Sourdough Focaccia

We have been making homemade pizza for a few years now and it’s become a staple that I have 2 outdoor pizza ovens at the moment.

I also make our sourdough bread every week and need to switch it up with a few varieties using different flours, inclusions, or liquid to flavor the bread. Marshmallow stout instead of water for a chocolate chip sourdough batard anyone??

Between bread and pizza, there’s also focaccia! And here is a very easy recipe complete with a timeline to guide you!

You can split this bread in half crosswise to use for sandwiches, or just cut into squares, or rectangles to eat as is! Dip in olive oil, Trader Joe’s Garlic dip, hummus, baba ganoush…..It’s crunchy and soft, salty and herby…just delicious specially when still warm from the oven.

I use really good olive oil and salt as I believe it contributes to the overall taste of the focaccia. The olives are dry cured from Trader Joe’s, tomatoes and rosemary are from the backyard.

I doubled the recipe and made 2 13”x9” focaccia to eat and have enough to trade with a dozen home grown eggs. So please don’t be confused by the discrepancy between the instructions and the photos. 😊

I hope you will like this recipe as much as we did!

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Ingredients:

423 grams all purpose flour

181 grams bread flour

460 grams water

11 grams salt, plus more for sprinkling

115 grams starter, I used one straight from the fridge

12 grams good quality olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Toppings of choice, chopped herbs, olives, tomatoes, etc.

Procedure:

1. 10 am to 11 am

In a large bowl, mix flours, water, salt and starter. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough comes together.

Set aside for about 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the water.

Then mix the dough thoroughly, drizzling in the olive oil and pulling the dough up until well mixed. Use a plastic bench/dough scraper to help you pull up the dough and mix the oil in.

Cover (I use a clean, unused plastic hair cover!) and set aside for 30 minutes

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2. Bulk 11:15-1:15

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Perform 4 sets of stretch and fold every 30 minutes, for 2 hours.

Photos 1 – 4 are the stretch and fold in the first 30 minutes, #2 at an hour, #3 at an hour and thirty minutes, and #4 was after 2 hours, the last of 4 folds. See how stretchy and smooth the dough looks after?

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3. Proof 1:15- 5:15

Pour some olive oil in a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Transfer dough to the pan and cover.

Every 30 minutes on the first hour, uncover the dough and stretch gently to fill the pan.

Cover and let rest for the remainder of the 4 hours.

4. 5:15 Preheat oven to 450F.

5. Drizzle the dough with about 2 -3 tablespoons of good olive oil.

6. Wet your finger tips and dimple the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan, multiple times.

7. Sprinkle with chopped herbs, olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, etc.

*I used halved cherry tomatoes, chopped rosemary, olives, and Maldon sea salt. The other focaccia had the same toppings except it did not have tomatoes, as I only got a handful from the garden.*

8. Sprinkle with good quality salt.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.

*After baking, tops should be golden and edges crusty.

*Bottom should be toasted. This looks perfect!

Cut for sandwiches, this is what the crumb look like on my bake. Yummy!

Mackerel Pate

Hello my friends!

Today I’ll be making a delicious fish sandwich spread. As you might know, I make our bread at least once a week and of course, I want the best sandwich fillings to go with it.

My very favorite will always be butter and orange marmalade, but tuna salad, and BLT are close contenders.

We do have the usual Turkey and/or Ham with cheese and mayo quite often too.

My mom was taking about how she eats some canned mackerel more often now as it is very good fo your health, so imagine how excited I was when I found these at Trader Joe’s.

I was going to mix it up like my tuna salad but figured out I can make a more tasty spread using cream cheese. It makes a thicker spread that you can thin out using some mayonnaise. I hope you’ll like it!

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Ingredients:

1/4 red onion, chopped

4-6 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of ground black pepper

Pinch of Salt

1 6oz can mackerel, drained

1 hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped

*you can add 1 – 2 tablespoons mayo to loosen up the pate if you like it more spreadable*

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, mix together onions and cream cheese.

2. Add garlic powder,

3. Ground black pepper,

4. And salt.

5. Open the can of mackerel and drain well.

6. Place the fillets in the bowl.

7. Mash and mix everything together.

8. Add in chopped eggs.

9. Mix well. Add mayonnaise if using.

10. Spread on a thick slice of toasted bread.

11. Enjoy!

24-hour Soft Sourdough Rolls

Here is another recipe I totally rushed so you can have it for Thanksgiving, if you wish to try it. And I hope you do as it is so easy to make and so good! The 24 hour time frame is just mostly waiting, not actual hands on time so don’t be scared because of it. This bread develops lovely flavors because of the long fermentation times and in moderate amounts, is better for you than regular store bought bread.

This recipe makes a whopping 40 (or 24, or 32, depending on how you divide them) dinner rolls, 20 each in 2 13”x9” baking pans. Feel free to halve the recipe if needed, but I figured since I am going to be waiting 24 hours, I might just as well make enough to share with my mom when my nieces and nephew comes over.

One thing to keep in mind is that your starter has to be active, or just fed 8 hours ago, for this recipe to work. I did try it with discards, since it will be resting for a long while, but it did not work out to be as soft as the ones using an active starter.

For the sweetener, you can use 1/2 cup of honey if you want, but I just wanted some maple syrup mixed in this particular recipe. You do not taste the honey or the maple syrup in the baked roll, but it does contribute to the bread’s softness, texture, and overall taste.

Guideline: 1. I fed my starter Sunday night, around 8 pm, set it on the counter overnight to get ready for tomorrow. The next morning, at 7 am, I prepared the dough and let it rest until 7-8 pm. Then at 8 pm, I shaped them into balls, placed in the pan, covered and let rest until the next morning. Tuesday morning, I preheated the oven at 7:30am. Then baked them until done. It was done before 9 am.

2. If you want these to be baked in the afternoon, just do the same thing but feed the starter 1 day prior, in the morning, then prepare the dough that evening. Let it rise overnight, shape it the following morning, let rest until late in the afternoon, then bake.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk or evaporated milk

2 cups active sourdough starter

7 cups bread flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/4 cup melted butter, for brushing on baked rolls

Procedure:

1. Place all ingredients, except the 1/4 cup melted butter for brushing the rolls later, in the bowl of a stand mixer.

After the dough is mixed for a few minutes…

2. Mix with a dough hook for 15 minutes. If you are using a Kitchenaid, stop after 8 minutes, rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then continue for 7 more minutes.

After 15 minutes, it’s smooth and stretchy.

3. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover and let rise on the counter for 12 hours, or until doubled and airy.

4. Punch down dough, weigh it, and divide it into even pieces. You can make 12, 16, or 20 pieces fit per 13”x9”pan. I like to make 20 pieces, so there is more to share…and eat!

After 12 hour rise…

5. Shape into little balls by pulling edges into center, pinching it and rolling the dough, pinched side down on the counter to tighten the surface of the ball.

6. Place in one of two generously greased 13”x9” pan. Repeat with remaining dough, keeping others covered to prevent them from drying out. Fill both pans, cover and let sit for another 12 hours on the counter. You want them to fill the baking pans, and look really light and airy. I left them in the microwave with the convection rack in place to accommodate 2 baking pans.

Light golden after 20 minutes of baking.

7. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, or until browned and internal temperature registers 200F in an instant read thermometer. I baked this for 20 minutes, buttered them all and baked for 5 minutes more.

Perfect!

8. Remove from oven and brush with butter. I just grab a stick of butter and gently run it through the buns long enough to coat them in melted butter.

9. Serve warm with plenty of additional butter, jam, or stuff with turkey, cranberry sauce and enjoy!

Raisin, Walnut, and Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Batard

This recipe is a variation of the sourdough boule recipe. The raisins and walnuts give it enough sweetness and flavor to enjoy on its own. Of course, with butter and jam it is even better!

Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup starter

3 cups water

8 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon salt

melted butter or water

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons good quality ground cinnamon

Procedure:

Soak raisins and walnuts in enough water to cover.

Mix starter into the water in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to combine. Cover with a dish cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain the raisins and walnuts well and knead into the dough. Cover and let rise overnight.

Divide the dough into two and turn out onto a floured board.

Working with one at a time, stretch out the dough to a rectangle, about 16×8 inches. Brush with melted butter or plain water. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly on the dough. Roll up, from the short end, pinching edges to seal as you go along.

Place in a flour dusted banetton. Repeat with the other half.

Cover and let rise for an hour, until puffy.

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut a piece of parchment bigger than your banetton. Place the parchment over the dough and invert onto your hand. Place on the counter and score 3 times, using a razor, or a lame. Place into a dutch oven, cover and place in the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes covered, then 35 minutes more uncovered.

Place on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.

Raisin, Walnut and Cinnamon Sourdough Batard

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A delicious variation for the basic sourdough boule recipe. This yield loaves that are just sweet and flavorful enough to enjoy on its own.

Ingredients

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup starter

3 cups water

8 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon salt

melted butter or water

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons good quality ground cinnamon

Directions

Soak raisins and walnuts in enough water to cover.

Mix starter into the water in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to combine. Cover with a dish cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain the raisins and walnuts well and knead into the dough. Cover and let rise overnight.

Divide the dough into two and turn out onto a floured board. Working with one at a time, stretch out the dough to a rectangle, about 16×8 inches. Brush with melted butter or plain water. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly on the dough. Roll up, from the short end, pinching edges to seal as you go along.

Place in a flour dusted banetton. Repeat with the other half.

Cover and let rise for an hour, until puffy.

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut a piece of parchment bigger than your banetton. Place the parchment over the dough and invert onto your hand. Place on the counter and score 3 times, using a razor, or a lame. Place into a dutch oven, cover and place in the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes covered, then 35 minutes more uncovered.

Place on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.


Sourdough Waffles

Waffles (or pancakes) and sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt parfait.., I look forward to lazy weekend breakfasts starting Monday morning!

I try to make weekend breakfast a little more special since everyone is pressed for time on a weekday. We enjoy eating together without rushing, or thinking about where we have to be next. I love waffles and enjoy making them right before eating so that they’re still crunchy on the outside when you bite into them.

I have always used a big Kitchenaid Professional double waffle maker that makes them bigger than my face. Sometimes though I want a smaller Eggo sized waffles to put in my son’s lunch box. I saw this Dash Waffle maker for $10 at Target and had my doubts as it’s so cheap, but also, it’s because of the price that I figured I got nothing to lose. It’s the perfect size for a breakfast sandwich (waffles, egg, sausage) so i bought it.

I’m happy to tell you that it makes good waffles and if you consider the price, it’s an excellent value for your money! My big Kitchenaid waffle maker is now reserved for when i need to make waffles real fast as it takes 1 cup of batter per waffle.

My little Dash waffle maker takes 1/8 cup batter per waffle to make the perfect crispy on the outside, tender inside waffle! I let it cook a few seconds after the ready light shuts off.

Start this the night before and you’ll have perfect waffles for breakfast the next day!

Ingredients:

1 cup discard starter

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt

1 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

$10 Dash waffle maker

Procedure:

1. The night before serving, mix discard starter, flour, buttermilk, and sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

Dough after resting overnight.

2. In the morning, preheat waffle maker.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Add egg, salt, vanilla, vegetable oil, and baking soda to the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Mix well.

4. Place an appropriate amount of batter in the waffle maker and close. This Dash Waffle Maker takes 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) batter. Cook until done, 1-5 minutes depending on your waffle maker.

1/8 cup batter is the perfect amount for this waffle maker.

5. Serve hot with syrup, butter, jam, bacon, sausage, eggs…whatever you would like!

Done! Golden and crusty!

Sourdough Waffles

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Prepare the night before for easy, delicious weekend morning treat!

Ingredients

1 cup discard starter

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt

1 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

  1. The night before serving, mix discard starter, flour, buttermilk, and sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
  2. In the morning, preheat waffle maker.
  3. Add egg, salt, vanilla, vegetable oil, and baking soda to the mixture and mix thoroughly.
  4. Place an appropriate amount of batter in the waffle maker and close. Cook until done, 1-5 minutes depending on your waffle maker.
  5. Serve hot with syrup, butter, jam, bacon, sausage, eggs…whatever you would like!

Enjoy!

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