Now, this was very interesting... I ran across this recipe a day or two ago, and so I thought I'd give it a try. Look at that loaf. You'll see some sort of weird "white stuff" on top of it and also a tiny piece of paper napkin. Next time, I won't use white flour for working it up before baking, and I think I'll use a cotton wash cloth to absorb extra liquid.
I used a 2-quart Crockpot. The woman who wrote the recipe I worked from said she has used other sizes as well. It just made sense to me to use the smaller one so I could get a loaf with more height to it.
In a glass bowl combine:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup active sourdough starter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1.5 cups warm water.
Mix that all together well, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter in your kitchen for 12 hours.
Butter the inside of the Crockpot.
Stir the dough and you might need to add a handful or two of flour at this point, or maybe not. You be the judge. It will be soft and sticky. Turn it onto a surface sprinkled well with whole wheat flour. (In my case, I think next time I'll add another 1/2 cup flour to the original mixture.)
Knead it, only a little bit, gathering it into a nice round loaf. Place it, seam sides down, in the buttered Crockpot. Place a clean cotton cloth on top of the loaf (this is optional, but it will absorb some of the moisture.)
Put the lid on the pot and turn it to "high." Let it bake for 2 hours. She said 2.5 hours and check it after 2. Mine was done after 2. I know that because I checked the inside with a thermometer. It needs to be at least 180 degrees F.
The top was quite moist. In fact, the whole thing is lovely, moist and soft except the outer crust around the sides. That part has the perfect chewiness to it. It tastes nicely sour, and was fabulous with some real butter.
Generally, sourdough bread keeps considerably longer than traditional yeasted breads. So, I'll see how it goes, but this really is nice and would be something you could start the day before to serve with a savory soup. I bet it will toast up nicely too.
That is SO cool!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Do you like sourdough bread?
DeleteOMGoodness! This is exactly what I need. Now to just get my sourdough going again. Thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Let me know how it turns out! By the way, you can grow your own starter at home, but you can also get one for free from:
Deletehttp://carlsfriends.net/
Ever try blitz bread? http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/blitz-bread-no-fuss-focaccia-recipe
ReplyDeleteI am also partial to their ciabatta recipe. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/light-summer-ciabatta-recipe
The recipe I have is an older one of theirs and uses 1/4 tsp yeast in the starter. I just bypass the dry milk and substitute milk for the liquid. I find ciabatta easier to make than regular bread, though not necessarily faster, and I love the texture, even though Anntarrya says it doesn't taste as good as my potato bread. When I bake it, I throw 4-5 ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. It makes the crust really crispy when it first comes out, but alas, the crispiness doesn't last until the next day.
I've never done those, but will check them out. Thank you! That is pure genius about the ice cubes. I always have heated up a cast iron pan in there and poured water into it right when I put that sort of bread in the oven.
DeleteI can't take credit for the ice cubes. The ciabatta recipe mentions it.
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