How to Make Sourdough E-Book

Emmanuel Hadjiandreou

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 175

Beschreibung

The definitive book showcasing the variety of sourdough breads and pastries, from the author of the award-winning 'How to Make Bread'. Many people are turning their backs on mass-produced, homogenized and bland bread in favour of something natural and nourishing. And what can be more natural than the way bread used to be made – with flour, water and care. Once you've mastered the sourdough 'starter' – the vigorous little mixture of flour and water that helps leaven the bread and develop flavour – you just need to mix a small amount of it with your other ingredients and you're well on your way to a great-tasting fresh loaf. Top up the starter and you can keep it going for as long as you want. It's no surprise than when people take in the wonderful aroma of their first homemade sourdough loaf, before breaking the firm, springy crust and savouring the delicious, light and flavoursome inside that they never look back. You'll be amazed not only by the flavour and variety of wonderful Sourdough recipes on offer in this book, but by their simplicity. There is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to making the dough, kneading the dough, and shaping, preparing and baking a basic sourdough loaf. From there, you'll discover exciting breads made with some of the hugely popular ancient grains, including kamut, spelt, einkorn and enner. If you like a rich, dark bread, then you'll be at home in the Rye chapter, with delicious recipes, such as New-York-style rye sourdough or Pumpernickel sourdoughs. Try the Sweet & Savoury Sourdoughs in the Flavoured Sourdoughs section, including classic combinations such as Tomato & Olive, but also more unusual but equally delicious recipes such as Halloumi & Mint. If you have a sweeter tooth, you'll be delighted by the Apple or Date & Walnut. Discover the dedicated Gluten-free chapter, with the Chickpea Potato Focaccia, Sourdough Potato Pancakes and Teff & Apricot Sourdough. Explore the diverse and divine creations in Snacks & Treats, such as Sourdough Bagels, Sourdough Pretzels and Sourdough Brioche. Finally, a chapter on Speciality Sourdoughs will teach you how to make the perfect Sourdough Baguette and Ciabatta, as well as festive favourites, such as Panettone.

Leseprobe

HOW TO MAKESOURDOUGH

HOW TO MAKESOURDOUGH

45 recipes for great-tasting sourdough breads that are good for you, too.

EMMANUEL HADJIANDREOU

photography by Steve Painter

Design, Photographic Art Direction and Prop Styling Steve Painter

Commissioning Editor Nathan Joyce

Production Controller David Hearn

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Publisher Cindy Richards

Indexer Ingrid Lock

First published in 2016

by Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Emmanuel Hadjiandreou 2016

Design and photographs

© Ryland Peters & Small 2016

The author’s moral rights have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN 978 1 84975 901 4

ISBN 978 1 84975 704 1

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

A cataloging-in-progress record is available from the Library of Congress.

Printed and bound in China

Notes

• All spoon measurements are level, unless otherwise specified.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperature. Recipes in this book were tested using a fan/convection oven. If using a regular oven, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting temperatures.

• All eggs are UK medium/US large unless otherwise specified. Recipes containing raw or partially cooked egg should not be served to the very young, very old, anyone with a compromised immune system or pregnant women.

contents

introduction

getting started

wholegrain and ancient grain sourdoughs

rye sourdoughs

flavoured sourdoughs

cultured sourdoughs

gluten-free sourdoughs

sourdough treats

speciality sourdoughs

suppliers and stockists

index

acknowledgements

Introduction

I would like to thank everyone who has supported and purchased How to Make Bread and Making Bread Together. I love to hear that people are making bread from both books and that they’re having so much fun making it.

In this book, I am introducing you to sourdough and long fermentation. I want to show you that the most important ingredient is time and waiting for things to develop. Also that you really do not need lots of sourdough to make a great loaf of bread.

Some of the recipes I have turned from yeasted dough into a sourdough. I find that once you understand how all the ingredients work, you can make a great product. Bread will always differ from season to season because of the weather and the new-season flour, to name but a couple of things. Some of the ingredients will be a bit more challenging than others so have patience and take it one step at a time. It’s really important to read the recipe thoroughly, make sure you weigh out all your ingredients, dry and wet, and that you can see all your ingredients before you start mixing. You’ll also achieve the best results with good-quality ingredients.

Throughout my baking career, I have introduced bread making to lots of people and it is so pleasing to hear that they are enjoying making great bread. I never get tired of making a loaf of bread because the magic starts from the time you start mixing and continues through to the moment you take the loaf out of the oven.

I hope you will have as much fun creating all the breads in this book as I have really enjoyed putting the recipes together. Lastly, do remember that if your sourdough is not bubbling, your bread will not rise.

Happy baking!

Tools, equipment and tips

Accuracy is crucial in bread making. For this reason, I have given all ingredients in metric weights first (including salt, yeast and liquids), followed by American cups and/or ounces, teaspoons or tablespoons. I highly recommend that you weigh everything on high-precision electronic scales, but of course it’s up to you. A properly measured cup of white flour weighs 120 g or 4¼ oz. When measuring flour by the cup, spoon it into the measuring cup and scrape off the excess.

Precision electronic scales: If you choose to weigh your bread-making ingredients (rather than measure them in cups and spoons), you want scales that can weigh between 1 g and about 3 kg. They tend to come in 1-g, 2-g or 5-g graduations, so make sure you buy scales with a 1-g graduation for the most accurate measurement of ingredients like salt and water.

At least 1 large mixing bowl (approximately 2-litre/8-cup capacity) and at least 1 small mixing bowl (approximately 1-litre/4-cup capacity): You want to be able to fit one bowl on top of the other snugly. You can either upturn the smaller one and put it inside the bigger bowl; or you can upturn the larger one and place it over the smaller one. I find this the most convenient way to mix wet and dry ingredients, as well as providing an easy covering while the dough rises. I normally use a plastic or Pyrex bowl, but if you use Pyrex, make sure you rinse the bowl in warm water to warm it up if it has been stored in a cold cupboard.

Deep roasting tray: You will need to put a cup of water in this to create steam in your oven. Put the pan on the bottom of the oven before preheating it.

Loaf pans: 500-g/6 x 4-inch (or 1-lb.) and 900-g/8½ x 4½inch (or 2-lb.) capacities are what we mainly use in this book.

Proofing/dough-rising baskets: These come in various shapes and sizes and are used to hold dough during proofing. They shape the dough and create attractive patterns on the crust of the baked bread. They are made from a variety of materials. These baskets are not essential to bread making but are a good investment for the avid baker.

Proofing/baker’s linen (couche) or clean tea/kitchen towel: This is a thick linen traditionally used to support dough inside a proofing/dough-rising basket (especially French baguettes) and also to absorb a little moisture from the dough, which helps to form the bread crust. You can also use thick, heavy, clean tea/dish cloths for this and to cover dough during proofing.

Baking stone: Avid bakers might like to invest in a baking stone. Baking stones come in a variety of materials and thicknesses, and are designed to help bake bread evenly. They should be put in the oven and preheated slowly at the same time as the oven. If you put a cold stone in a very hot oven, it can crack. Alternatively, preheat a heavy baking sheet flipped upside-down for 30–45 minutes.

Bread or pizza peel: Used to slide bread into the hot oven.

Baking sheets: You will often need more than one baking sheet if you are making individual pastries or similar. For pastries, bake from cold on a sheet lined with silicon-coated paper in a preheated oven (not on a baking stone).

Metal dough scraper or sharp, serrated knife: A metal dough scraper makes dividing dough accurate and easy, but a sharp serrated knife works well, too.

Plastic dough scraper: This scrapes dough and stray ingredients cleanly from the edge of a mixing bowl so that all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Lamé: This is a small, very sharp blade like a scalpel to score and slash the surface of the bread before baking. You can use a clean razor blade securely attached to the end of a wooden coffee stirrer or a small, very sharp knife instead.

As well as the more specialist pieces of equipment above, you will also need many of these common kitchen items:

Baking parchment or silicon-coated paper Fine sieve/strainer or flour sifter

Kitchen thermometer

Measuring jug/pitcher or cups and spoons Pastry brush

Rolling pin

Round cake pans

Shower cap or a clean plastic bag

Wire rack for cooling

Wooden spoon

Sourdough: the crucial components

Sourdough bread is wonderfully easy to make. It all begins with two ingredients: flour and water. Flour contains two magic ingredients, though: wild yeast spores and lactic acid bacteria. Mixing flour and water starts the fermentation process, during which the wild yeast spores multiply and release carbon dioxide. This mixture, called a starter (see pages 16–17), is what bakers used for centuries before packaged yeast was invented.

Flour

Flour is the starting point for bread and can be made from many different grains. The majority of the flour used in this book is wheat flour. Each grain of wheat contains three main elements: bran, endosperm and germ. The way in which the wheat is milled determines which parts of the grain remain in the flour, and which are lost. There are two ways of making flour from wheat: stone-grinding and roller-milling. Stone-ground flour crushes grains between two stones, whereas roller-milling crushes grains through a series of metal rollers and sieves. Stone-ground flour is healthier as it retains all the natural vitamins and oils in the grain. This is because everything that goes in one side comes out the other side, and nothing is lost or thrown away. Roller-milling, by contrast, sifts out the bran and germ. The strip of images to the left shows wheat in various forms: (A) entire wheat kernels, also called wheat berries; (B) chopped wheat; (C) milled wheat (similar to the texture of semolina); (D) wholemeal/wholewheat flour; and (E) stone-ground white flour. The images above show a mini stone mill in action.

Water

Water brings all the ingredients together and activates the wild yeast, which is responsible for making the bread rise. When water is combined with the flour, the proteins gluten and gliadin start to form, which is what makes dough elastic and easy to shape. The water also brings out the starch, which is the food source for the yeast. You need to be careful with the temperature of the water you use when it comes to sourdough or barm. Really cold water will slow the yeast down, while heat will kill it. A hand-warm temperature (between 30–37°C/86–99°F) is ideal. Make sure you can drink the water you use to make your bread. If you can’t drink it, the sourdough or barm will not like it. If this is the case, use bottled water.

Wild yeast

Spores of wild yeast exist in flour. Mixing flour and water gives the yeast an environment in which to multiply. Lactobacilli (see right) eats up the carbohydrates in the flour, breaking it down into simple sugars. These simple sugars are a food source for the wild yeast, which releases bubbles of carbon dioxide. It is this fermentation process that makes the bread rise.

Gluten

Gluten is the web that traps the carbon dioxide that the yeast produces, and in many ways, it’s similar to bubble gum. When you chew gum, it starts off hard, and if you try to blow bubbles then, the gum will break. Once you’ve chewed the gum for a while, the gum becomes nice and elastic and you will be able to blow bubbles. Similarly, the more you knead dough, the more elastic it becomes. Once the gluten is developed, it can trap lots of carbon dioxide, which makes the bread rise.

Lactic acid and acetic acid

Wild yeast (sourdough) naturally contains lactobacilli, a type of lactic acid bacteria that develops when flour and water are mixed together and start to ferment. Lactic acid and acetic acid break down the gluten, making it easier to digest. It is the lactobacilli that gives sourdough its distinctive sour taste. It also helps sourdough bread to keep for longer than other loaves.

Salt

Salt is also really important in the bread-making process. Not only does it season the bread, adding flavour, but it also reacts with the protein in the flour to strengthen the gluten and make it more elastic. Salt also helps to give the crust a lovely colour when the loaf is baking. It is also a preservative, helping to prolong the bread’s shelf life. However, bear in mind that too much salt can prevent the bread from rising.

Ancient grains

The increasingly popular term ‘ancient grains’ refers to whole grains that are largely unchanged over the last few centuries. It would have been one of these grains, most likely einkorn or emmer, that was used to make the first loaf of bread, and this first loaf would have most likely been a version of the sourdough bread that we know and love today. The category ‘ancient grains’ distinguishes the grains that have been cultivated since the beginnings of time from the grains that have been selectively bred and altered over the last few centuries. Modern wheat has been selectively cultivated and is often heavily refined. It is the descendant of three ancient strains of wheat – spelt, einkorn and emmer. By contrast, ancient grains are considered to be more natural and healthier, bringing us more vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein than modern wheat. Ancient grains are wonderful additions to bread. With the exception of the gluten-free grains, ancient grains contain different amounts of gluten, so it’s advisable to mix them into wheat flour in certain proportions. The following is a list of the ancient grains used in this book.

Barley: Barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains and one of the hardiest. It contains the most fibre out of all the whole grains. Unusually, the fibre is found throughout the whole grain rather than just in the outer bran layer. It is also high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Buckwheat: Slightly surprisingly, buckwheat is not related to wheat at all. It isn’t even a grass, but rather a relation of rhubarb and sorrel that is cultivated for its grain-like seeds. Buckwheat is gluten-free and is a popular substitute for wheat. It contains the important antioxidant rutin, which helps to prevent against heart disease.

Einkorn: Einkorn is widely considered to be the oldest precursor to wheat, and was first cultivated around 12,000 years ago. It has very small, rice-like, chewy kernels that have a distinctive nutty flavour. In Italy, it’s known as ‘farro piccolo’.

Emmer: Emmer is another ancient relation of wheat and is great for making pasta, much like its younger relative durum wheat. It is known as ‘farro’ in Italy. Emmer is high in protein and low in gluten, and is therefore a popular option for people with wheat sensitivity. It has a richer, deeper flavour than spelt.

Kamut: Kamut is in fact a trademarked name for a specific variety of Khorasan wheat, and derives from an ancient Egyptian word for wheat. It is a particularly large grain – roughly double the size of modern wheat – and is prized for its nutty flavour. It contains higher levels of protein than modern wheat, as well as more vitamin E.

Spelt: One of the oldest cultivated crops, spelt is a variety of wheat and can be used instead of modern wheat for many recipes. It contains more protein than modern wheat, and despite falling out of favour as a crop from the Middle Ages onwards, it has recently become popular as a health food.

Teff: Teff is a type of grass that yields a very small grain. It is native to Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it is used to make a flatbread called injera. It is gluten-free and high in protein and calcium. It is prized for its flavour but suffers from low yield compared with wheat.

Quinoa: Quinoa is a small, light-coloured round grain and it originally heralds from the Andes, where it was cultivated by the Inca people. Like buckwheat, it is not a true grain, being a relation of Swiss chard and beets. It is prized as a complete protein, meaning that it contains all of the amino acids that our bodies are not able to make on their own.

A selection of grains and flour

Clockwise from top left: einkorn, barley, teff, buckwheat, quinoa, spelt, kamut and emmer.

GETTING STARTED

How to make a sourdough starter

For generations, bakers used to keep a pot of live culture made of a flour and water mixture, and ‘fed’ it daily or weekly to keep it alive and active. Today, this is known as a sourdough starter. Making your own sourdough starter is very easy. It takes 5 days to make a fully active sourdough ‘starter’ and you can use all kinds of flour to make it. It also requires feeding to keep it going. Once the starter is bubbling, it can be built up and used the next day to make bread. Keep the starter in the fridge when you are not using it.

Just two ingredients

You’ll first need a container that can be sealed, like a clean miniature jam jar. Alternatively, you can use a larger jar like a kilner jar, but remove the rubber seal so a little more air will get into the jar. To create your own sourdough starter, mix 1 teaspoon of flour and 1–2 teaspoons of water (depending on the type of flour you use) to get a batter consistency. As for the type of flour, you can use most types to make sourdough. All of the sourdough starters you will need for this book (with the exception of the beer barm starters used in the Cultured Sourdoughs chapter) can be created using the instructions on the opposite page. I wouldn’t use bleached flour as all the natural goodness (in my opinion) has been taken out. Avoid self-raising/rising flour and corn and potato starch too. I tend to use organic flour because it doesn’t contain any chemicals that will affect or even kill the sourdough. As for the water, I always say if you can’t drink the water, then neither should the sourdough! So to be on the safe side, start with bottled water. I also use hand-warm water, as cold water will slow it down. Ideally, you’re looking for a temperature of between 30–37°C (86–99°F).

Use your nose

Make sure you smell your mixture often, as it will change during the fermentation process. You will notice a big difference by Day 3 and the batter should start to bubble. The smells you will get are grass smells, maybe a cheesy smell (lactic acid), and definitely a vinegary smell (acetic acid). It might smell a little alcoholic or like nail polish remover, too. Don’t worry – all these smells are a good sign! If you notice a foul smell, don’t worry – as long as there are bubbles in the mixture, it is working.

Reviving a starter

What happens if you don’t make bread using your sourdough starter for a while and it’s been in the fridge for a long time? Well, the coldness of the fridge slows down the process of fermentation and the mixture goes to sleep. You may also find that it will have separated and a grey/brown liquid might form on top. It’ll probably have a strong vinegar smell but it’s safe to taste (it will be very sour though). Your first reaction will be to throw it away, but it can be saved. Remove the liquid or the mould. Start building up the starter slowly, by adding just 2 g/2 m/½ teaspoon of the mixture from the jar and 20 g/4 tablespoons flour and 20 g/20 ml/4 teaspoons water. Leave in a warm place for 8 hours, then repeat, and build it up until it is nice and bubbly, as before. Remember that if the sourdough is not bubbling, the bread will not rise. Once you’ve built it up, throw away the rest of the old starter and replace it with the new one in a clean jar. Always build up the starter so that you have enough for your recipe and a little bit left for next time.

How to make a white sourdough starter

Day 1 In a clean jam jar, mix together 1 teaspoon of flour and 1–2 teaspoons of warm water with an ice cream stick or wooden skewer. Leave to stand overnight in a warm place.

Day 2 Add another 1 teaspoon of flour and 1–2 teaspoons of warm water to the mixture. When you open the container smell the mixture. It should just smell like flour and water mixed together, depending on what type of flour you’ve used. Its consistency should be that of a thick-ish batter. If the mixture is too soft, add less water next time.

Day 3 Repeat the Day 2 instructions and leave in a warm place overnight.

Day 4 Repeat the instructions from Day 2 again, leaving it in a warm place overnight. Little bubbles should be forming and it should have a slight vinegary smell.

Day 5