Category Archives: breads (leavened)

Cornbread #3 (Gluten free)

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Uses extra egg and cornstarch as a binder, in place of flour. Yields a tender, moist, crumbly crumb with a luxurious crispy crust.

For best results bake in a 10″ cast iron skillet, preheated in the oven for at least 10 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups coarse ground yellow corn meal
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter to grease pan

Directions

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet in the over and preheat to 425°F.

Melt 6 tbsp of butter in a microwave oven on low heat, being careful not to break the emulsion.

Combine corn meal, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a 3 quart mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until smooth. Combine with buttermilk, sour cream.

Chop the remaining butter into small cubes. Set aside.

When the oven has been at temperature for 10 minutes, pour the butter and wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and fold several times to a rough, slightly lumpy batter. Do not over mix.

Swirl the butter cubes in the preheated skillet, coating the bottom and sides well. Pour the batter into the skillet, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the skillet to the oven.

Bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick draws clean from the center of the pan.

Sourdough Pita

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This recipe is about 76% hydration dough, and does not use extra yeast.

Makes 8 flatbreads.

Ingredients

  • 330g all-purpose flour
  • 12g sugar
  • 12g salt
  • 12g olive oil
  • 230g water
  • 165g sourdough starter

Directions

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, combine ingredients on low until a rough dough forms. Cover and rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

Using a dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium-low speed for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 10-12 hours, or refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Turn out onto floured surface and divide into eight equal portions. Form each portion into a ball and rest 30 minutes.

Preheat a baking steel or pizza stone in the center of an oven to 475°F.

Shape each dough ball into a flat disk between ⅛” and ¼” thick, about 8 inches across. Allowed the shaped disks to dry slightly, then flip damp side up I to the stone or steel. (You may also lightly spritz the underside exposed after flipping to enhance pocketing.)

Bake pitas until lightly browned and puffy, approximately 6 minutes each.

Sourdough sandwich bread

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Similar to store bought white bread. This bread is 54% hydration, and uses no extra yeast.

Makes one 9×5 loaf.

Levain

  • 100g all-purpose flour
  • 100g lukewarm water
  • 35g active sourdough starter

Main dough

  • 400g all-purpose flour
  • 25g malted milk powder
  • 12g sugar
  • 9g fine sea salt
  • 60g (about ½ stick) softened, unsalted butter
  • 170g water
  • 235g levain

Prepare levain at least 5 to 8 hours in advance.

Add ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, combine the ingredients until a rough dough has formed. Cover and rest at room temperature 30 to 90 minutes.

Using a dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature 10-12 hours, or refrigerated up to 3 days.

Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan, lightly oiling then lining with parchment.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and release any large gas pockets. Gently flatten then roll the dough into a log, tucking the ends under. Cover and rest 15 minutes. Shape the dough, tensioning the surface by sliding it against the bench. Transfer to the loaf pan. Cover and allow 1-2 hours for a second rise, until the dough is about an inch above the rim of the pan.

Bake uncovered 45-55 minutes at 375°F, until golden brown. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Sourdough Bavarian Pretzels

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This recipe is a bit of an experiment, combining a few techniques.

The starter either may be incorporated directly into the other ingredients as directed below, or added to autolyzed flour with the remaining ingredients.

Using 12.5% whole wheat flour will help to produce a more sour final product than using only white flour.

Using sodium hydroxide (lye) is a traditional method in pretzel making. The more aggressive base in the bath helps to gelatinize the starches in the surface of the dough, promoting Maillard browning. Use food grade lye powder at a rate of 30g/L for the bath. When working with lye powder, take care not to allow contact with skin or eyes. Do not use uncoated aluminum or iron utensils and cookware– only use steel or glass. Finally, dilute the lye powder with water before adding to the final volume, and raise heat slowly.

Ingredients

Bake time: 15 minutes at 450°F

  • 500g all purpose flour
  • 100g whole wheat flour
  • 400g sourdough starter 100% hydration
  • 320g room temperature water
  • 16g salt
  • 16g brown sugar
  • 3% sodium hydroxide (30g/L) bath

Directions

Prepare a sourdough starter (100% hydration) in advance. Weigh out 400g of starter and combine with 320g room temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt, sugar and half of the flours. Mix on low until just combined. Add the remaining flour and change to a dough hook. Mix on low speed until just combined, then cover and rest for 30 minutes to one hour to hydrate the dough.

The dough will be have a sticky, slack texture when it has fully hydrated. Knead the dough in the stand mixer with a dough hook attacked, about 5 or 6 minutes and occasionally scraping down the sides. The dough is kneaded when it pulls away from the bowl, and passes a windowpane test. Turn dough out into a lightly oiled cambro or square baking dish and cover. Allow to ferment for 4 to 5 hours, performing stretch and folds every 30 minutes until dough has fully fermented. Proof dough 4 moee hours at room temperature, or refrigerwted overnight.

After the dough is proofed divide dough evenly into 12 pieces, approximately 100g each.

For traditional pretzels, shape each piece into a rope approximately 20 inches long, and ¾ inch thick, or 50cm by 1.5cm. Do not overwork the dough, and allow it to rest if it becomes too elastic. Form a bend in the rope, twisting the ends twice then folding over, lightly pressing the tips to adhere them to the bend. Arrange on lightly greased parchment squares, allowing room to expand as the dough rises for its final proof, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450°F and prepare a steel cooling rack over a baking sheet.

Prepare a bath of 3% sodium hydroxide (lye) in a nonreactive pot. Dilute 30g of food grade sodium hydroxide powder in 1L water. Raise the bath to a gentle boil, being careful so avoid skin contact.

Working in pairs, transfer pretzels to the bath one at a time by lifting the parchment squares and gently turning into the bath. Simmer each pretzel 10-15 seconds, turning once. Remove pretzels to the baking rack and allow to drain. Do not rest pretzels after the bath. Immediately transfer the pretzels on the rack to a 450°F, baking for 15 minutes and turning once.

Pretzels may be salted prior to baking, or lightly moistened and pressed into a dish of salt before warming.

Freeze unsalted pretzels in a freezer back for up to 2 months. Lightly moisten pretzels and salt before warming in a 325°F oven for 5 minutes.

Buttermilk Brioche

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This is a buttery and flavorful brioche dough recipe suitable for loaves and donuts.

Buttermilk brioche loaf

Ingredients

  • 450 gram bread flour (12% protein)
  • 3 eggs medium size
  • 150 gram sourdough starter 100% hydration
  • 35 grams water
  • 60 gram buttermilk
  • 230 grams butter, cubed and softened (approx 2 sticks)
  • 30 gram sugar
  • 20 gram sea salt

Directions

Prepare a starter and allow to ripen. When the starter passes a float test, combine starter, water, buttermilk, flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and affixed with a dough hook. With the mixer on low, add eggs one by one until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Rest 1 hour.

With the mixer on medium, add cubes of butter one by one, allowing each cube to completely incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the mixer occasionally. The dough should become silky smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and rest until dough has expanded by 30%, about 4 hours. Performing a stretch and fold approximately each hour until the gluten stiffens.

Cover in an airtight container and ferment refrigerated up to 2 days before shaping.

After fermentation, warm the dough to room temperature and shape. Allow to rise until doubled in size. If baking, brush down with egg white and bake in a 375°F oven 25-30 minutes, until a temperature probe inserted to the center of the loaf registers 209°F. Allow to fully cool before slicing.

Basic sourdough bread

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Uses a 100% hydration starter (“mother”) ripened and added to a preferment. Also uses an autolyse to hydrate the flour and encourage gluten formation.

This will make an 80% hydration dough based on 1kg total weight of flour among the starter, preferment and bulk flour.

Makes 2 loaves.

Preferment

  • 150g flour
  • 75mL room temperature water
  • 30g ripened (“fed”) starter

Combine in a bowl and allow to rest until doubled in size

Autolyse

  • 850g flour
  • 650mL room temperature water

Combine gently in a large bowl and rest 30 to 60 minutes. Anticipate the dough to double in size.

Dough

  • Preferment, as above
  • Autolysed flour, as above
  • 70mL room temperature water
  • 20g salt

Dissolve 20g salt into 70mL room temperature water. Add the brine to the preferment and combine by pinching the brine into the sponge.

Add the preferment to the autolysed flour, and combine. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

Leave dough in the bowl to ferment. Fermentation can take as little as 4 hours at room temperature to 12 hours while refrigerated. If refrigerated, allow dough to warm to room temperature before shaping.

Divide the dough and shape. Proof the dough until it has doubled in size, again several hours or refrigerated.

Preheat a cast iron dutch oven in a 480°F oven. Transfer the shaped loaves to the dutch oven, being carful not to deflate the loaves or injure hands. Slash the tops of the loaves about 1cm deep with a sharp knife or baker’s lame, and cover the dutch oven. Bake covered 30 minutes at 485°F. Uncover the dutch oven and bake an additional 25 minutes at 450°F until well browned.

Cool 30 minutes on a rack before slicing.

Neapolitan pizza dough #1

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Derived ratios from several recipes:

  • 600g Type “00” flour
  • 400mL water
  • 12g salt
  • 8.5g (1 sachet) yeast

This wants a long rest and a long rise. Prepare days in advance. Make four 12″ crusts.

Combine ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated. Allow to rise up 10-10 hours. Turn out and divide evenly by 4. Seal in quart size containers and refrigerate 2-4 days until risen.

Warm to room temp at least 2 hours prior to working.

See also, Garlic Knots recipe.

Adapted from Basic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

Garlic knots

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Makes 24 knots, about a half sheet.

Ingredients

  • 500g bread flour
  • 300mL warm water
  • 15mL olive oil
  • 15mL half & half
  • 10g granulated sugar
  • 1 sachet active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp parsely
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper

Flaky, biscuit like Chicago style garlic knots.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.Combine warm water (about 100°F), milk, sugar and yeast, whisking gently to dissolve sugar. Rest 10 to 20 minutes until mixture is lightly foaming.Combine flour, oil and yeast mix in the bowl a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or in a food processor with metal blades.

Stand mixer

Set mixer on low speed until the ingredients are well combined, about 2 minutes. Cover and rest 10 minutes, then affix dough hook and knead on medium speed for up to 5 minutes.

Food processor

Use dough setting or low speed until dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Turn out dough onto oiled work surface and knead 3 to 4 tines until dough is well combined. Cover and rest 10 minutes, then knead by hand up to 5 minutes.Form dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.Turn out dough onto floured work surface and divide into 24 even pieces. Roll pieces into rope about 6″ long and ½ inch thick. Tie ropes loosely in an overhand knot, leaving less than an inch overhanging and tucking in ends. Arrange knots on a greased pan and allow to rest 10 minutes.Melt butter in a small saucepan, then add parmesan, garlic salt, spices and herbs. Brush half of the mixture over the knots.Bake knots at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with remaining butter.