Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Wow, I feel my sourdough bread journey has been epic so far!  I can't remember making so many loaves of bread in such a short period of time in my quest to successfully achieve a good sourdough loaf.  All my loaves to date have had a different amount of lift but all with very good flavour.  My early loaves were dense and chewy ~ the family loved them but I found the crust too heavy and I knew they weren't rising the way they should.

While some brag that sourdough making is very easy, I  have found that it is a delicate balance of a good sourdough starter; rising times; and kneading methods to achieve the perfect loaf.  On most of the sourdough chat forums, many have experienced the same hit and miss progress while they chased the flavour, texture, and crumb that are considered ideal in the world of sourdough bread.  I know I have far to go, but after many failures with others recipes, I have settled on this combination of my own that has produced a great flavoured sourdough with a beautiful rise of more than double and a very nice crumb.

A sourdough starter fed with pretty much all organic rye flour has given me the most consistent results.  White, whole wheat, or a combination thereof for feeding has ended with a sickly starter smelling of nail varnish.  The starter appears to need more frequent feeding with these types of flours and since I only like to feed my sourdough once or twice a week, I prefer to store my starter in the fridge; keep it to a stiff paste consistency; and feed it rye flour only when I bake or once a week ~ whichever comes first.

This loaf is made without a larger pre-ferment made the night before. I mix it up with a portion of sourdough starter ~ straight out of the fridge ~ first thing in the morning and form it into a loaf at about the 6 or 7 hour mark and then leave it for a second rise an hour or two more.  My recipe will make one large sized baguette or two smaller loaves.  Try making single batch instead of doubling the recipe so you can practice and modify your techniques.  I now only knead my bread using the slap and fold method which is easier to use with wet doughs but also incorporates more air into the dough and has resulted in a much nicer crumb.  This kneading technique was another breakthrough moment for me and I encourage you to try it.  I have provided a link at the bottom of the page should you wish to see it in action.

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• 1 1/2 cups of warm filtered water
• 1/2 cup of warm soy milk or any milk of your choice
• 1 Tbsp. honey, maple syrup, or natural cane sugar
• 1 cup of sourdough starter
• 2 1/4 cups of white bread flour
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

In the morning mix the water, milk, honey and starter and blend well.  Next add the white flour and mix well and then finally add the remaining flour and salt.  The dough will be incredibly sticky and you will want to add more flour to it but don't.  Next, turn out the dough on  an unfloured counter and use the slap and fold method of kneading which consists of scooping up the dough on either side; flipping over and slapping it down quickly followed by stretching it toward you with your thumbs; then folding it over  on itself away from you.  Repeat these steps (see link below for more info) for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Make the dough into a ball and place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, then set aside for 6-8 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

Dough after kneading.

When the dough has doubled, gently scrape it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured countertop.  Don't punch down as the idea is to keep as much air in the dough as possible.  Gently form the dough into a square and then fold the dough by 1/3 toward you and press down on the seam with the heel of your hand.  Repeat this fold again on the opposite side bringing the seam to the centre and press down.  Now fold the dough tightly in half and gently roll and shape as desired in a tin or in a banneton/ proofing basket.  Leave to rise again for another two to three hours.

Second rise in my baking cloche.

When the dough has doubled again, bake the loaf at 425F /220C for 35-40 minutes in a bread cloche, bread tin or on a pizza stone. However you choose to bake the bread, make sure the seam side is down for baking.  The baked loaf should  make a hollow sound, when knocked on the bottom, if it is done.

Whole wheat sourdough hot out of the oven. Yes, my scoring
technique needs some work or a much sharper knife!

Tutorial : Richard Bertinet's slap and fold method of kneading.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

I always make chocolate cake for birthdays and occasional lunch box treats and I wanted to try a sourdough cake since I currently have three sourdough starters with which to experiment.  My birthday came and went just recently and this was the cake my kids made me for the festivities.

The process of fermenting the ingredients is reputed to breakdown the mixture in a way that makes the final baked product more easily digestible and have a lower glycemic index (GI) which is the effect food has on a person's blood glucose level.  If digestion and low GI isn't a concern of yours then using a variety of sourdough recipes is also a convenient way to use up your discarded portion of sourdough when you must feed your starter ~ so the more recipes you have on hand then the easier it is not to waste a drop.  Fermented baked goods also are supposed to have a longer counter life and stay moist for longer.

This recipe was adapted from a bunch of sourdough cake recipes floating out there in cyberspace.  King Arthur Flour has a recipe that is pretty similiar to this but makes a larger cake.  Feel free to double this for a larger sheet cake or a double layer cake.  The cake is really easy to make and stays moist and yummy for days depending on what you use for icing.  When I have made it for lunch boxes, I don't ice it at all.  In cool weather, I like a homemade coconut butter for an icing with a touch of maple syrup for a bit of sweetness; it hardens like a ganache but isn't crazy sweet and is easy on the digestion.  In hot weather, any icing is in trouble stored on the counter especially in Perth heat.

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• 1/2 cup of soy milk
• 1 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of strong coffee
• 1/2 cup of sourdough starter
• 1 cup of whole wheat or white flour
• 1 cup of natural cane sugar
• 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil or any other oil of your choice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. of Dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 egg or 3 Tbsps. water mixed with 1 Tbsp. of ground flax

In a medium-sized mixing  bowl, mix together the soy milk and cider vinegar.  Once the milk mixture has thickened then whisk the coffee and sourdough starter and then add the flour and mix until smooth.  Cover and set this aside from 3-8 hours.  The mixture will get somewhat elastic and rise a bit.

After fermentation

Once the mixture has suitably fermented, mix sugar, oil, egg/flax egg, salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and baking soda.  After thoroughly mixing, add to the fermented mixture and mix well.

Finished batter waiting for the oven to heat up.
See the bubbles?

Pour batter into a greased and baking paper lined 8 inch square pan or equivalent sized cake tin and bake at 350F or 180C for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.

Sourdough English Muffins

Sourdough everything is still on the brain here in my house.  After a couple of loaves of mediocre sourdough bread, I decided to scale back and rethink my sourdough strategy.  So far, I have had amazing sourdough flavour in all things sourdough but the rise and crumb of my loaves and cake have been a little hit and miss.

In a quest to improve my baking endeavors, I decided to buy some organic rye flour to super boost the friendly bacteria in the starter and moved it into permanently into the fridge.  Organic rye flour is reputed to be the best thing for sourdough feeding and the starter responded to the switch up from whole wheat flour to rye in a very positive way.  Because I intended to take a sourdough break, I fed the starter with rye flour but added less water to make it much thicker and borderline paste in an effort to go longer until my next feed.

After about two weeks or a little less in the fridge, I decided to feed my sourdough beast and use the discarded sourdough starter portion in my usual yeast bread recipe.  I followed my normal bread recipe and simply exchanged a half cup portion of flour with a half cup of sourdough starter.  I usually leave my yeast bread dough on the counter to double for two to four hours but surprisingly the dough doubled within an hour.  The sourdough starter seemed to super boost my bread with the end result being an incredibly light and delicious loaf of bread minus the sour flavour - as it didn't have time to develop.

Sticky dough

The key to sourdough is to have a powerfully active sourdough starter and a very wet and sticky dough. Just mix your dough so that all the ingredients are combined but ensure the dough is way too sticky to handle.  The long rising time will deepen the flavour and allow the dough to become more manageable and elastic without kneading.  I only kneaded this dough with a tiny bit of flour for a few seconds before dividing and shaping so it is really easy.  

~ Please take note:  to identify if your sourdough starter is active enough, it should be full of bubbles and have doubled in its container before using.  When you spoon the starter out to use, it should basically deflate. These are good signs that your starter is very active.  The starter should smell very sour but not like nail varnish.  If it does smell strongly of alcohol or of varnish, discard at least half to two thirds and feed with flour and water to form a wet paste and place back in fridge for at least a week while it recovers then evaluate again. ~

The dough after an 8 hour rise.

With my confidence boosted that my sourdough starter, Beastie, was showing signs of being super charged up; I fed him some more rye flour and rested him for a couple of days in the fridge and then pulled him out for an attempt at sourdough English muffins.  My first batch was halved - just in case I failed.  I began by mixing the dough in the morning and covered with plastic wrap and left in a warm spot until suppertime.  By this time, the dough had doubled so I dumped out the very sticky dough, kneaded it a few times with a bit of flour until I could gently handle it.  Finally, I rolled it in a log and sliced into about 10 pieces.  I shaped these up and then let rise on my baking tray until double and after a couple of hours, baked.  These English muffins were so light and so perfectly risen with a gentle sour taste, that I jumped for joy.  Not a speck of yeast was used to achieve greatness and it is this recipe that I share with you today.

The English Muffins after a two - three hour rise after shaping.

Sourdough English Muffins after baking.

I have now completed a few batches of multi-grain sourdough English muffins.  This recipe produces light, tangy and perfect English muffins that are delicious with your favourite topping.

They freeze exceptionally well and I guarantee they won't last long on the counter as they will get gobbled up for breakfast, lunch or snacks.  My kids like them instead of buns for a sandwich and they are awesome toasted too.   Enjoy!

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• 1 cup active sourdough starter
• 1 cup warm filtered water
• 1 cup soy milk or any milk of your choosing
• 2 Tbsps. honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or your choice of oil
• 2 1/2 cups of white baking flour
• 2 1/2 cups of multi-grain or whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. salt

In a medium sized bowl, combine sourdough starter, water, milk, honey and oil;  whisk gently until combined.  Next stir in the white flour.  Then slowly add the last 2 1/2 cups of multi-grain flour and salt ensuring that the dough is very wet and sticky.  Hold back on the last 1/4 cup of flour if it is starting to feel like it is getting too dry.  Whole wheat flour tends to absorb a bit more liquid so so be prepared to adjust the flour by a small amount if it is a bit dryer than you want.  Sourdough dough likes to be very sticky.

Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a sheltered spot on the counter and let it rise until double for about 8 hours.

Once dough has doubled, punch down and scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured counter.  With a sprinkle of flour, knead a few times until dough is a bit more manageable.  This dough should still be very wobbly but more elastic.  Flour and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut out in circles about 3 inches in diameter.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper to set aside for a second rise until double.  This may take up to three hours.  When ready, bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius for ten minutes.  Makes 20-24 English muffins.

I mixed in the morning, punched down dough at supper time and shaped for second rise to bake at about mid-evening which produced a very mild sourdough flavour.

'You-Won't-Believe-There's-No-Butter' Chicken

I love Butter Chicken but as my decade long dairy allergy strengthens, all the butter and cream in this popular Indian dish doesn't love me.  With the cost of eating out on the rise and the struggle to find good dairy-free dishes, I experimented for months on this recipe until I got the quantities right for a tasty version of Butter Chicken without any dairy.

This dish takes literally minutes to make and no skills are required.  My kids love it and it owes its gentle balance of flavors to amazing spices, good quality coconut milk, the sweetness of the carrot contrasted with the tanginess of the tomato paste.

I prefer chicken thighs over chicken breast because they are more tender and are a more flavorful part of the chicken so there is no need to marinate before cooking - a real time saver!  This sauce is so great that you can just add veggies and/or chickpeas for a meat-free curry. 

I'm pretty proud of this recipe and I hope you enjoy it!

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• 2 Tbsps. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsps. sweet paprika
• 500g. chicken thighs, cut in chunks
• 1 cup of carrot, grated
• 50 g. of tomato paste
• 1 - 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• chopped fresh coriander or parsley to garnish (optional)

In a medium-sized pot, heat the coconut oil; add spices and chunks of chicken. Cook for two minutes until the chicken is lightly browned. Next add the grated carrot and sauté for another two minutes. Finally, add the coconut milk, tomato paste and salt; stir.  Simmer gently for five to ten minutes until all the flavors have combined.

Serve over basmati or cauliflower rice.  Garnish with fresh chopped coriander or parsley.  Serves four.

Freestyle Fresh Plum & Fig Frangipane

It is plum season in my neck of the woods.  A few days ago, my husband surprised me with a 10kg box of huge juicy plums and we have been eating them everyday. Today when I went out to harvest some more basil from my garden, I was surprised to find our figs from our fig tree were finally starting to ripen.  

Since I am only getting a handful of ripened figs at a time, I decided to combine the plums and figs together for frangipane awesomeness!
This freestyle plum & fresh fig frangipane is adapted from the recipe found at Gourmande in the Kitchen.  

A pretty pie dish would make this dessert a bedazzler but unfortunately all I had was a plain utilitarian glass pie plate; pretty presentation dish or not, this dessert is still a treat!  Divide into small ramekins for a more formal individual experience.

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• 4 large plums. halved and sliced
• 4 fresh figs, sliced
• 1 cup of almond meal
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

In a greased 8-9 inch glass pie dish, evenly spread the sliced plums and figs over the bottom.  In a separate bowl, whisk the honey, oil and egg together and then add the almond meal, spices, and salt; stir to combine.  Spoon the almond mixture over the fruit as evenly as possible and bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with a dollop of coconut whipped cream, cashew cream, or dairy-free ice cream.

Killer Korma Sauce

I absolutely love Indian food but my dairy allergy and my aversion to overly rich foods really get in the way of a good Indian take-away.  I have spent a few years trying to nail a recipe that tasted as good as our favourite take-away and was healthier than most.  Dairy-free and delicious, I have shared my Killer Korma Sauce recipe with many friends and it is now a favourite curry staple in our house.

The kids can make this recipe with no problem.  Just add lamb, chicken, tofu, chickpeas, veggies-only or your favourite fish to the sauce and serve veggies on the side - or chuck them into the curry for a one-dish wonder!

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• 2 Tbsps. sunflower or 2 Tbsps. coconut oil
• 1/8 cup ground almonds or (optional)
• 1 medium onion, pureed
• ½ cup carrot, grated
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1Tbsp. ginger, freshly grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. heaped, ground cumin
• 1 tsp. heaped, ground coriander
• 200g. diced fresh tomatoes
• 400g. light canned coconut milk
• fresh coriander
• fresh/dried chilli to add a bit of heat (optional)
• approximately 400g of your favourite protein or just add vegetables

Puree onion and then lightly saute onions and carrot with oil in large saucepan or tagine; add tomatoes and cook gently until softened. Add spices and a splash of water to help tomatoes soften and form a paste with the spices, onions and carrot. To prevent burning keep adding a splash of water but keep your paste soft but fairly dry. Cook paste slowly for about 10 - 15 minutes.

If using raw chicken or lamb then add to the pan to lightly cook. When chicken is browned add coconut milk with the almond meal. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to finish cooking and bring the flavours together. If using fish, then add the coconut milk to the tomato/onion mixture, simmer 10 minutes and then add fish and gently cook for a few minutes until cooked through. Serve over steamed basmati or cauliflower rice and season with chopped, fresh coriander leaves or parsley.

Use leftover almond pulp from homemade almond milk or vegetable pulp from juicing to act as a sauce thickener and add nutrition to this sauce.

 ~Serves 4-6 persons depending on serving sizes ~