Sourdough French Baguettes, Naan and Popovers
I know ... you're probably thinking I should rename this LJ/blog "The Sourdough Fanatic" with all the sourdough baking I've been doing. It's addictive even though, as I've said before, I don't actually like sourdough bread that much. At least not the 'artisanal' high hydration doughs with the big holes. However, feeding that jar of starter on the top of my fridge and watching it double in a couple of hours, and then triple, before finally collapsing as the gas produced stretches the gluten strands past their limit is something that must be experienced.
And I really liked the sourdough tortillas I made so, when I ran out, I had to make more on which to serve the chicken fajitas from a recent purchase of boneless, skinless breasts.
And, let's be honest. Baking bread is cheap.
Even if it's not the greatest bread in the world, you can turn it into croutons or bread crumbs, or dressing as I did with some of the jalapeno-old cheddar cheese sourdough I baked recently. Not that it wasn't good, I just needed some bread to go into the giblet and rice dressing I made to serve with my roast turkey.
Did I post a picture?
No?
Well, just one of the outside of the loaf.
I tried making French baguettes out of Carole L's no knead sourdough using the shaping technique I used in my previous attempt at sourdough French baguettes. They tasted great and the crunchy, chewy crust and toothsome interior can't be beat fresh out of the oven. But they don't hold up. By the second day, the crust has softened and the interior is dense. You can warm it up in the oven and it's edible, but no where close to its previous state. Still, it was an interesting experiment. And I had fun practicing my slashing technique.
I also used some of my sourdough starter to make Indian naan or flatbread. The first batch was plain but I fancied up the second batch by adding dried fenugreek leaves (methi) and powdered garlic. A bit of melted butter on the warm naan and it's a wonderful snack or vehicle with which to pick up and eat a saucy curry dish.
And, before I dried the last of the sourdough starter I had revived this time, I used the King Arthur recipe for a quick batch of eggy sourdough popovers. Whether you serve them with a roast beef dinner or enjoy them with honey and a cup of coffee for breakfast, it's a great way to use up some of that sourdough starter.
Well, that should satisfy my craving to nurture sourdough for a while
And I really liked the sourdough tortillas I made so, when I ran out, I had to make more on which to serve the chicken fajitas from a recent purchase of boneless, skinless breasts.
And, let's be honest. Baking bread is cheap.
Even if it's not the greatest bread in the world, you can turn it into croutons or bread crumbs, or dressing as I did with some of the jalapeno-old cheddar cheese sourdough I baked recently. Not that it wasn't good, I just needed some bread to go into the giblet and rice dressing I made to serve with my roast turkey.
Did I post a picture?
No?
Well, just one of the outside of the loaf.
I tried making French baguettes out of Carole L's no knead sourdough using the shaping technique I used in my previous attempt at sourdough French baguettes. They tasted great and the crunchy, chewy crust and toothsome interior can't be beat fresh out of the oven. But they don't hold up. By the second day, the crust has softened and the interior is dense. You can warm it up in the oven and it's edible, but no where close to its previous state. Still, it was an interesting experiment. And I had fun practicing my slashing technique.
I also used some of my sourdough starter to make Indian naan or flatbread. The first batch was plain but I fancied up the second batch by adding dried fenugreek leaves (methi) and powdered garlic. A bit of melted butter on the warm naan and it's a wonderful snack or vehicle with which to pick up and eat a saucy curry dish.
And, before I dried the last of the sourdough starter I had revived this time, I used the King Arthur recipe for a quick batch of eggy sourdough popovers. Whether you serve them with a roast beef dinner or enjoy them with honey and a cup of coffee for breakfast, it's a great way to use up some of that sourdough starter.
Well, that should satisfy my craving to nurture sourdough for a while