Walnut Sourdough - starter fed with peach water
I wanted to experiment with using fresh fruit water to feed my starter and see how the sweetness from the fruit juice effects the speed and liveliness of the starter.
When doing my weekly stroll through the grocery store, I came upon a bundle of almost over ripe peaches on special - so of course a bunch of ideas popped into my head of what recipes I could possibly turn these glorious pinky-orangey-yellow round fruits into, and I grabbed the bundle...
One of my ideas was to use the juice freshly squeezed from the fruit to feed my starter - and see how it affects the bloom, and speed of the growth of the culture. I proceeded to soak 3 of the fruits in just boiled water for about one minute and once cooled, removed the skin. I cut the flesh from the seed and using a potato masher, squished the peaches to smithereens in a large bowl. I drained the smashed fruit in a sieve to separate the juice from the flesh. I wrapped up the flesh and put it in the freezer for later use.
I used the ratio of 1:1:1 of starter, flour and fruit water. After 5 hours (which is about the usual time it takes for my starter to double in size) I noticed that it did grow just a touch higher than normal, but the biggest difference was the amount of bubbles that formed as compared to using water to feed the starter. The bubbly activity was quite impressive, but I think I expected more - I wanted it to tower over the top of the jar and burst! But alas this did not occur, however I was still impressed but the amount of gas it produced - and it smelled divinely sweet yet sour! I was excited to use it in my dough...
I wanted a plain loaf of bread with a touch of something - I wanted it to be good with both savoury foods and sweet spreads. I had some left over walnuts, and so Walnut Sourdough it was! I used plain filtered water in the dough rather than the peach water to avoid it turning into a sweet bread.
Not only did this turn out delicious - but the peach water gave the dough a pink hue which was delightfully pretty to look at.
METHOD:
450 grams white bread flour
50 grams rye flour
350 grams filtered water
10 grams salt
100 grams starter
Handful (about 30-50 grams) of crushed walnuts
1) Using the dough attachment of a stand mixer add the flours, water, starter and salt and mix until well combined for about 1 to 2 minutes.
2) Add the walnuts and mix until the dough forms a smooth consistency for about a further 5 minutes. Continue mixing until you can do a successful window pane test (when you can stretch the dough into a very thin see-through 'window').
3) Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest in a draft free warm place for about 2-3 hours or until the dough rises about 50% - 70%.
4) Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough over itself until you achieve either a round ball or oblong shape (depending on the type of banneton you will be using). Pull the dough towards you to help 'tighten' the dough.
5) Place the dough seam side up into the banneton, cover with a lint free kitchen towel and place in the middle shelf of the fridge and leave overnight (about 12 hours) to cold proof.
6) After the cold proof, pre-heat the oven to 250°C (475°F) with the baking vessel inside (I used an oblong shaped dutch oven) for 45 minutes.
7) After 45 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and place on a sheet of baking paper lightly dusted with fine semolina (to help prevent the bottom from getting too burnt). Using a sharp steak knife or blade, score the dough with whatever patterns as you wish!
8) Take the baking vessel out of the oven (careful, it will be very hot!) and carefully place the dough with the baking paper into the vessel. Close the lid and place back into the hot oven.
9) Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 220°C (430°F) and bake for a further 25 minutes.
10) Take the vessel out of the oven, take the lid off, return the vessel back into the oven with the lid off and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes depending on how dark you want the crust to be (I put it back in for 5 minutes as I prefer mine more golden brown than a dark brown).
11) Once done, take the dough out of the baking vessel and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoying! :)
When doing my weekly stroll through the grocery store, I came upon a bundle of almost over ripe peaches on special - so of course a bunch of ideas popped into my head of what recipes I could possibly turn these glorious pinky-orangey-yellow round fruits into, and I grabbed the bundle...
One of my ideas was to use the juice freshly squeezed from the fruit to feed my starter - and see how it affects the bloom, and speed of the growth of the culture. I proceeded to soak 3 of the fruits in just boiled water for about one minute and once cooled, removed the skin. I cut the flesh from the seed and using a potato masher, squished the peaches to smithereens in a large bowl. I drained the smashed fruit in a sieve to separate the juice from the flesh. I wrapped up the flesh and put it in the freezer for later use.
I used the ratio of 1:1:1 of starter, flour and fruit water. After 5 hours (which is about the usual time it takes for my starter to double in size) I noticed that it did grow just a touch higher than normal, but the biggest difference was the amount of bubbles that formed as compared to using water to feed the starter. The bubbly activity was quite impressive, but I think I expected more - I wanted it to tower over the top of the jar and burst! But alas this did not occur, however I was still impressed but the amount of gas it produced - and it smelled divinely sweet yet sour! I was excited to use it in my dough...
I wanted a plain loaf of bread with a touch of something - I wanted it to be good with both savoury foods and sweet spreads. I had some left over walnuts, and so Walnut Sourdough it was! I used plain filtered water in the dough rather than the peach water to avoid it turning into a sweet bread.
Not only did this turn out delicious - but the peach water gave the dough a pink hue which was delightfully pretty to look at.
METHOD:
450 grams white bread flour
50 grams rye flour
350 grams filtered water
10 grams salt
100 grams starter
Handful (about 30-50 grams) of crushed walnuts
1) Using the dough attachment of a stand mixer add the flours, water, starter and salt and mix until well combined for about 1 to 2 minutes.
2) Add the walnuts and mix until the dough forms a smooth consistency for about a further 5 minutes. Continue mixing until you can do a successful window pane test (when you can stretch the dough into a very thin see-through 'window').
3) Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest in a draft free warm place for about 2-3 hours or until the dough rises about 50% - 70%.
4) Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough over itself until you achieve either a round ball or oblong shape (depending on the type of banneton you will be using). Pull the dough towards you to help 'tighten' the dough.
5) Place the dough seam side up into the banneton, cover with a lint free kitchen towel and place in the middle shelf of the fridge and leave overnight (about 12 hours) to cold proof.
6) After the cold proof, pre-heat the oven to 250°C (475°F) with the baking vessel inside (I used an oblong shaped dutch oven) for 45 minutes.
7) After 45 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and place on a sheet of baking paper lightly dusted with fine semolina (to help prevent the bottom from getting too burnt). Using a sharp steak knife or blade, score the dough with whatever patterns as you wish!
8) Take the baking vessel out of the oven (careful, it will be very hot!) and carefully place the dough with the baking paper into the vessel. Close the lid and place back into the hot oven.
9) Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 220°C (430°F) and bake for a further 25 minutes.
10) Take the vessel out of the oven, take the lid off, return the vessel back into the oven with the lid off and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes depending on how dark you want the crust to be (I put it back in for 5 minutes as I prefer mine more golden brown than a dark brown).
11) Once done, take the dough out of the baking vessel and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoying! :)
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