Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

The monthly challenge for the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group is Hot Cross Buns. As it happens, the 20th of the month (the day we normally post our breads) falls on Easter. And, my youngest son is celebrating his birthday this week. So I made these Sourdough Hot Cross Buns to commemorate both occasions.

 

I combined the ingredients from two different recipes and came up with my own method for making these delicious buns. I utilized the sponge method from Jeffrey Hammelman’s Hot Cross Buns, but instead of using dried yeast, I added 1/2 cup sourdough starter.

I wanted to take these rolls with me when I visited my son for his birthday so I added an overnight fermentation to the final dough. This allowed me to prepare the dough the evening before and bake the buns the next morning.

I used icing for the crosses instead of paste because I wanted something sweet to round out the tangy flavor of the candied orange peel and the honey/orange glaze. These Hot Cross Buns turned out to be a very special treat for Easter and a Birthday.

I was able to bake the rolls, glaze and ice them, and let them cool completely before wrapping them up for transport. I wrapped them in aluminum foil to keep the slightly sticky orange glaze from making a complete mess.

 

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Makes: 12 Buns

Adapted from: Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman and Sourdough Hot Cross Buns by Kresha of Nourishing Joy

Sponge:

• 1/2 cup active (fed) sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon raw sugar

Dough:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup raw honey
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cup currants or raisins (soak in boiling water for 10 minutes, drain)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped and packed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Crossing Paste:

I used store-bought icing to make the crosses on top of these buns. If you prefer to make a flour crossing paste, refer to the ingredients/directions in this Hot Cross Buns recipe. Or refer to Kresha’s method.

Glaze:

• 1 T Honey
• Juice of 1 orange

 

Prepare the Sponge:

Combine the sourdough starter, milk, all-purpose flour and sugar and mix just until smooth. It will be very thin. The desired temperature is 80 degrees F. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1-2 hours. It should be light and bubbly, but it should have some structure.

 

Mixing the Dough:

Place the sourdough starter, flour, and spices in a large bowl. Lightly beat the eggs with the raw honey and milk, then add to the sourdough/flour mixture. Mix until completely combined and a very sticky dough has formed. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt over the dough.  Knead until the dough begins to look smooth and shiny. The dough will be a rather wet dough, but try not to add any flour at this point. Keep kneading until the dough is developed, then knead in the dried fruit and candied orange peel. I used the bowl scraper to help with this process.  It keeps the dough from sticking to your fingers and keeps the bowl clean.

Add in the butter, a little at a time. Knead until all the butter is fully incorporated. The final dough should be very soft, but not at all sticky. If it’s too sticky at this point, add a little extra flour.

Let the dough sit for 1 hour. After an hour, fold it over on itself a number of times on a floured board or in the bowl, then place it back in the bowl and let it rise another hour. After two hours, you can continue with the shaping below, or place it in the refrigerator to retard overnight. This is what I did.

 

If you retarded the dough overnight, take it out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature (1 –2 hours) before proceeding to dividing and shaping.

Dividing and Shaping:

Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into a small round balls about 2.7 ounces each. Place the rolls on a greased sheet pan in an even configuration. Cover with plastic wrap to keep crust from developing on the surface. Let them rise at room temperature 1-2 hours. If you retard your rolls in the refrigerator, they probably won’t double in size during the final rise, but they should have pretty good oven spring once they are baked.

Baking/Glazing the Buns:

As I mentioned, I used icing to make the crosses. I baked the buns, then glazed them with the honey/orange glaze while they were hot. Once the glaze had dried, I piped on the icing.

If you prefer to make a flour crossing paste, follow the directions in this Hot Cross Buns recipe.  Or refer to Kresha’s method. You’ll want to pipe on either one of these pastes before you bake the buns.

Bake the rolls in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-30 minutes until the rolls are golden and at least 190 degrees inside.

For the glaze, heat the honey and the orange juice over medium heat until it begins to simmer rapidly. Remove from the heat and brush the glaze over the rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven.

 

This was another great sourdough surprise.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Check this awesome lineup from the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group: 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread with Spelt

St. Patrick’s Day is over so why am I posting about Irish Soda Bread?

For starters, who said you could only enjoy soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day? And secondly, this bread is not your normal soda bread. Traditional soda bread is made with flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. This one is leavened with sourdough instead of baking soda, although you can use a bit of soda to mute the sourdough tang if desired.

I’ve always liked Ireland and pretty much all things Irish, particularly Irish music, but I must admit, I was not a big fan of soda bread. That is, until I visited Ireland last year and tasted some soda bread with Guinness Beef Stew. I enjoyed that meal a lot. I’ll be honest, it was the stew that I really enjoyed, but the experience gave me an appreciation for soda bread.

When the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group decided to make sourdough soda bread, I thought, “this is going to be interesting.” We had made sourdough quick breads in a previous challenge so I knew it would work. I just wasn’t sure if I would like it.

I started my experiment with the Irish Soda Bread we made in the Artisan Bread Bakers FB Group a couple of years ago. I actually liked that version as well. Okay so maybe I do like soda bread; however, not all soda bread is equal.

This version utilizes sourdough instead of baking soda. I changed the recipe up even more by substituting all-purpose spelt for the regular all-purpose flour and added in some whole grain spelt flour for good measure.

I made two loaves and baked them at different times. I’m so glad I baked the loaves at different times because I had to throw out the first loaf. I forgot the salt.

I should have performed the taste test to make sure I had added the salt. Tasting the dough while mixing is something I read in Lionel Vatinet’s book A Passion for Bread. I remember chuckling when I read his quick mixing tips. The third tip is “always taste the dough to be sure salt has been added.”

How many times have I gotten distracted and forgotten the salt?  One too many I’m afraid. In fact, the weekend I made this bread, there was a discussion on Facebook about this very thing. Not about leaving salt out per se, but about getting distracted and omitting an ingredient. It happens to the best of us so I can understand why Lionel Vatinet pays special attention to it. Salt is a very important ingredient. It retards yeast activity, contributes to crust color, and helps flavor the baked bread.

Because I forgot to add the salt, the bread didn’t rise very well and it was gooey on the inside. I inserted a skewer into the loaf while it was baking to test for doneness and noticed it wasn’t done. I let it continue baking until it was baked through. 

When I took it out of the oven, it smelled really good (due to the sourdough) so I had to try it right away. I was so disappointed. It tasted blah. I kept thinking and thinking but I couldn’t remember if I added the salt. Most likely because I didn’t.

Fortunately, I was able to fix the problem for the second loaf. I tasted the dough this time and it was salt less. So I added the salt on top of the dough and a little extra water and kneaded it until the dough wasn’t grainy anymore.

I tasted the dough again and this time, it tasted just fine. I baked the loaf and it turned out great. It doesn’t taste like your average soda bread and that’s fine by me.

 

Sourdough Soda Bread with Spelt

Adapted from Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet

Makes: 2 Round Loaves 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sourdough starter, recently fed
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose white spelt flour 
• 1 cup wholegrain spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, optional
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the sourdough starter in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients (don’t forget the salt) and mix thoroughly. Pour in the buttermilk and stir, using a wooden spoon, just till a soft dough is formed. 

Transfer the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or so till everything comes together.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to ferment overnight.

 

 

The next day when you’re ready to bake, divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet or in a round baker. I used a ceramic baking dish. The first loaf stuck to the dish so I lined it with parchment paper for the second loaf.

Sprinkle the top of the loaf with additional flour. Using a sharp knife, or scissors, make the sign of a cross in slashes on the top of the loaf.

 

Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes or till the loaves are golden brown and done to taste.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing or serving.

 

 

Soda breads generally don’t have very good keeping quality so you need to enjoy them right away. Adding sourdough to the bread extends the shelf life.  This version lasted for several days before going stale.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Garlic & Herb Sourdough Pull Apart Bread

Making this sourdough pull apart bread was a complete sensory experience; from touching and kneading the dough, to the smell while it was proofing and baking and finally the appearance and melt-in-your-mouth taste of the soft and herby loaf.

 

I basked in the aroma of the garlic and herbs every time I walked into my kitchen. The dough bulk fermented for about 10 hours (mostly overnight) and proofed in the pan about 5 hours so I had plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful fragrance that filled the room. The baked bread was even more heavenly. I’ve been enjoying it for dinner, snacks and even breakfast.

I got so hungry while I was photographing the loaf that I took a piece from the center before I got the final photos. I just couldn’t help myself. If you are wondering why there is a gap in the middle of the loaf, this is why. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

It’s so much fun to make breads using a sourdough starter. You can take a favorite recipe and transform it into something new just by substituting sourdough for the yeast and adjusting the hydration/flour ratio.

When I found out about the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group last year, I had already missed a bunch of the baking surprises, but I knew this was a bandwagon I wanted to jump on. 

I have several sourdough starters; each made from a different type of flour. Participating in this baking group provides the opportunity to try different types of breads using my starters.

This month’s challenge was to make sourdough monkey bread or pull apart bread. Sweet and gooey monkey bread is fun to make and just as enjoyable to eat, but I decided something savory might be better for my waistline, particularly since we just celebrated Valentine’s Day.

The first time I made this pull apart bread, I used my spelt sourdough starter and spelt flour. I adapted a recipe from a cookbook I don’t normally use, and I didn’t particularly like the result. It was just so-so.

I looked around for more inspiration and found it on Pinterest and in another one of my cookbooks. This time, I used my newly created KAMUT sourdough starter because it had been recently activated and was ready to go. I decided to pair the KAMUT with spelt. I really like this combination although I think it would be good with all spelt as well.

 

 

Garlic & Herb Sourdough Pull Apart Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Inspired and adapted from:

• Herb Spelt Bread from Classic Sourdoughs by Ed & Jean Wood
• Garlic & Herb Pull Apart Bread by Baked by Rachel

Dough:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed dried basil
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose white Spelt flour

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & divided
• 4 cloves minced garlic (or more to taste)
• 6 – 8 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp. crushed dried basil

 

Directions:

Note: If you haven’t fed your starter recently, refer to the post on how to activate a sourdough starter.

Pour the activated sourdough starter into a large mixing bowl. Warm the milk. Stir the oil, minced garlic, salt, sugar and herbs into the warm milk and add this mixture to the starter. Mix well using a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk.

Add the flour, a cup at a time and continue adding until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

You can also mix and knead the dough in a bread machine or stand mixer if you prefer. 

Place the dough in a clean, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof at room temperature, about 70 degrees F. for 8 to 12 hours (or overnight). During the bulk fermentation, the dough should double in size.

 

The next morning or 8 to 12 hours later, gently remove the dough to a floured work surface and let the dough rest for 20 - 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Roll out the dough into a 12 x 20-inch rectangle. Brush with 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle the parmesan cheese herbs and minced garlic over the top.

Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces using a sharp knife of a pizza wheel. Stack the pieces on top of each other and cut the stacks into 6 equal pieces.

Transfer the stacks to a 9 x 5-inch bread pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the loaf proof for 2 to 4 hours, until it doubles in bulk or rises almost to the top of the pan. I let mine proof for 5 hours at room temperature due to my schedule. If you want a shorter proof time,, let it proof at room temperature for 1 hour, then place it in a warm place, 85 to 90 degrees, until it doubles in bulk.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle the top of the loaf with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Place the loaf in the preheated oven and let it bake for 35 – 45 minutes. If the loaf starts to brown before it is baked through, tent it with foil to prevent over browning.

Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.  The pull apart bread tastes best warm, but I also enjoyed it the next day at room temperature.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Sourdough KAMUT Focaccia

Focaccia is a flatbread that’s always in fashion as far as I’m concerned. Whether it’s served as an appetizer or as a compliment to the main dish, or as the main dish, it’s such a fun bread to make and it utilizes the simplest of ingredients.

I’ve made several different types of focaccias over the years, but the most memorable ones were made using the long, slow fermentation process.

 

I made a sourdough focaccia by mistake a few months ago and it turned out really well so I decided that focaccia made with sourdough deserved another chance. I got that chance when the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group chose it as the sourdough challenge this month.

This bread is made completely by hand and does not contain any dried yeast. It uses wild yeast (aka sourdough starter) as the rising agent. The dough is made with KAMUT white flour, but since I haven’t created a KAMUT starter yet (it’s is on my list to do), I used my regular sourdough starter, which is made with all-purpose flour. 

It takes a couple of days from start-to-finish to make this flatbread but most of that time is spent activating the sourdough culture and after mixing the dough, letting it ferment in the refrigerator overnight.

The dough is 68% hydration so it’s a very wet dough. The overnight fermentation in the refrigerator makes it a little bit easier to work with, but you’ll probably still need some extra flour when you’re shaping it.

It can be spread out really thin like pizza dough or a bit thicker for a more bread-like texture. I spread mine out a bit thinner and it was crispy around the edges, but more bready toward the middle.  For the best results, spread it out evenly so you get a consistent texture.

 

Sourdough KAMUT Focaccia

Adapted from: Baking by Hand by Andy & Jackie King

Makes: 2 large or 3 medium Focaccias

I opted to use simple toppings and let the dough take center stage. One focaccia is topped with sea salt and dried herbs from my garden. The second one (pictured below) is topped with sea salt and fennel seeds. I liked both breads.

 

Ingredients:

• 12.40 oz. sourdough starter, 100% hydration, recently fed
• 18.25 oz. KAMUT white flour
• 13.25 oz. water, warm
• 2.55 oz. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. fine sea salt

 

Day 1: Activate your Sourdough Culture

Refer to this post on how to activate a starter or feed your starter according to your feeding schedule.  Just make sure it’s 100% hydration.

Day 2: Mix the Dough

Combine the active sourdough starter, warm water, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to break up the starter. 

Place the flour on top of the liquid ingredients and mix by hand, using a rubber spatula or a Danish dough whisk for a minute or so until the dough becomes a shaggy mass. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently to make sure all of the flour is incorporated. There shouldn’t be any dry spots.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Cover the dough with a towel and set it aside to rest in a warm place (80 degrees F.) for about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt over the dough and grab the dough between your fingers and pull it up and stretch it.  Incorporate the salt into the dough by continuously pulling the dough up and turning the bowl around with your hands. The dough should start to develop somewhat after about a minute and you shouldn’t feel any of the salt crystals. The dough will still be really wet so resist the urge to add additional flour at this point.

Cover the bowl and put it back in a warm spot to rest for another 30 minutes.

After the 30-minute rest, transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and perform the four-fold method, or do the fold-and-turn-in-the-bowl method. I opted to keep the wet and messy dough in the bowl for this part. Return the dough to the bowl and cover it again with a towel. 

At this point, you have the option of repeating the above process every 30 minutes for a total of four times. The, after the fourth fold, you’ll leave the dough in the bowl to rest for another hour to develop the dough before shaping.

Overnight Fermentation in Refrigerator:

Or, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight. This is the option I chose. My dough was still really wet so I scraped it into a clean bowl and placed it in the refrigerator.

 

Day 3: Shaping the Dough:

The next day, I removed the dough from the refrigerator and placed it in my proofing box to let it warm up a little bit before shaping.  I should’ve let it warm up to room temperature, but I was ready to get going.

After it had warmed up about an hour, I divided the dough into two equal pieces and placed each piece on well-floured parchment paper.

 

Then I shaped each piece into a rough rectangle and let them rest a few minutes. From there I shaped them into stubby batards being careful to keep the extra flour on the outside of the dough like you would for ciabatta.

Flip the batards over (seam side down), cover with a towel, and let them rest for about an hour.

 

Baking the Focaccias:

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. (for at least 45 minutes) with a baking stone on the bottom rack and a cast iron skillet on the top rack.

The dough will be relaxed and ready to top and bake when you can press your finger into the surface and the imprint holds.

Pat one loaf out onto the parchment paper until it is almost completely flat (or until you run out of parchment paper). 

Using your fingertips, dimple the surface of the focaccia while stretching it out to form a rectangle. Adding extra olive oil helps spread it out.

Top one focaccia with the toppings of your choice.  As I mentioned, I topped one with sea salt and herbs and the other one with sea salt and fennel seeds.

Prepare the second focaccia while the first one is baking.

 

Get three ice cubes ready. Being careful not to burn yourself or to keep the oven door open too long, transfer the focaccia to the preheated baking stone using a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Then, carefully throw the three ice cubes into the preheated cast iron skillet. Immediately close the door.

Bake the bread until the crust is golden-brown, about 25 minutes.  I took mine out a little bit sooner than 25 minutes because it was getting brown around the edges.

 

I really like the flavor of these focaccias. The sourdough was not tangy at all.

As usual, I enjoyed baking with the Sourdough Surprises Group.

Happy Baking!

Cathy