Sourdough Baking~ Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

 

Glad Tidings To You. There's just something so wonderful about the combination of pumpkin and a yeasted dough. The two work wonders for each other. :).  In this case, the yeast comes in the form of my sourdough starter (Beatrix), and oh my goodness, the result is fantastic.   

**A few NOTES..before we get started. Most recipes recommend you use your starter when it is at its peak. This simply means the time in the day when it is MOST ACTIVE. This is generally 4-6 hrs after you've fed your starter. That is IF your home temperature is generally between 68°~71° Fahrenheit. Colder and peak will take longer, warmer and the peak will happen soon. **Temperature is key when it comes to sourdough bread baking. KNOW your starter (and bread dough when baking). Learn how your starter (or bread dough) behaves in the temperature of your home and the rest is simple! Using your starter, at its peak, will ensure you achieve the best rise and helps with the timing, etc. of any given recipe. That being said....I find one of the nicest things about sourdough bread baking is, once your starter is established and really active, you can adjust any recipe to fit your own schedule. Making a loaf of sourdough bread takes time, at the VERY least it takes 8 hrs, (if your home is approx. 70°). However, most of that time is when your bread is rising or, "bulk rise" as it is called. You do have some active time in the first hour and active time again, during the last hour, however, it is truly not as difficult as it might seem. There are some hard and fast rules and a few "must do's" with sourdough bread baking, but once you have those down...you are good to go!! OF NOTE...You can find my SOURDOUGH BREAD BAKING GOODE THINGS TO KNOW in the "Pages" section, in the column on the left :). Oh, FYI.... Timing is one of the hardest things to master when it comes to sourdough bread baking so I will tell you something I've discovered. You can use your starter after its peak.....Peak is "technically" the best time" as it ensures a nice big rise and a loaf full of lovely holes and chew. However, you can use your starter in any recipe, hours after its peak, and still, make an amazing loaf of bread. The loaf in these photos was made when my starter was 24 hours old and needed to be fed!!! Now, this will only work if your starter is very active and healthy, and I do not think it would work with a starter that is kept in the refrigerator. Beatrix (my starter) has never been refrigerated.... :) She lives on the right-hand corner of my breadboard, in the kitchen next to my cookbooks, in a lovely glass jar my sister gave me, is fed daily at 7:30 a.m., and is very healthy and happy. Generally, I have 100 grams of starter going all the time (give or take a few grams) when I want to bake, at 7:30 a.m., I will take out 50 grams of starter, feed it with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of flour and then use the remaining 50 grams of starter in my bread recipe! :).

NOW..... Let's get on with our recipe, shall we? :)   

My Timetable ~ use it or create your own using this one as a guide

8:00 a.m. ~ Make The Dough

8:15 a.m. ~ Mix Cranberry Filling

9:00 a.m. ~ Add Filling To The Dough

9:15 a.m. ~ Bulk Rise

4:30 p.m. ~ shape the dough

5:00-ish  ~ Second Rise

5:30-ish ~ Score The Dough

5:50~ish ~Bake

 This is the schedule that  I generally use when making this bread.  Please be aware, however, that times may vary.  Our home, on this particular day, was a fairly consistent  70* so my bulk rise took approx. 7 hours.    If your home is colder, the bulk rise (generally 6-8 hrs.)  will take longer.  If your home is warmer, the bulk rise will happen more quickly.  

Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

This bread, lightly toasted and slathered with butter is positively heavenly!!  The ingredients are simple, the flavor exquisite, and the steps, though they may seem involved, I promise you, they are not. 

    **Your sourdough starter should be active and ready to bake with.  If you’ve gone the route of keeping your starter in the refrigerator, a few days before making this recipe, feed your starter daily, until bubbly and active.  Store at room temperature until you are ready to use it in this recipe.

Let’s begin………….

Dough  ( g = grams )

  50 g ( 1/4 cup) bubbly, active starter.

  250 g (1 cup plus 2 tsp.) warm water

  184 g (3/4 cup) good quality pumpkin puree. (not pie filling)

  500 g (4 cups plus 2 tbsp) Bread Flour

  9 g (1 1/2 tsp) fine sea salt 

Fillings

  1 cup dried cranberries

  1 Tbl sugar

  1 tsp pure vanilla extract.  Maple extract works wonderfully as well.

  1/4 tsp each; Cinnamon, Ginger & Nutmeg.

  1 med/large Orange

 MAKE THE DOUGH;  (example 8:00 a.m.)   In a large glass bowl, (glass is best as it allows you to see your dough from all angles) whisk the starter, water, and pumpkin puree together with a fork.   Add the flour and salt.  Mix, using a rubber spatula, to combine until a stiff dough forms.  Wet your dominant hand and finish mixing the dough with your wet hand, until the flour is fully incorporated.  Cover the dough with a piece of plastic wrap (I butter the underside of mine) and let the dough rest for 45 minutes to an hour (I give it an hour).    **Remember to replenish your starter and store it in your usual manner.

MIX THE CRANBERRY FILLING: (example 8:15 a.m.)  Add the cranberries, sugar, vanilla, and spices to a small bowl. Halve the orange and squeeze the juice over the cranberry mixture.  Stir well to combine and set aside.

ADD THE FILLINGS: (example 9:00 a.m.)  After the dough has rested, add the cranberry mixture, with their soaking juices, to the bowl.  With wet hands, gently knead the fillings into the dough to incorporate.  This will only take a few minutes.

BULK RISE: (example 9:15 a.m.) Cover the dough with the plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature, 70* F, for about 6-8 hours or it has nearly doubled in size.  **OF NOTE… Doubled in size is a tricky term!!!  Generally, you want to look for your dough to have increased in growth, look soft and pillowy, rather than dense and heavy as it was when the bulk rise started,  have plenty of bubbles throughout (this is where a glass bowl helps), and may also have a few bubbles on the surface.

SHAPE THE DOUGH:  (example4:30 p.m.)  Carefully slide the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface.  Shape into an oval or round (I do round) and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Meanwhile, line a proofing basket or colander with a lint-free cotton towel that you’ve dusted heavily with flour.  *You do not want your dough to stick to the towel so really be sure to dust it well.  I dust it on liberally, with my hands, and then brush it around with a pastry brush.    CAREFULLY scoop up your little loaf and place it, seam side UP, inside your proofing basket or colander. 

SECOND RISE:  (example 5:00 p.m.) Cover the dough, lightly, with the edges of the dusted towel, and let rest until puffy, but not fully risen, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Mine took approx. 30 minutes. 

During the 2nd rise ~ preheat your oven and baking vessel.  (example 5:00p.m.)   Place your baking vessel, and cover, into the oven and preheat the oven to 450*  I use my enamel-coated, cast iron, stockpot.   Cut a piece of baking parchment, to fit the size of your baking vessel, and set aside.

 SCORE :  (example 5:30 )   Open the towel, place the parchment over the dough and invert the basket or colander to release the dough.  Gently flip the dough over, so the seam side is now down, and rub the top of the loaf lightly to remove any excess flour.  Now score your loaf using a very sharp serrated knife or razor blade.  I make a sort of long,  1/2 moon shape/cut, along one side of the loaf.   Now:  remove your baking vessel from the oven, take the top off, and,  using the parchment paper to transfer, carefully place the parchment,, and dough, into the pot.  Place the cover back on the pot (don’t forget to put your oven mitts back on) making sure the excess baking parchment is folded down over the outside edges……...

BAKE:  (example 5:50p.m.) Bake the bread on the center rack for 20 minutes, covered.  Remove the lid, rotate the pot (this will ensure even baking), and continue to bake for another 40 minutes. Keep an eye on your loaf, and if it looks like it might be getting too dark you can place the cover back on for the remainder of the baking.  I ended up placing my cover back on for the final 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool, on a baking rack for at least an hour before slicing.  IT is best to wait two hours.  If you do not wait long enough for sourdough bread too cool, before cutting, your loaf will have a gummy texture that is not pleasant.  IT is hard but you’ll be glad you waited. 

Store, wrapped in brown paper, wax, or freezer paper.

This loaf reheats nicely in the oven at 350* for 10 minutes or so.

I hope you love it and remember, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need assistance.  Enjoy ~ Doreen

~Rain showers & cool breezes~

Goode afternoon.  As I sit here at my writing desk a cool and gusty breeze is rushing in through the open windows.  The humidity has packed it's bags and headed on out of town!!!!  Thank HEAVENS!!! The a.c has been turned off, the fans, though still running are on their lowest setting and the sounds of bird song and the rustle of leaves, as the tree's dance to and fro, can once again be enjoyed.  I love it.

  A quick little journal entry today as I've still much to do before my workday is finished.  

• Harriet (my sourdough starter) was given a pre-bake day float test and I'm afraid she did not pass. :( According to Amy Duska, a tablespoon of the sourdough starter should float in a glass of room temperature water when it is ready to bake with.  I did this with Harriet this morning after her daily discard and feed ...and, well, she sunk right to the bottom of the glass!!  SO, we shall continue to feed and discard until she is ready :).  

• Much to do in the studio before I leave on Friday (orders, club kits, etc.)    Speaking of club kits...The photo above is this months kit ~ Mrs. Sarah Ann Sturbridge.  I just LOVe her!!  I do hope my club members enjoy creating one for themselves as well.

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together" ~George Eliot

Take care, doreen

Sourdough Starter ~ Day Seven

OH MY GOODNESS, I am afraid the only word that fittingly describes today's weather is....GROSS!!!!  I try not to complain about the weather. I actually LOVE the weather and all it's interesting and unpredictable variables.  And, after all, it is not as if complaining will accomplish anything. Our weather will not magically change because I threw a fit about it or allowed it to alter my mood. THAT BEING SAID HOWEVER......humidity is one weather event that falls under the category of...you just can't help yourself!!!  It makes you it's prisoner, trapping you indoors with the hum, bang, and whirl of the air conditioner and/or abundant fans.  Heaven help anyone that isn't blessed with air conditioning!!!  We tried for a very long time to do without one but with my allergies and asthma, it just was no longer possible and I must say, though I do not enjoy the closed in, prisoner-like feeling that takes over me when it is on...I am SO very thankful for the wonderfully cool, dry, comfort it provides.

There is one thing that does benefit from warmth and humidity, and that is my newly created sourdough starter!!!  

~sourdough starter, day 7~

 Sourdough and it's growing micro's (natural yeast it captures from the air and from the flour you use) enjoy the heat and actually need warmth to grow properly.  Perhaps that is why, now on day seven, my starter is (I believe) ready to use.  I am a bit surprised she is ready this soon as I keep her (I've named her Harriet) in the kitchen, which is where the ac unit is and therefore I was expecting her to take 10 days or more before she was ready, however, according to all I've read..those peaks and valley's along with her abundant bubbles means she's ready for baking.  I won't actually bake with the starter today as I need to increase the volume before I can take from it and still leave enough, of the starter, to keep it going.  It is also too warm for baking today, so I will give her a large feeding this evening and another in the morning, and, hopefully, she will double in size a couple hours after the a.m discard and feeding and I can try baking a loaf of bread with her!!

**The rubberband represents where the starter was after the a.m. discard and feeding.  As you can see, it has doubled in size!!!

I wanted to share with you the video's, recipes and help I've had while diving into this SOURDOUGH Journey.  There is a lot of information out there on Sourdough bread baking, making your own, and maintaining, a sourdough starter and it can be confusing.  I am, by no means, an authority on the subject but I have found a few things that are consistent with everyone....

1. All you really need is flour and water.  The flours can vary (whole wheat, bread, all-purpose, rye) and the liquid can vary as well.. One lady uses pineapple juice another uses smooshed GRAPES!!
2. Basically, you feed and care for your starter every 12 to 24 hours until it is ready to use.  Which usually takes 7 to 14 days, depending on the environment you are growing your starter in (temperature, air quality, etc. all play a part).  After that, it can be fed once a week.
3. It really is quite forgiving.  If you forget to feed it at 12 hours, just feed it when you remember and keep going, OR, wait until it has been 24 hours.  It's okay.  Or, if you forget to feed it for a day or two, just feed it when you remember and then continue feeding every 12 hours until you've brought it back to life again.  

MY SOURCES....

• AMY DUSKA ~ YouTube Video "How to make a Sourdough Starter".  
• Joshua Weissman ~ YouTube Video "The Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide"

**I made two separate starters; one from Amy's recipe and one from Joshua's recipe, and then I combined the two on day four.  Amy uses cup measurements and is very straight forward and easy to follow. Joshua uses grams, a scale and gives you all the little scientific details.  I LOVE both, but in the end, found Amy's easier to follow and didn't really trust my scale ( I think I need a new one)..so I went with Amy's method once I combined the two together. 

EXACTLY WHAT I DID TO BEGIN;

Following Amy's recipe;

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup tap water (we have well water so chlorine is not an issue.

Following Joshua's recipe;

100g   whole wheat flour

150 g water

I followed each recipe, for measurements & times, and then combined them, in equal amounts, on day four.  Discarding the remaining flour/water mixture into my compost bin. :~). 

 I now have one lovely, bubbly little lady named Harriet :).  **Call me crazy for naming my starter but in almost all the video's I have watched, in the last week, ~ most folks had named their starters!  Some people had several starters, all with names!!  They really are live little beings so why not!!  I am going away, on Friday, for a few days and Mark is going to have to take care of Harriet while I'm gone!!! 

OH..one more resource. KING ARTHUR FLOUR!!! Their information is SO very helpful!!  I refer to their Sourdough Starter page often!

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Okay, must run...work calls.  Enjoy the day, doreen

~As July Comes To A Close~

Goode morning everyone and thank you for dropping by my new At Home With Doreen Frost journal.  The sun is warm, here in Vermont this morning as I write this entry.  The air is muggy and a gusty breeze is blowing unable, it would seem, to choose a direction.    Oliver & I are just in from our morning routine of weed, water and walk.  A bit of weeding, a bit of watering, a bit of walking.  Each morning the enjoyable time is much the same; a chat with the herbs & flowers, a goode morning to our newly blossomed and sprouted vegetables, a grand HELLO to the tiny little pie pumpkins, of which I am so excited about. Oh the joys of pumpkin pie made from my own, homegrown, pumpkins!!!  Oh, the delights of cooking and baking with my beautiful herbs, the enjoyment of my carefully tended and harvested Eucalyptus & Sweet Annie hanging from pegs and hooks inside our home.  Life is goode.

Next on my list;

• Discard and feed my sourdough starter (recipe and link in the column on the right). I will share more details in tomorrows journal entry.
• Tidy house.
• Studio work;  two orders to print, pack and pop in the mailbox.  Finish packaging and shipping this months club kits.  Pack and ship wholesale shop pattern order.
• Dinner on the deck this evening;  Tossed green salad made with fresh garden lettuce and herbs and farm stand tomatoes.  Grilled chicken and Crusty bread.
• Feed starter this evening before bed.

Until tomorrow ~ wishing you a joy-filled day, doreen