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π Large loaves and hot ovens are out, easy sourdough discard is in
Published 3 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Sourdough discard recipes to beat the heat
I just finished handmixing the dough for a large 2kg miche, and the readout on my thermometer kind of freaked me out a bit: 82Β°F final dough temp.
Oh, my.
I realize many people take a break from baking in the summer, but I can't help myself (and I have some great recipes coming soon!).
For those taking a short break in July, this roundup is a collection of my fav discard recipes that avoid super-hot, lengthy bakes in the home oven.
(If you're interested, I popped the covered dough into the fridge for 30 minutes to cool down before doing its first stretch and fold.) After the folds, right at 78Β°F π)
In this week's newsletter:
Recipes: Clafoutis, lemon loaf, scones, cookies, tortillas, brownies, and more. Plus, some whole-grain baking inspo.
Baking Tip: What's the difference between a low-seed and high-seed starter or levain?
Links: Baking the old-fashioned way (cannons optional)
π Sourdough discard clafoutis
Clafoutis with cherries (or other fruit!). Photo by Rebecca Firkser.
This one-bowl, no-flour clafoutis is surprisingly simple yet tastes incredible. With its light, pudding-like texture, it's perfect for summer entertaining. A touch of almond extract (optional) enhances the fruit flavors.
You might think it strange to add sourdough to cookies, but really, the flavor complexity goes up to level 10 when used right. You might not go back to a regular CCC after you have these.
Loaded with sourdough discard, these tortillas are a blast to prepare. The forgiving dough keeps well in the fridge, so you can press and cook them whenever the mood strikes.
These effortless brownies deserve a spot in your weekly rotationβthis recipe might just become your new standby. Simple to make but guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
This whole-grain wheat and spelt pan bread is worth running the oven this month. Loads of flavor, perfect for toast, and sublime as a BLT. Don't skip it!
If you're like me and battling extreme heat, be sure to check out how I feed my starter in the summer to keep it mild yet still performing, as well as all my sourdough starter tips, here.
π¬ Member Discussion of the Week
Your recipes generally call for building the levain with a 1:2:2 inoculation (sometimes, 1:1:1?), whereas Chad Robertson's basic recipe calls for one tablespoon of starter and 200 grams each of water and flour. (I think he also recommends 1:10:10.) So far as I was concerned, the sole difference between a low and a high inoculation (seed) was the time it took for the levain to peak. Once the levain peaks, it makes no difference how long it took to get there; the bread will turn out the same. But is there any other impact on the process or the finished product?
The primary difference in levain seeding is that it requires scheduling adjustments. However, there are some implications for flavor. The longer something ferments, the more time bacteria have to multiply, resulting in increased bacterial activity and sourness. When trying to do something that's as flavorful as possible, I go for the longer-fermented levain. But these days, I most often like a 5-hour levain; it's very convenient.
Want to make bakery-quality sourdough bread from home? Subscribe for the best sourdough guides and recipes to take your bread from ordinary to incredible.
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