from the problems handling the dough, I loved the method, and intend to do it again and again, The little boules are adorable and two of them were almost immediately consumed by the husband with a bit of jam.

As to the recipe, essentially any formula will work. I used 475g white bread flour and 25g whole-wheat, with my usual method that you can find here. I have incorporated following the fermentation by removing a small portion of the dough to a little jar, which gives me extra confidence in the bulk fermentation step. I leave it fermenting at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, then shape and place in the fridge overnight.

1 YEAR AGO: Oreo Cupcakes

2 YEARS AGO:Chocolate and Wax Seal Stamps

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5 YEARS AGO:Turkey Jalapeño Meatballs

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12 YEARS AGO:Fennel Soup with Almonds and Mint

13 YEARS AGO:Green Curry Pork Tenderloin

14 YEARS AGO:Farfalle with Zucchini and Ricotta

15 YEARS AGO:Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

16 YEARS AGO:Hoisin Explosion Chicken

THREE TAKES FOR SOURDOUGH

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Two focus on their looks, using a very basic formula I love. The third one focuses on flavor, mixing cranberries and pecans for a truly special loaf of bread that is sure to please you…

For the Red Striped and the Lace Decorated Loaves, I used this basic recipe.


CRANBERRY-PECAN SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

450g bread flour
50g whole wheat flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
75g pecans, finely cut
60g dried cranberries
tapioca flour for scoring (optional)

Mix all ingredients (except the nuts and cranberries) in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oil bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

On the second folding cycle, open the dough slightly over the countertop and spread the cranberries and nuts all over it. Gently fold it al in. Don’t worry about working the dough too much, it will be ok during the next two folding cycles.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a batard and place in a banneton. Move it to the fridge, covered, and leave it there overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, sprinkle tapioca flour all over, rubbing it gently. Score with a sharp razor blade.

Bake in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 450F for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: Nine out of ten times my sourdough is very simple, no additions, just the basics. But every once in a while it is nice to change things a bit. This combination is heavenly. A bit of Roquefort on this baby and you are transported to a park in Paris – I am thinking Jardin du Luxembourg – sitting on the most perfect lawn, people watching and day dreaming. We will always have Paris…..

.x

RED STRIPED SOURDOUGH


This was super simple and turned out just the way I expected. I used a stencil and Red Yeast powder (available here). Then it is just a matter of making one deep score in the center, and baking…

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LACE DECORATED LOAF


I need more practice with this technique, although I think a lot has to do with the thickness of the lace used. Some fabrics might work better than others. Still, it is a fun method to play with, just grab your lace, place on the surface of the loaf, add flour and gently lift the lace. Add a few scores around, and bake.

I hope you’ll get inspired by this post, so feed your starter,
and go have some fun!

1 YEAR AGO: Easter Bakes

2 YEARS AGO: Bicolor Ravioli

3 YEARS AGO:  Crispy Asparagus Salad with Toasted Bread Crumbs

4 YEARS AGO: Low-Carb Super Fast Chicken Parmigiana

5 YEARS AGO: Sundried Tomato Spelt Sourdough

6 YEARS AGO: A Duet of Chocolate Bonbons

7 YEARS AGO: Chocolate Tartlets with Honey-Caramel Filling

8 YEAR AGO: Zucchini Soup with Tahini

9 YEARS AGO: Black Sesame Macarons

10 YEARS AGO: Fine Tuning Thomas Keller

11 YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas

12 YEARS AGO: Majestic Sedona, Take Two

13 YEARS AGO: Secret Ingredient Turkey Meatballs

14 YEARS AGO: Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles

15 YEARS AGO: Italian Easter Pie

A DUET OF ST PATRICK’S BAKES

Posted in Breads, Cake by

If you follow my baby blog, perhaps you’ve noticed I ran out of time to blog about St. Patrick’s cookies? It turns out I also got in trouble right here in the Bewitching Kitchen. Today I share a bread and a batch of cupcakes made in honor of that special holiday. Included in this post, a little cupcake decorating video, that you can find right after the recipe.

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Better late than never, let’s start with the bread…


SHAMROCK SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

450g bread flour
25g spelt flour
25g dark rye flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
Thai rice flour (or tapioca flour)
shamrock shape cut from edible paper

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oil bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, add the shamrock shape in the center, and flour the region around it (I used Thai rice flour). To make the paper stick, you can spray the surface VERY LIGHTLY with water. Score the perimeter of the shamrock and the outer area of the dough, and place in a Dutch oven.

Close the pan and bake at 450F for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I used my Supersonic blade to score the dough, but a sharp razor blade will do, of course. This composition of sourdough, with mostly white flour, but a touch of spelt and rye might very well be my favorite these days.

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Moving on, time for cupcakes!


ST PATRICK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes 10 cupcakes

100g all-purpose flour
20g cocoa powder
140g granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
40g unsalted butter
1 large egg
120ml milk
1 + ½ tsp baking powder
buttercream for topping
Mini-golden Oreos painted with gold luster powder + vodka

Heat your oven to 350F and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.

In a small, bowl, whisk the milk and egg with a fork. Reserve.

Put the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, butter, sugar and salt into the stand mixer
bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix on a medium speed until the butter turns into the consistency of sand.

Pour in half of the milk and egg mixture into the stand mixer bowl with your other
ingredients and mix on a slow speed until it all fully combines and becomes a thick
paste. Pour the remaining milk mixture and mix on low-speed until the batter is smooth.

Fill the lined pan with batter, a little more than halfway full. Bake for 16 minutes, testing with a toothpick. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM FOR CUPCAKES

226g butter, unsalted, softened
452g powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Vanilla extract, about 1 tsp or more to taste
a couple or more tablespoons of milk (to adjust consistency)

Place the softened butter in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer with the paddle attachment, add the pinch of salt, and whip at high speed for about 7 minutes. It needs to be really soft and lighter. Stop the mixer. Eyeball the amount of powdered sugar, add 1/3 and mix at low speed at first, once the sugar is starting to get incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high. 

Add the second portion of the sugar, and incorporate the same way. Add the final portion, start at low speed, clean the sides of the bowl well with a spatula, add the vanilla and increase the speed slowly all the way to high. Whip it until very smooth. Add milk to desired consistency. Divide the buttercream in two portions, dye one with light green, one with darker green. Place both portions over a plastic wrap, enclose them as a sausage, drop inside a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Decorate the tops of the cupcakes as shown in the video. Add the gold Oreos.

EENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I was pretty happy with the way these cupcakes turned out. It was fun to decorate, and to show the process in more detail, here is a little video for you.

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That’s all for now, friends! If you like a little St. Patrick’s trivia, here is a very interesting article for you…

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ONE YEAR AGO: Happy Birthday to me!

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THREE YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pan-Steamed Broccoli with Miso Vinaigrette

FIVE YEARS AGO: Cookies and Rubber Stamps

SIX YEARS AGO: Macarons for all Seasons and Reasons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Lentils and Radicchio? Yes, please!

EIGHT YEAR AGO: Tres Leches Cake

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ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

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