Sourdough Petit Pain au Lait (French Milk Bread)

This month for the group We Knead to Bake we baked this petit pain au lait. The recipe provided used commercial yeast but I wanted to use my wild yeast starter. So I converted the recipe to accommodate the starter. Look here for help converting your recipe. The slow fermentation allowed the flavors to develop. The end result was a lovely flavorful bread, light and delicious.

The first thing I did was to find the weight measure equivalent of the provided recipe. Luckily for me the link provided in the recipe had the link to the original recipe that used weight measure. Once I had that I used basic rules to do the conversion. The proportion of starter I added was 40% of the total flour. Based on the total grams of starter I then calculated the grams of flour and water in the stater. I subtracted these amounts from the flour and liquid (in this case milk) amounts in the recipe. This resulted in a dough with texture that was similar to that expected from the original recipe.

Wide yeast takes a lot longer to develop and does well with plenty of time. So the next change I made was the way the dough was kneaded or not kneaded. I have learnt from my experience with wild yeast that the texture of the final product is best when the dough is folded as opposed to being kneaded. As such I applied 3 folds within an hour of forming the dough. I then left it to rise for about 4 hours bringing the total bulk fermentation time to 5 hours. I then shaped the bread, scored the top and let it proof overnight in the refrigerator. This allowed the flavors to develop and the gas to build even though the dough itself did not rise much.

Next morning I let the bread rest on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes before I put it in the oven. I baked the bread as per the recipe at 400 F for 12-15 minutes. I got great oven spring and the bread puffed up to 3 times in volume. I am thrilled with the result and will definitely try this bread again.

You will need
58 gm 80% hydration sourdough starter
93 gm all purpose flour
20 gm bread flour
36 gm whole milk (I used 1% milk)
1 egg
19 gm sugar
31 gm salted butter (add 1 tsp. salt is using unsalted butter)
Pearl sugar as topping (I did not use any)

In a mixing bowl combine the starter with the milk. Mix in the egg and sugar. Sift the flours and add them to the mixture. Form a sticky dough. Now work in the butter a little at a time until it is well combined. Cover and keep aside.

In the next hour fold the dough 3 times. Keep it aside, covered, for another 4 hours.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into two portions. To shape each portion roll it out on the work surface to a flat disc the size of a side dish. Starting from one end roll tightly to form a roll. Seal the edges to prevent unraveling during baking.

Using kitchen shears score the top. Transfer the shaped bun to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof overnight in the refrigerator.

The next morning take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator and place it on the kitchen counter. You may not see much difference in the bread. It will not rise much in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. You should see good oven spring.

The buns taste best the day they are baked.

Converting commercial yeast recipes to sourdough

You found a recipe you want to try but it calls for commercial yeast. You want to use your carefully maintained sourdough starter. Read on for instructions on how to convert from one to the other. Pain au lait (picture below) was the first bread I baked after using this conversion process.

Some instructions ask to replace 1/2 cup of flour with the starter. This is not very accurate and will lead to problems if you are a novice baker. The hydration level of the starter could wreak havoc with the recipe. A high hydration starter could lead to a very wet dough and a low hydration starter could lead to a dry one. A newly fed starter will work very differently from an unfed one. To avoid these problems stick to weights.

Conversion process
You need to know % of hydration of your starter - given a quantity how much water and flour the starter contains.

Find the total amount of flour by weight used in your recipe. Calculate 40% of this amount (multiple by 0.4). That is be the amount of starter you need to use in your recipe.

Next calculate the amount of flour and water in grams you starter contains. For example, 100 grams of a 78% starter has 44 gm water to 56 gm flour. Reduce the flour in the recipe by the amount of flour your starter has. Reduce the amount of total liquid in your recipe by the amount of water your starter has.

You are all set to bake your favorite recipe with your own starter.

Makki Roti (Corn Poli)

Makki roti or Corn roti is a classic Punjabi winter roti or flatbread. It tastes a lot like corn tortilla. Makki roti with sarso ka saag (mustard green curry) is a very popular combination.

I have always wanted to try makki di roti but I was worried about ensuring it is cooked through. As it turned out that was not a problem. Keeping the dough moist enough to make the flat bread was an issue.

You will need
2 cups corn flour (use Masa or Bob Miller)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp.salt

Mix all the ingredients and using warm water knead into a soft dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Heat a pan griddle. Knead the dough again and divide into lemon sized balls. Using a little water on your hand knead one ball of dough until it is soft. Flatten it on the palm of your hand as far as it will go. Place it on a plastic sheet and continue flattening it with your palm until you have a relatively thin roti.

Place the roti on the hot griddle and let it cook for a couple minutes. Flip it over and add a few drops of oil on it. Flip it over again and add a few drops of oil. Let both sides brown and take it off the heat.

Continue to prepare and cook the remaining rotis. Serve with bhaji (vegetable sides).

Bharli Wangi

Bharli Wangi is a Maharashtrian delicacy. It is made with small lemon sized eggplant. Roasted dry coconut flakes, peanuts, sesame seeds and tamarind is what gives it the distinct taste. Kala masala (black masala) a unique masala with a very limited shelf life adds to the flavor. When you see the tiny eggplant in the grocery store think of Bharli Wangi.

My mother used to make these often. I am not fond of eggplant but I loved the masala filling. In classic Maharashtrian style the filling is sweet, tart and savory all at the same time. This dish has no onion, ginger or garlic but it is finger licking good. Look here for more information on Maharashtra.

I did not have any plans for making bharli wangi. But I had an appointment at 9 am and reached the area at 8:15 am. I needed to kill time so I decided to walk through a grocery store that I had never been to before. As I walked through the vegetable section I spotted the tiny eggplants. I bought 10. I knew I had everything else I needed in the pantry so on the spur of the moment I decided to make Bharli Wangi for dinner.

You will need
10 tiny eggplant
3/4 cup dry coconut flakes
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/3 cup dry roasted peanut powder
1 tbsp. jaggery
1 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. kala masala
1/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 tbsp. tamarind paste

5 tbsp. olive oil, divided

salt to taste

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/4 tsp. asafoetida

Wash the eggplant and cut off the stems. From the same side as the stem cut the eggplant along the length without going all the way. Now make another cut perpendicular to the first. Repeat for all the eggplants. Soak the eggplant in salted water. Keep aside.

In a pan roast the coconut flakes and sesame seeds.

Grind them to a fine powder. In a bowl mix together the coconut flakes and sesame seeds powder, roasted peanut powder, jaggery, paprika, kala masala, fresh coconut, cilantro and salt with 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Use about a forth of a cup of water to form a paste.

Drain the water from the soaking eggplants. Keep aside about 2 tbsp. of the paste filling. Use the rest to stuff the eggplant. Gently separate the sides of the eggplant and push the filling inside with your fingers. Repeat for all the eggplants. Keep aside.

Heat 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the turmeric powder and asafoetida. To this add the stuffed eggplant. Let them cook for a couple minutes. Using tongs turn them over. Cover and let them cook for 5 minutes.

Uncover and turn over again. Repeat the process until the eggplant changes color on all sides and is almost cooked all the way through.

Add tamarind paste to the 2 tbsp. of filling that was saved. Add 1/4 cup water (more if you like liquid gravy) and mix together. Add this to the eggplants in the pan, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

Uncover and check seasoning. Add salt if needed. Continue cooking until the eggplant is cooked completely. Be gentle while handling the eggplant. You do not want to break it apart.

Serve hot with poli.

Foolproof Sourdough Burger Buns

The challenge this month for Sourdough Surprises was to bake a bun, any kind of bun. I have had a personal challenge baking buns. The last couple of times I tried sourdough buns the shape was all wrong. I figured I had too much liquid and tried to fix that but it did not help. I was a little skeptical about my chances of doing this right.

Then I had a brainwave. I found a sourdough bun recipe and used it to mix the dough. After that I did not follow the recipe. You see, in the last few months I have tried a few bread recipes from Flour water salt yeast written by Ken Forkish. He recommends folding instead of kneading, 5 hour bulk fermentation followed by overnight proofing in the refrigerator. I decided to follow the same steps for the buns as I had done for the bread. I have to say I really like the results. I have to thank sourdough surprises for motivating me to try baking buns again. I have baked these buns twice now with identical results.

The dough was sticky and wet when it was mixed. After the third fold it had a lot of structure and held its shape well. After the bulk fermentation it was fairly easy to handle and shape.

Dividing the dough into identical portions was easy. First I flattened the dough a little into a shape of a circle. I then cut pie shapes out of it to get identical shaped portions. It is much easier to cut a circle than a square or rectangle.

The shaping of the dough used to be a challenge for me until I found two helpful sources. The first is a video on shaping bread and the second is a visual picture guide for shaping dinner rolls. I followed the visual guide to shape the buns and then I followed the video to create surface tension in them by sliding the buns on the work surface.

The shaped buns were covered and refrigerated overnight. Next morning they went from the refrigerator to the oven with a few minutes on the kitchen counter while the oven preheated.

You will need (For 10 buns)
200 gm 80% sourdough starter
365 gm water
80 gm sugar
1 egg yolk
80 gm olive oil
660 gm bread flour
16 gm salt

sesame seeds
egg white from 1 egg

In a bowl combine the starter and water. Mix the sugar, egg yolk and olive oil. Sift the flour and salt. Add it to the wet ingredients. Mix until all the ingredients are blended in, cover and keep aside. In the next hour fold the dough 2-3 times. Bulk ferment for 4 more hours. Lightly flour a work surface and transfer the risen dough on to it. Divide into 10 equal portions. Shape each portion into a bun and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cover the baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator to proof overnight. Take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator the next morning. Preheat the oven to 375 F while the buns rest on the kitchen counter. Wash the buns with the egg white and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on each one.

Bake for 30-33 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Cool on a rack and use as needed.

Sourdough Pizza

Pizza is just flat bread with toppings and can be made with different types of dough. Everybody who has ever tasted pizza has their favorite pizza sauce and toppings. However, it is not the toppings that make a pizza, it is the dough.

The dough does not have to be made with a sourdough starter but it needs good cold fermentation. Pizza dough kept in the refrigerator for a day or two produces better tasting pizza. The cold temperature allows the flavors to develop. So the next time you make pizza whether with instant yeast or sourdough, all purpose flour or high gluten wheat, thick crust or thin leave the dough in the refrigerator for a day. You will notice the difference in taste.

Pizza dough is flat bread that is very versatile. I used a mix of white whole wheat and all purpose flour for the dough. I fed my starter in the morning. At around 4 pm I mixed the dough. At night before going to bed I divided the dough and rolled it into smooth balls. I covered them and put them in the refrigerator.

The next day around noon, after 12 plus hours of refrigeration, I was ready to bake the pizza. Sometimes if I can, I keep the dough refrigerated longer; until dinner or maybe even lunch the day after. The pizza tastes better.

Today I made pizza topped with my favorite pizza sauce and shredded cotijo cheese. That was the only cheese I had on hand.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. If using a pizza stone and peel, place the stone on the top rack in the oven as it heats. If using a pizza baking sheet, place the sheet on the top rack. A hot oven and a hot cooking surface allow the pizza dough to cook quickly and puff up to create an open crumb. All you need is 7 minutes in the oven.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured working surface place one of the portions of refrigerated dough. Using your knuckles punch down the center leaving a small 1/4 inch border.

Flour you hands. Pick up the flattened dough with your fingers and using the border as a guide run it through your fingers. Holding the dough up vertically will allow it to expand. You could throw it in the air to expand it too.

Remove the heated baking sheet from the oven. Working quickly place the prepared pizza dough on the sheet.

Cover with sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Return the sheet to the top rack of the oven for 5 minutes. If using a pizza stone, assemble the pizza on a pizza peel and slide it on to the hot stone.

After 5 minutes switch to broil and broil the pizza for 2 minutes. Serve hot. Be prepared to listen to how tasty the pizza is knowing the compliments are for the pizza base and not the toppings.

For the exact list of ingredients refer to the book Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.

Pizza Sauce

Homemade pizza sauce using fresh ingredients enhances the taste of any pizza. This sauce is a favorite with my family. We like it because it is very versatile. You can change the ingredients based on what you have in the pantry. While tomatoes are used as the base, there is no need to buy a specific kind. You can use any type of tomato in this sauce.

Ideally you would use vine ripened salad tomatoes preferably from a farmer's market. But if the only tomatoes you can find are the barely ripe grocery store variety then use a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes with it. Roma tomatoes or tomatoes or different colors everything works. Add them to some onion, garlic and oregano and you have great tasting pizza sauce.

You will need (for 6 hand tossed 10 inch pizzas)
28 oz of chopped tomatoes (6 salad tomatoes or 4 salad and 12 cherry or any other combination)
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. fresh oregano (use dried if fresh is not available)
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and dried oregano. Mix together until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the tomatoes are completely mushy. Turn off heat and let it cool down.

At this point you can mash them, use a hand blender or transfer to a blender/food processor and puree. Add fresh oregano and continue to cook the mashed/pureed sauce for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cool completely.

You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Variation:
Add half a red bell pepper to the sauce.

Sourdough Focaccia with Parmesan Cheese and Basil

Ever since I heard about and researched sourdough starter I wanted to bake bread using my own starter. For the last month and a half I have been baking bread using my starter. I baked soda bread, baguettes, hot cross buns and artisan loaf. Now I wanted to try pizza using my starter. The plan was to have pizza for dinner. But then I remembered I had baked focaccia caprese using commercial yeast a few months back and my family loved it. So I decided to make enough dough for four small pizzas and one focaccia.

My weekly baking cycle begins on Friday morning when I remove the starter from refrigerator and feed it. On Saturday morning I discard most of the starter and feed the remaining. I make sourdough pancakes for breakfast out of the discarded starter. On Saturday evening I mix the dough. For more on the process of maintaining your starter look here. Now that I use my starter I have become very conscious of the bread crumb and flavor. High hydration and long fermentation weaken the gluten strands giving bread the desired open crumb (lots of holes) and great flavor.

I used whole white wheat and all purpose for this recipe. My ultimate goal is to eliminate the all purpose flour in the dough and substitute it with other flours. I put the mixed dough in a covered mixing bowl on my kitchen counter to allow the starter to do its magic. After 7 hours I divided the dough into 5 portions, covered them and placed them in the refrigerator to proof. This was done at night so the light is not great in the picture.

The next day morning I took the portion I needed for the focaccia out of the refrigerator. I allowed it to continue to proof at room temperature for a couple hours.

I transferred the dough to a floured work surface and patted it into shape. I placed it on an oiled baking sheet and dug holes on the surface.

I then sprinkled fresh grated Parmesan cheese and some dried basil over the top.

I baked it for about 15-20 minutes in a hot oven set at 500 F.

The taste was amazing and I was really happy with the open crumb.

For the exact list of ingredients refer to the book Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.