Filled Sourdough Breads Bake-off

Thanks for asking!

1. Actually, you're not too late for the spelt bake-off. April is just the month, where, together, we baked with spelt, but it continues on...forever and ever, amen.

2. Caraway as a filling? Definitely A-ok for this bake-off. When's the loaf coming out of the oven?

See ya!
TP

A note to all: A filling, for the purpose of this bake-off, can be pocketed, stuffed and spread.

I made two loaves of this today, with half of the dough from my buttermilk starter.  Granted, there's a little yeast added to the dough, but not much considering it makes 4 good-sized loaves.  I'll be using the completely commercial-yeast-free starter tomorrow, and if it works out well, I'll probably cinnamon-swirl that one too.  I always brush the dough with water before sprinkling on the cinnamon/sugar, by the way; it doesn't separate while baking that way.

i just procured a couple of kilos of 'chocolate' malted barley from the microbrewery attached to my restaurant. it makes the most bizarre but spectacular bread...does this count as a filled bread?

There's some dry yeast in the starter, but now that it's been going strong for over a month now, I suspect the initial addition of dry yeast has been killed off by the acid in the starter.  I do add a little dry yeast to the final dough to make really soft, panned loaves, but I've also baked boules without adding the extra yeast and got some really beautiful, chewy, ww sourdough bread with lots of holes and that texture peculiar to sourdough breads.  I'm not sure the cinnamon swirle would work with that, but I'm making some commercial yeast free bread today with a flour/water/wild yeast starter, and I'll let you know how it turns out.  You would need a good supply of buttermilk to keep that starter going, but I've got a recipe for a buttermilk 'plant', using fresh yeast, water, and milk, which would, according to Irish writers, keep you well supplied with buttermilk.  I've yet to try it because I can't get my hands on fresh yeast and I'm loathe to try it using dry yeast.

Heheh. I had a feeling I'd get loads of ideas with this title. Thank you, Celia!!! What a great idea...they do look delicious! Goody, I've got some wakame.

Thanks, Paddy, for the details on your buttermilk bread. Sounds very good, too.

Same dough, but with just wakame and sesame seeds - nice combo.

The basil pesto twist sounded so good! Wonder why it didn't rise? Congrats on growing your very own starter and making such wonderful bread with it!

TP

Green olive and rosemary spelt loaf, at 75% hydration, with gluten added.

Maybe, that is exacly what happened... I can hear my mum's voice in my head saying don't overwork the dough (she had this theory that scones were better when the dough was sloppy and not manhandled).  I had picked up a Maggie Glezer's A Blessing of Bread at the second hand bookstore and was anxious to try some of the different shapes --- and just got over zealous I suppose. 

Thanks for the compliments --- and it right back at you all (everything so far looks so yummy) --- I am feeling very inspired!
 

I actually spoilt one pizza because altho' it's a 30cm pan, the bottom is only 26cm. My pizza was too big and I had to do some fast folding in, and some of the overindulgent filling was dropping off. As you can see, my pizza is far from perfect. Your suggestion of cooking the pizza right way up in the pan will be much less stressful...and tidy. Definitely.

Wonderful Heston clips they are!

There is a little Greek deli at a local market that sells olives, cheese etc. We have been often tempted by the owner into buying some of his sundried tomatoes and sweet ginger. I don't know quite what he does with the ginger - it is not the sort of sickly sweet ginger in syrup that you can buy (which I also happen to like). But it doesn't have the kick of fresh ginger. It is a heavenly combination with the sundried tomatoes in pasta, or just on sandwiches.

So this loaf is a mostly white sourdough (10% Spelt), at ~67% hydration. The tomato and ginger were laminated in at an early fold.





































And the obligatory crumb shot



































(Note on the photos. That is the bialy dough in the background above.
The hatched pattern on the left loaf comes from banneton I used for that loaf - It is a gorgeous German cane banneton that I got from Graham a couple of years ago. I don't think he sells them in the shop though.)

TP,

you are very kind, but I am very much the amateur - both in terms of photography and bread. Your breads (and cakes) are gorgeous. (Is your business from home still going?)

Dom

now you've made me wishing for christmas in May...

Christmas is always busy with so many things (baking or otherwise) going on that I don't get to slowly savour the food. It is a great idea to serve christmas food in other times of the year.

because we parked them in our personal websites and linked from there. The gallery here isn't working at the moment.

Wow...you have been busy!

TP

Hi all.

The Gallery at sourdough.com.au/gallery still works. You can upload photos, but need to select "Upload Applet" not "From Web Browser" when you upload items. I always use the Upload Applet anyway..it is a very convenient way of uploading files.

thanks as always! filled bread pics will be up next week, but in the meantime have put some other breads up in blog. I work at a winery, and am now doing the bread for the entire complex, all sourdough. its somewhat of a challenge to say the least, especially scaling my home recipes up for up to 20 loaves at a time. the funniest thing is, the results are better than i have ever done! (this is not visibly filled bread, but bear with me while i sort the photo thing out...and thanks TP for the photo advice, coming along nicely) white sour ciabatta, and a sour rye made with shiraz grape pressings fresh from the winery.
thanks as always for your help!

Y'know, given that the bake-offs came about because Jeremy and Boris were going to teach the "rebel sheilas" a thing or two about baking to percentages, they've both been surprisingly quiet.  Jeremy made a spelt loaf, but Boris' contribution has been sorely missed (and noticed).  Did we girls scare you off ?

Much to busy to join you Sheilas, but I have had some success with potato levain at work, as well some spelt in a pot!





 






















































Happy baking, hey listen to David Aplin from Cliffsidebakery talk on my blog, he is from Toronto and a big fan of this site!

Graham hello!

Edited by TP to show pix here instead of links.
Jeremy dear, do you mind labelling them?

Et Voila it's filled!

Jeremy: I'll have to start charging you for having to edit your picture links every time you post them. BTW, the sandwich (your cheat filled bread) looks soooo gooood! TP

Semi-dried tomatoes, basil and smoked scamorza (brined mozarella) - made rolls and a loaf.

You wish!

You've missed mine; but you and others are doing a fine job without me and besides I've never baked with spelt and haven't even had it in my hand, excepting in a bag at my local Macro store. I'm endeavouring to get some and bake a few samples soon.

Pin-up boy ...eh? Wow you are gonna be really disappointed, TP. LOL

Spelt, with onion marmalade, proscuitto crudo and pecorino romano cheese.  Will send this to school for lunch on Monday !




















TP, your foc looks GREAT !  I'm having a lot of fun with this, but we need more people to join in !

I made three rolls, one we'll eat tonight, and the other two will go into the freezer as soon as they're cool (which is what I always do when I'm making things for school).  They'll defrost perfectly !

The onions are also in homemade onion marmalade (jam), so they've already been caramelised.

Raisin and walnut sourdough with cinnamon swirl.

this is a version of Peter Reinhart's fruit bread from the Breadbakers' apprentice.

(the cinnamon sugar made a bit of a mess in the bread tins, not sure if it was wise to retard it overnight)

thanks Jeremy - look forward to seeing pictures of real Bialys. Perhaps you will make some for us to show us how it is supposed to be done?

Lovely raisinesque breads, Dom and Catharina!

Dom, line your tin with parchment next time. But, thanks for the note, I'd think twice before retarding sugar-filled breads in future.

Catharina....cutting your bread before it has a chance to cool? I can imagine the call of the bread was too strong for you to resist, lol.