Wednesday 30 January 2013

Sourdough Fantans Filled with Jam and My Favorite Things

These pretty little Lemon and Strawberry Vanilla Jam Fantans are so good, they inspired a song.  You can sing along if you like. It’s sung to the tune “These are a few of my favorite things” from the Sound of Music. Here we go,

Sourdough starter, and jam, and sweet rolls,

Mix them together to make something delightful! 

Enjoy them with coffee, or tea or just plain,

These are a few of my favorite things

When the starter dies, when the yeast fails, when the dough is bad,

I simply remember how to restart the start & then I don’t feel so sad.

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Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms chose Jam Fantans as the bread of the month for the Bread Baking Babes. I’m glad she did. These yummy rolls include several of the things I’ve been working on this month: namely sourdough starters and jam.  When you add maple syrup, nutmeg and vanilla to the mix, the result is simply delightful.  

If you remember, when I activated my apple starter (2 posts ago), I doubled the feeding because I couldn’t bring myself to discard 1/2 of the jar of the culture. Now you know what I made with the rest of the culture proof.

Like the Cheesy Brioche, this rich dough isn’t something you would normally think of using sourdough in but it works really well.  If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can use a mixture of yeast and warm water (see Elle’s instructions), but I would recommend the sourdough. It gives it a unique flavor.

Here is my adaptation of Elle’s recipe.  Be sure to refer to her post for more helpful tips.  She has some additional information if you don’t have a sourdough starter.  I didn’t include that info since I used my starter.

 

Lemon and strawberry Vanilla Jam Fantans

Adapted from: Jam Fantans for January by Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms

Makes: 12 Rolls

Equipment


  • mixing bowl and wooden spoon
  • large mixing bowl, lightly coated with cooking spray
  • 12 cup standard muffin tin, buttered

 

Ingredients


  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (plus extra for sprinkling)
  • 1 cup whole wheat bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup sourdough starter
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 1/3 cup lemon jelly, warmed
  • 1/3 cup strawberry vanilla jam, warmed

 

Preparation


1) Sift 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, the 1 cup of whole wheat bread flour, salt, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

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2) Placed milk, butter and maple syrup into a saucepan and heat until butter is nearly melted. Remove from heat. Stir a few minutes to help mixture cool. Let cool to 110 degrees F.

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3) Add sourdough starter to milk mixture, then add milk mixture to flour mixture; beat well. Add egg and vanilla; stir until blended. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, stir until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is rather sticky.

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4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 3 minutes or until dough is smooth and silky. (Add additional flour if needed while kneading, but only enough to keep it from sticking a lot.) Place in oiled bowl, turn dough to lightly coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

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5) Dust your work surface with flour. Punch down the dough, then halve it. Wrap one half in the plastic wrap and set aside.

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6) Roll the other half into a 12×12-inch (30.5×30.5 cm) square. You may have to roll slightly larger, and then trim the ends to even out the square. Brush dough with half the melted butter.

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7) Spread the surface of the dough with about 1/2 the warmed jam, leaving 1/6 strip plain. This will allow you to have a plain side of dough on each side of the roll touching the muffin cup.  I marked six slices with a ruler, then scored the dough partway down using my bench knife so that I would know how much room to leave for the 1/6 strip.

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8) Cut into 6 equal strips.

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9) Then stack the strips on top of each other with the plain strip on top.

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10) Cut through the layers into 6 equal pieces.

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11) Place each into a buttered muffin cup, standing up so the layers are visible. Gently fan them open. Each will have six dough pieces with marmalade or other filling in between.

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12) Repeat with the remaining dough and the rest of the jam for the other six cups of the muffin tin.  I spread six of the rolls with lemon jelly and six with the strawberry vanilla jam.  You can use whatever flavor you like.

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13) Cover with a tea towel and let the rolls rise in a draft free spot at warm room temperature until the dough doubles, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (You might want to put a piece of plastic wrap between the rolls and the towel because of the sticky jam.)

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14) Place the rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.  Remove the towel and bake the rolls until they are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to watch the fantans while they are baking or they could burn. Mine got a little bit brown, but they didn’t burn.

15) Cool in the pan ten minutes, then transfer to a rack and allow to cool for about another 20 minutes before serving.

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If desired, drizzle a glaze of 1 teaspoon milk whisked together with enough confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) to make a drizzle that will not spread too much. Use the tines of a fork to drizzle it on. Let dry before serving the rolls.

I didn’t use the powder sugar glaze.  These rolls didn’t need it.

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These Jam Fantans are fun to make and even more enjoyable to eat.  I tried a couple – one of each flavor. Well, I had to make sure they tasted okay.  I’m happy to say that they did!  Then I froze the rest of them for snacks. Now when I want something to munch on with my coffee, I just take one out of the freezer and warm it up.  Yum Yum! 

Thanks BBBs for letting me join the party.  I had a great time!

BBBuddies_Jan_2013

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Sunday 27 January 2013

Lemon Sunshine in a Jar

The fruit of the month for the January Can It Up! challenge is citrus. I love citrus fruits!  They taste so clean and fresh.

This Lemon Jelly reminds me of golden sunshine. It was cloudy and cold the day I made it, and when I walked into the kitchen, it smelled like the fresh scent of sunshine. I know sunshine doesn’t have a scent, but lemon is one that I associate with it. So I named my jelly Lemon Sunshine in a Jar.

It has an interesting flavor. It tastes like lemon marmalade without the rinds. It’s a little citrusy and a little sweet, but at the same time, a little bit bitter like marmalade. It takes a little getting used to, but I like it. It reminds me of summer and during the cold months of winter, we can all use a little pick me up.

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I have a lime tree that has a lot of tiny buds, but no blooms yet. I would’ve loved to have used some of the limes for this challenge, but they’re not ready yet. I’m looking forward to canning something with all of those limes, but it will be a couple of months.

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I also have a lemon tree, but it hasn’t figured out that it’s supposed produce lemons. So for this challenge, I had to use lemons from the farmer’s market.

 

Lemon Sunshine in a Jar

Makes: About Four 1/2 Pint Jars

Adapted From: The Joy Of: Jams, Jellies, and other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich

lemon-jelly13

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of lemons (I used 3 large lemons) *
  • 7 cups water
  • About 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups sugar (depends on how much liquid you have after the jelly drips in the jelly bag)

* You can substitute limes for the lemons in this recipe

 

Directions:

1) Wash the lemons 

My lemons were not organic so I poured boiling water over them and scrubbed them really well before slicing them.  If you use organic or home-picked lemons that aren’t covered in pesticide, you can skip this step.

2) Slice the lemons

Slice the lemons into thin slices – about 1/8 – 1/4-inch thick.  Put the slices into a non-reactive pot and cover them with water.  I used non-chlorinated water.

lemon-jelly18

 

3) Soak the lemons overnight

Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and let the lemons soak in the water for 24 hours at room temperature to bring out the flavor of the lemons. 

While the lemons were soaking, the aroma was delightful and brightened things up. The kitchen smelled like sunshine.

lemon-jelly21

 

4) Cook the lemons

Bring the sliced lemons and water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 40 minutes.

 

5) Let the jelly drip

Get out a container and rest your chinois inside. Line the chinois with damp cheese cloth. Pour the lemon mixture into the chinois and use your wooden tool or the back of a spatula to press all the juice out of the mixture. 

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Or if you prefer, pour the cooked mixture into a damp jelly bag over a pot or bowl. Let the liquid drip for several hours.

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6) Measure the liquid

I ended up with about 3 1/2 cups, you might end up with more. Pour the liquid into the preserving pan. If you end up with more liquid, you should do this step in two parts. Since I only had 3 1/2 cups, I did it in one step. I added 3 1/4 cups of sugar and stirred the mixture over medium heat until all of the sugar had dissolved.  Then I raised the temperature to medium-high heat.

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7) Boil the mixture

Boil the mixture until it reaches 221 degrees F. on a jelly thermometer.  Once you reach 221, shut the fire and let it rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the fire back up to reach 221 degrees. This little rest ensures a good gel. 

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8) Ladle the jelly into jars

Ladle the jelly into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars. Release the trapped air using a Bubble Remover and Headspace Tool. Then add the lids and rings, and process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. For more information on water-bath canning, refer to the National Center for Home Preservation web site.  

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9) Let jars rest on counter overnight

Turn the heat off. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to cool and ensure they are sealed correctly. You should hear the lids pop if they are sealed properly.

 

10) Store jars in a cool, dry place.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for storage for up to a year. If any of the jars do not seal properly, place them in the refrigerator. They will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

 

Thanks to Hima of All Four Burners for hosting the Challenge. It’s time to Can It Up!

Happy Canning!

Cathy

     

    Here are some of the other citrus jams I’ve made over the past several years:

     

    Canning resources:

    Thursday 24 January 2013

    A Buttery and Cheesy Sourdough Surprise

    I recently joined Google+ and have been enjoying connecting with old friends and making new ones and hanging out in hang outs. In the process of adding new friends to my circles, I ran across a new baking group called Sourdough Surprises. They’ve been having fun using their sourdough starters with friends all over the world for the past several months, but I just found out about them. 

    Since I’ve been focusing on sourdough this month, I decided it would be fun to join them. Their challenge for the month was to make sourdough brioche dough and then make babka using the brioche dough. I love sourdough and brioche so I figured you couldn’t go wrong with that combination.

    sourdough-brioche-babka_23

     

    It took me a little while to figure out how I was going to accomplish this, but I finally found my inspiration in the Classic Sourdoughs’ method for making cheesy sourdough brioche and Peter Reinhart’s method for shaping bapka in Artisan Breads Everyday

    I utilized the Classic Sourdoughs’ method for activating the culture and creating the culture proof and referred to their ingredients for the Cheesy Brioche.  However, I used my own process for mixing and fermenting the dough. They only proofed the brioche dough once, after it had been shaped and placed in the brioche pan, and didn’t allow any time in the refrigerator (which I thought was rather odd for brioche) so I did my own thing and let it bulk ferment in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. After the bulk fermentation, I followed the process for shaping bapka in Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Everyday.

    The Classic Sourdoughs’ method involves several different steps so I broke it up into two different posts. The first post focused on Activating the Sourdough Culture and Creating the Culture Proof.  This post focuses on making a delicious brioche dough using the culture.

     

    Cheesy Sourdough Brioche/Bapka

    Adapted from: Classic Sourdoughs by Ed and Jean Wood and Artisan Breads Everyday by Peter Reinhart

    Makes: 2 Loaves

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups (480 ml) culture from culture proof *
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 4 ounces (115 g) Gruyere cheese, grated
    • 4-5 cups (560 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 6 eggs (I used 6 large eggs, but I think medium would work better or only use 5)
    • 1 cup (240 g) butter
    • 1 egg yolk (for the egg wash)
    • 2 teaspoons water

     

    Process:

    * Begin by activating the culture and creating the culture proof. Then use the culture to make this bread. 

    1) Mixing the Dough:

    Place the 2 cups of culture in a large mixing bowl. 

    sourdough-brioche-babka014

     

    Add the sugar, salt, cheese and 2 cups of the flour to the bowl and mix well.

    sourdough-brioche-babka015

     

    I mixed the dough by hand using a wooden spoon to begin with, then I switched to a Danish dough whisk. You can use a stand mixer if you prefer.

    Mix the dough until it forms a sticky mass. Then mix in the eggs one at a time.

    sourdough-brioche-babka018

     

    2) Kneading the Dough

    At this point, you can turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead it, but my dough was so sticky that I kept it in the bowl.  Add 2 more cups of flour and knead until the dough is elastic, about 10 minutes. You want to make sure the gluten is sufficiently developed before you add the butter or the dough won’t be able to support it.  My dough was still quite sticky so I let it autolyse (rest) for about 45 minutes before adding the butter.  With that much better, it needed all the help it could get.

    To add the butter, break off quarter-size pieces and work it into the dough using your hands and a dough scraper. I added an additional 1/2 cup of flour during this process because the dough was really soft and sticky due to the butter.

    sourdough-brioche-babka019

     

    3) Bulk Fermentation

    After I finished kneading the dough, I put it in a clean bowl, covered it with plastic and placed it in the refrigerator to ferment for a couple of hours.

    sourdough-brioche-babka023

     

    4) Shaping the Bapka

    After 2 1/2 hours, I removed the dough from the refrigerator and divided it into two balls.  I let the balls rest on the counter dusted with flour for a few minutes.

    sourdough-brioche-babka026

     

    Then, I shaped each ball into a batard shape by spreading the dough out into a rough rectangle and bringing the edges up to meet the center and gently pinching the seam closed.

    sourdough-brioche-babka028

     

    Next, I turned the dough seam side down and carefully rolled the dough out to form a long log.

    sourdough-brioche-babka027

     

    Coil the log into a circular snail shape. The dough was still sticky so I was sprinkling flour as I was doing this.

    sourdough-brioche-babka029

     

    Then you’ll want to stand the coil shape on its end so that it is perpendicular to the counter rather than lying flat.

    sourdough-brioche-babka030

     

    Press down on the coil to compress it into a loaf shape then place it in a greased loaf pan.  I used 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” glass loaf pans.

    sourdough-brioche-babka031

     

    5) Proofing the Loaves

    Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a towel and let them proof for 2 to 3 hours until the bapka fills the pan or has increased in size about 1 1/2 times.  By the time mine finished proofing, the nice coil shape was gone.  I didn’t coil it tightly enough because it was so sticky and kept sticking to my fingers.

    sourdough-brioche-babka038

     

    6) Baking the Loaves

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Whisk the egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of water until frothy.  Brush the loaves with the egg wash right before baking. Bake the loaves for 20 to 25 minutes, the rotate pans for even baking.  Bake until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer stuck in the middle comes out clean. 

     

    7) Cooling the Loaves

    Remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool.  Cool before slicing and serving.

    sourdough-brioche-babka047

    This bread has been YeastSpotted in the weekly bread roundup hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast.

     

    10) Slice and Enjoy

    This Cheesy Sourdough Brioche/Bapka is buttery smooth and delicious.  I used gruyere cheese, which is the same color as the dough, so even though I rolled the dough into the babka shape (which was no easy feat with this sticky dough), you can’t see the spiral pattern very well.  In hindsight, I should’ve spread it with jam so you could’ve seen the coils, but I was having too much fun with the cheesy dough.

    sourdough-brioche-babka_011

    The good thing about this buttery and sticky dough is that it makes a great tasting loaf whether you call it babka or brioche.

     

    I’m a little late to the party, but I really enjoyed baking with the Sourdough Surprises.

     

    Happy Baking!

    Cathy

    Tuesday 22 January 2013

    Activating a Sourdough Culture/Starter

    I wanted to use my apple starter in a special bread recipe, but the starter had been sitting in the refrigerator since the beginning of November. It hadn’t been fed so it was rather acidic.

    Normally, when I feed my Apple Starter, I pour off part of the hooch (the liquid stuff at the top), stir it down, and discard all but 250 grams. Then I feed it with 125 grams of flour and 125 grams of water and let it rest on the counter for a few hours until it’s active and bubbly and ready to go.

    However, as I mentioned, it had been about two and a half months since I had fed the starter so I opted not to go with the normal feeding process. I chose to activate the culture using a different method that reduces the acidity level and ensures the culture is fully activated before using it in bread dough.

    This post focuses on how to activate a sourdough culture (also known as a starter).  The next post will feature bread made with the activated culture.

    This is what the starter looked like when I took it out of the refrigerator and before I began this process.

    sourdough-brioche-babka003_thumb[2]

     

    I’ve mentioned this method in a couple of my previous posts, but I had such fun with this experiment that I decided to present the process in a little more detail.

    This method for activating a sourdough culture, as outlined in the book Classic Sourdoughs by Ed Wood and Jean Wood, works particularly well if the starter has been in the refrigerator for awhile without being fed.

    Note: The following process uses the term culture and starter interchangeably.

     

    Step 1: Activate the Sourdough Culture

    I began by stirring the starter and the hooch, then I filled the jar completely with warm water and stirred until it was thoroughly mixed.

    sourdough-brioche-babka006_thumb[2]

     

    You’re supposed to leave a little more than 1 cup in the jar (240 ml) and discard the rest. This is the part I always have trouble with (because I hate to waste things) so instead of discarding it, I put another cup of starter in a different jar. Now, I had two jars instead of one. If you’re going to make more than one loaf, having an additional jar of starter is actually a good thing. I only took a photo of one jar, but you get the gist.

    sourdough-brioche-babka008_thumb[2]

     

    Next, I added 125 grams of all-purpose flour to the culture in each jar to make it the consistency of thick pancake batter. The instructions in the book call for less flour, but I found that after I filled the jars with warm water, the starter was really liquid. So I added more flour, but no additional water. If your starter is not as liquid, you might need to add up to 1/2 cup of water to return it to the consistency of thick pancake-like batter.

    sourdough-brioche-babka010_thumb[2]

     

    At this point, I had two jars that were each a little over half full. I put them in my proofing box and proofed them for 4 hours at 73 degrees F. I chose that temperature because it was in the middle of the recommended range of 70 to 75 degrees F.

    At the 4-hour mark, the volume in the jars had increased and it was fully active and ready to use in the next step. I forgot to take a photo of the fully active starter in the jars. I was ready to move on.

     

    Step 2: Create the Culture Proof

    The next step is to create a culture proof using the fully active culture. The reason you do this is to prepare the culture for use in the sourdough bread and to optimize the flavor and leavening abilities.

    To create the culture proof, you start with a fully active culture (Step 1 above), then you stir it vigorously again and divide it in half. You’ll have two jars of culture at this point. Of course, I had 4 jars since I doubled the initial step.

    sourdough-brioche-babka012_thumb[2]

     

    Feed each jar with 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour and about 1/2 cup of water. Then proof the culture for 8 to 12 hours at about 70 degrees F. I proofed the culture for 2-3 hours at 65 degrees F. which was the temperature downstairs. After about 3 hours, I placed the culture in my proofing box and proofed it for the remainder of the time at 70 degrees F. My proofing box doesn’t go any lower than 70 degrees F. so that’s why I let it proof at room temperature for a few hours. This is supposed to help produce good flavor and leavening without making it too sour or inhibiting the yeast.

    After the culture has proofed for 8 to 12 hours, it is ready to be used in bread. 

    The next post features a Buttery and Cheesy Sourdough Surprise made with this culture.  I also have something special planned for the other jars of sourdough. So stay tuned…

     

    Happy Baking!

    Cathy

    Saturday 19 January 2013

    Flexible, Fermented and Fun! Spelt Sourdough

    Flexible, fermented, and fun!  That’s how I would describe this Spelt Sourdough with Popped Amaranth and Potato. It’s flexible due to the timing as well as the ingredients. I started the process Thursday night, but didn’t finish the bread until Sunday afternoon. In addition, I was able to easily adapt the ingredients and the method to suit my schedule and taste.

    aramanth-potato-spelt-sourdough_14

     

    It’s fermented due to the sourdough sponge, and the final dough resting in the refrigerator for two days. This extended fermentation time, along with the popped amaranth and potato, is what gives this bread it’s unique texture and flavor. 

    It’s fun to pop the amaranth and watch it jump out of the pan (if you’re not careful), but it’s also fun to see all of the ingredients come together to form a beautiful and tasty loaf of bread. 

    Although it takes a little while to make this bread, and even longer if you’re like me, it is a fun bread to make and worth the effort. Another benefit of this bread is that it has a longer shelf life. I’ve been enjoying this bread for the past week and it still tastes good.

     

    Spelt Sourdough Bread with Popped Amaranth & Potato

    aramanth-potato-spelt-sourdough_027

    Adapted from: Amaranth Potato Sourdough Dinner Rolls by Chef Brad

    Makes: 2 Large Loaves

    Ingredients:

    Sourdough Sponge:

    Dough:

    • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cooked, reserve the water
    • 1 1/2 cups reserved potato water
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 2 cups popped amaranth (1/2 cup of amaranth grains)
    • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
    • 1 1/4 cups White Spelt flour, plus more for sprinkling if necessary
    • 2 1/4 – 3 cups Whole Grain Spelt flour

     

    Directions:

    1) Creating the Sourdough Sponge

    The night before you plan to make this bread (or early in the morning if you prefer), take your sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and add one cup in a large mixing bowl. If you don’t have enough starter to use a cup and still have some starter left, you’ll need to feed your starter before you start this process. This is what I had to do.  I fed my Spelt starter in the early evening with 125 grams of whole grain spelt flour and 125 grams of water.

    oval-proofing-baskets02

     

    After a few hours, the starter was ready to be used so I put one cup of the starter in a mixing bowl and the remaining starter in a quart jar and placed it back in the refrigerator. 

    To the starter in the bowl, I added the White Spelt flour, sugar, yeast, and water and let it rest in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours. This is the active sponge.

    oval-proofing-baskets13

     

    2) Popping the Amaranth Grains

    To pop the grains, heat a deep pot over medium heat. Test the heat by placing a pinch of grains in the pot. If it pops, then it’s hot enough. You’ll need about 1/2 cup of grains to yield 2 cups of popped amaranth. Pop the grains by placing no more than 2 tablespoons at a time in the pot. If you use more, the grains have a tendency to burn. Be sure to use a pot that’s deep enough so the grains don’t pop out.

    popped-amaranth

     

    3) Mixing the Dough

    Add all of the ingredients, including the sponge, but just half of the flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on first speed until the ingredients are well incorporated. Add more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Increase to second speed and mix a couple of minutes more. Resist the temptation to add too much flour. The dough will be slightly tacky.

    mixing-amaranth-potato-sourdough

     

    4) Bulk Fermentation

    Place the dough in a greased bowl and let it proof for an hour or so until it is doubled in bulk or do what I did and place it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight or for a couple of days. 

    oval-proofing-baskets22

     

    If you placed the dough in the refrigerator overnight (or longer), remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature before proceeding to the next step.  I gave the dough a couple of quick turns in the bowl before I let it sit on the counter for an hour or so.

     

    5) Shaping and Proofing the Loaves

    After the bulk fermentation, shape the loaves into round or oval loaves and place them on parchment paper for the final proof.  Or, place them into proofing baskets heavily dusted with flour.  I used one 10.5” oval basket and one 10.5” round basket and sprinkled them with a mixture of rice flour and all-purpose flour.  Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let them proof at warm room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for an hour and a half.  They will increase in volume during this time, but won’t double in size.

    oval-proofing-baskets30

     

    6) Prepare the Oven for Hearth Baking

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and place a baking stone on the middle rack and a steam pan on the bottom rack. Let the oven and baking stone preheat for at least 30 minutes before you bake the loaves.

     

    7) Scoring the Loaves

    Carefully remove the loaves from the proofing baskets onto parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal or sprayed with oil.  This part was a bit tricky.  The dough stuck to the baskets in a couple of places even with the flour, but I managed to keep them from getting completely out of shape.  You can see where I salvaged the loaf in the photo below.  Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too bad.

    spelt-sourdough##

     

    Score the loaves using a serrated knife or lame. I scored the round loaf using a square pattern, but it ended up being a little bit off-centered.

    scored-spelt-sourdough

     

    I scored the oval loaf using a long stroke right down the middle.  The dough was still pretty sticky.

    scored-spelt-sourdough2

     

    8) Baking the Loaves

    Slide the loaves (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone.  Add one cup of hot water to the steam pan.  Spritz the walls of the oven with water and shut the door.  Repeat the spritzing process two more times in the first couple of minutes of baking.  This will help the loaves open up (oven spring) during baking.  Since my loaves were pretty big, I baked them one at-a-time.  Bake them for 25 – 30 minutes until they are golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow on the bottom.  Remove the parchment paper partway through baking so the bottom doesn’t get soggy.

     

    9) Cooling the Loaves

    Cool the loaves completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

    aramanth-potato-spelt-sourdough_030

     

    10) Slice and enjoy!

    This bread has a delicious and slightly sweet flavor.  The popped amaranth gives it a light texture and the potato gives it plenty of moisture. I like it!  I’ve enjoyed it with butter and toasted with cheese.  It makes a great accompaniment to soup.

    aramanth-potato-spelt-sourdough_6

     

    These loaves are so big, I decided to save one for another day.  I wrapped the round loaf in foil and placed it in a plastic bag.  Then I put it in the freezer.  I’ve been enjoying the oval loaf.  It definitely has good keeping quality.

     

    Happy Baking!

    Cathy