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

 

Free Food/Cooking Class Giveaway from Craftsy

The beginning of a new year is a good time to get out of the box and learn a new skill. I was delighted when I was offered the opportunity to take one of Craftsy's cooking or baking classes. They have several classes that I knew I would enjoy. The only problem was choosing which one to take. 

Here’s your chance! Enter the Craftsy Food & Cooking Class Giveaway for a chance to win a FREE class!

The giveaway ends on Jan 25th so be sure to enter soon for your chance to win a FREE Food/Cooking class from Craftsy.

 

I thought about taking the Artisan Bread Making Class with Peter Reinhart. He is one of my mentors and I have a lot of his bread books. I’ve taken classes with him before so I know his class would be good, but I decided to try something else.

I also considered taking a Jam and Marmalade Class, or the Artisan Cheese Making Class, or Croissants Making Class, or Italian Pasta. I saw How to Make Gnocchi Like a Pro with Gerri Sarnataro and was so tempted.

I came really close to choosing the Classic Italian Pasta Sauces: Meat & Tomato with Giuliano Hazan because I love pasta, and Italian Food goes so well with bread. So many good choices… which one should I pick?

Then I found the soup-making class. I love to make soup, but the soups I usually make are basic soups. I decided it was time to take my soup-making skills to the next level with Building Flavorful Soups, Peter Berley.

I made the Cauliflower and Leek Potage with Nut Brown Butter. Oh my goodness!  I was not disappointed.  It tastes divine.  I took one bite and my eyes and taste buds lit up.

 

When I started the class, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into.  However, the more I watched the videos and listened to Peter’s tips, the more motivated I was to get in the kitchen and prepare some of his soups.  Since the class was online, I was able to refer to the videos while I prepared the soup.  I found this to be very helpful.

I really like Peter Berley’s teaching method. He starts off by telling the story of the Stone Soup. I had heard that story before, but the cute animation and his narration brought the story to life. It made me appreciate all of the different components that go into soups.

In Lesson 2, we learned how to make Vegetable & Herb: Broths and Soups. This was one of my favorite lessons. He makes such delicious broths and garnishes them with unique flavors. 

Lesson 3 was making Japanese Dashi Variations & Asian Soups. I did not realize how rich kelp was and how much flavor it adds or brings out in the other ingredients in soup. 

Peter provided very informative and useful information throughout all of the lessons. He talked a lot about using ingredients and flavors that create umami. According to Wikipedia, umami can be translated as a “pleasant savory taste.” 

Lesson 4 was on making Shellfish Broths, Soups & Stews and Lesson 5 was on Poultry & Meat: Broths & Soups. All of his instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

Lesson 6 on Pureed Soups was another one of my favorite sessions. I really like pureed soups. Peter started this lesson by providing the pros and cons of using different types of tools to puree the soups. I was glad he recommended the immersion blender because that’s what I like to use as well.

In this lesson, he showed us how to make Cauliflower and Leek Potage with Nut Brown Butter, Pumpkin, Fennel and Leek Broth, Roasted Squash Potage with Spiced Crème Fraiche and Golden Split Pea Soup with Spiced Oil. 

I really like how Peter explains the science behind why you do things like precooking or blanching the cauliflower to release the sulfur and funky flavors and how leaving the top off the pot allows those funky flavors to escape. He also explained how adding the juice of half a lemon to the boiling water keeps the cauliflower from turning brown.

 

I also learned some tips on how to easily wash leeks. I’ve definitely been doing it the hard way.  From now on, I will wash my leeks in a bowl and then finish chopping them. It’s the little things I found the most useful about this course, but those are the things you’ll use everyday.

When we sliced the leeks for the cauliflower soup, we discarded the tough greens, but we didn’t throw them away. They were used in the Pumpkin, Fennel & Leek Broth. 

The only part of the leeks that didn’t go into either the soup or the broth was the end parts.  Those went into the compost bin, but not the trash. 

 

I enjoyed this course and the instructor. Peter doesn’t waste anything.  If it doesn’t go into the soup, then it either goes into a broth or the compost bin. Being a gardener myself, I found this very refreshing and useful. I didn’t know that kelp was good for compost.  Now, I need to make some more soup so I can feed my compost.

I also liked making the Cauliflower and Leek Potage. The nut brown butter was oh so good. I didn’t have any fresh dill so I left that out, but I loved this soup!  It’s so smooth and creamy and delicious. I’ve been telling everyone about it. Now I’ll have to make it again and again so I can share the experience with my family and friends.

 

It’s your turn!  Enter the Craftsy Food & Cooking Class Giveaway   for a chance to win a FREE class!

The giveaway ends on Jan 25th so be sure to enter soon for your chance to win a FREE Food/Cooking class from Craftsy.

 

Good luck!  I know you’ll enjoy taking one of these classes as much as I did.

Happy Baking & Cooking!

Cathy

 

 

Disclosure: I received a FREE class from Craftsy in exchange for this review. I appreciate the opportunity and enjoyed taking the class. I am also an affiliate for them so if you click on one of their links or enroll in one of their classes from this page, I may earn a commission. I am very grateful for your support of this site. It helps me to continue to provide you with quality content. Thank you.

EZ DOH Spelt Country French Bread

I just got a new bread-baking tool!  It’s called the EZ DOH manual bread dough maker and it was created by Gina, The Loaf Lady!  Her marketing manager (aka husband) sent me one of the units, and I’ve been having fun testing it.

 

I enjoy making breads by hand. Although I have a basic stand mixer, I don’t use it very often. I prefer to use my Danish dough whisk to mix the dough and then knead it by hand.

The EZ DOH takes things a step further by incorporating a dough hook that you crank by hand. This allows you to enjoy the hands-on experience, with less fuss, and less cleanup because everything can be done in the bucket; from mixing, to kneading, to proofing the dough. And did I mention, the EZ DOH maker is made in the USA and it’s BPA-free.

I started my testing with an adapted version of the basic French Bread recipe included with the unit. My version is made with all-purpose Spelt and whole grain Spelt flour. I also adjusted the hydration since Spelt absorbs water differently than all-purpose flour.

 

SPELT Country French Bread

Adapted from: EZ DOH Basic French/Italian Bread Recipe by www.EZDOH.com

Makes: 1 Loaf

This basic loaf is made using the straight dough method.  It works well if you want to make a quick loaf for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cups water, more if needed
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose white Spelt flour, plus additional for dusting
• 1/2 cup whole grain Spelt flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Mixing the dough:

The instructions on the unit suggest that you add the warm water first, and sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Then add the rest of the ingredients, in the order listed.

I use instant yeast and it isn’t necessary to activate the yeast so I added all of the dry ingredients (like I normally do) and then mixed in the wet ingredients. However, doing it this way made it a bit tricky to get all of the dry ingredients incorporated. Next time, I’ll add the wet ingredients first and place the dry ingredients on top.

I found that it helped to hold back some of the water and add the rest after I had started mixing the dough. You may need to incorporate more flour or water to achieve the desired dough consistency just as you would with any bread dough.

The EZ DOH mixes the dough fairly quickly.  Start by turning the handle in one direction and mix. Then switch directions and continue  mixing and alternating directions until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.  The total mixing time is about 2-5 minutes.

 

After I finished mixing, I removed the crank assembly and worked the dough just a bit with my hands to make sure it was the right consistency. I have to get my hands on the dough no matter what tool I use.

Bulk Fermentation:

Let the dough bulk ferment in the bucket until it is doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.   I let this dough ferment for about an hour.

 

Shaping the Loaf:

Because this loaf includes olive oil, and whole grain flour, my version is more like a country loaf than a baguette. You can shape the loaf into the traditional French baguette shape, but I shaped my loaf into a round boule.

I placed the shaped boule on parchment paper sprinkled with spelt flour. You can use cornmeal for sprinkling, but I wanted a pure Spelt loaf.

Cover the loaf with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it proof until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes, (or longer) depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

 

Preparing the Loaf for Baking:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. with a baking stone on the bottom rack and an iron skillet or steam pan on the top rack.

Score the loaf in the pattern of your choice, using a serrated knife or bread lame. I used a straight-edged lame to score a square (sort of) around the top of the loaf. You might need to sprinkle the top of the loaf with a little flour so to make scoring a little bit easier.

 

Baking the Loaf:

Using a baker’s peel or the back of a baking sheet, slide the bread (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated stone. Carefully add a few ice cubes to the preheated iron skillet or steam pan. Spritz the loaf with water and immediately close the door and turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. Bake the loaf for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. 

Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving. The loaf tastes best warm, but it will cut more easily if you allow it to cool before slicing.

 

The basic recipe is easily adaptable to other types of bread. The pamphlet included with the EZ DOH unit provides several options and is a good starting point for making a variety of different types of breads. The savory garlic rolls sound divine and the sweet rolls… Yum! I wanted to try all of the variations, but I refrained because I also wanted to find out what other types of dough it could handle.

For my next test, I’ll be making whole wheat bread using an overnight sponge. Look for more information about that bread in an upcoming post.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

KAMUT de Mie

This KAMUT de Mie has a very mild and wheaty flavor.

Pain de Mie means “bread of the crumb.” I like that description, but this version, made with KAMUT, could be described as “bread with a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that’s great for toasting.” 

I enjoy experimenting with ancient grains. I’ve used whole grain KAMUT flour in several breads, but I hadn’t tried KAMUT white flour yet so I wanted to see how it would perform in breads that are usually made with modern white bread flour.

KAMUT white flour is actually creamy-colored. It’s a beautiful grain and makes a lovely flour.

Whole Grain KAMUT

KAMUT White Flour

In my research, I’ve found differing opinions on where some of the ancient grains originated and how they are classified. The official KAMUT web site has a wealth of interesting information and the classification makes sense to me, bearing in mind, I’m not an expert on wheat.

Basically, all wheat belongs to the genus Triticum, but the classifications differ based on the number of chromosomes. Khorasan Wheat (KAMUT brand) has 28 chromosomes as opposed to the 42 chromosomes found in modern wheat. I had read about the differing chromosomes in some of my previous research, but didn’t realize that KAMUT, like emmer, only has 28. There’s much more to wheat than meets the eye.

 

KAMUT de Mie (Pain De Mie made with KAMUT Flour)

Adapted from: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute

Makes: Two Medium (8 1/2” x 4 1/2”) Loaves

This bread started out at 60% hydration, but it was too dry. The KAMUT flour absorbed the milk so much that it ended up being about 78% hydration. I had heard that KAMUT had a greater absorption rate than modern bread flour. Now, I can attest to that. It wasn’t a wet dough. It was dreamy or maybe I should say creamy to work with.

 

Ingredients:

• 553g KAMUT white flour
• 433g Cold Almond milk
• 55g (4 T) unsalted butter, softened
• 9g instant yeast
• 22g sugar
• 11g salt

 

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, half of the milk, the softened butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed using the dough hook for 5 minutes. Gradually add in more milk as necessary until there are no dry bits of flour. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together.  It will be slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.

 

Lightly flour a work surface and remove the dough from the bowl.  Divide it into two pieces using a sharp knife or bench knife. Cover the pieces with plastic and let them bench rest for 15 minutes.

 

Lightly butter two medium loaf pans.  I used two 8.5 by 4.5-inch glass loaf pans.

Uncover the dough again and lightly flour the work surface, if necessary. Gently press out the dough to degas it and shape each piece into a round. Shape the rounds into batards and place each batard into a buttered loaf pan. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise for 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Make the egg wash by combining the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together in a small bowl until blended.

Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the risen loaves with the egg wash.  You’re supposed to do this lightly.  I may have overdone it with the egg wash because the crust got a little darker than I anticipated.

Transfer the loaves to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. The sides should be firm to the touch.

Remove the loaves from the oven.  If you are using glass pans, let the loaves cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Since the weather has been unseasonably cold, I was craving tomato soup and grilled cheese.  Pain de Mie is the perfect bread for grilled cheese (or toasted cheese as we referred to it growing up).

The KAMUT flour performed really well for this test. It makes a great toast bread.

I’m sharing these loaves with:

BYOB - Il Cestino del Pane

Yeastspotting

 

Happy Baking

Cathy

KAMUT Cheddar Biscuits

I got a bag of KAMUT Khorasan white flour the other day and was itching to make something. It was after work when I got the urge to bake so I didn’t have time to make a loaf of bread unless I wanted to stay up late.

I made soup for dinner and decided what I really wanted to serve with the soup was biscuits. Some good ‘ole biscuits.

 

For some reason, making biscuits with KAMUT sounded like a great idea. I didn’t even give it a second thought that they might not turn out. I took some of the flour, sifted it through my fingers and it felt like biscuits.

The dough was really nice to work with. These biscuits aren’t necessarily light and fluffy, but the flavor and texture draws you in. I tried one of the biscuits as soon as it came out of the oven and it melted in my mouth. I ran upstairs to tell my son to come down quickly because I had made a treat. I mentioned biscuits and he was right there.

Southerners do love our biscuits, but the funny thing is that I am not known for my biscuits. I was always an okay biscuit-maker, but these biscuits are so easy and they taste divine. We enjoyed them so much we almost ate them all in one sitting, but we didn’t. We saved some for the next day. They were delicious warmed over.

The best part about these biscuits is that they are made with a heritage grain. I’m in love with this flour and these biscuits!

 

KAMUT Cheddar Biscuits

Adapted from: Biscuit Bliss by James Villas

Makes: 10-12 Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups KAMUT Khorasan white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 T. (3/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 cup almond milk, plus 1 T. if necessary

 

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter pieces using a pastry cutter until the mixture is a mealy texture. Add in the cheese and cayenne pepper and mix until well blended. Pour in the milk and stir until the dough is soft. You might need to add a little more milk to make sure the dough is completely wet.

3) Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it gently a few times. 

4) Pat the dough out into a circle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out rounds using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.  Work the scraps together and cut additional rounds.

5) Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. 

 

6) Bake in the upper third of the oven until the biscuits are golden brown. This will take about 12 to 13 minutes. Serve them while they are hot or room temperature.

 

I’m submitting these biscuits to the #TwelveLoaves monthly challenge. The theme for January is “Keep it Simple.” These biscuits are about as simple as you can get.  I used KAMUT Khorasan white flour, but you could use white all-purpose flour if you prefer.

Happy Baking!

Cathy