If You Bake It, They Will Come
Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods as well as the most widely consumed foods in the world. It was central to the development of early societies around the globe. They say bread is the staff of life - a staple food. So, set aside your worries about eating carbs, be a part of history and bake with us! We've made it easy for you by including Cultures for Health Sourdough Starter in our current CrateChef box featuring Brad Leone host of the web series It's Alive with Brad and Test Kitchen Manager at Bon Appétit Magazine.
One of our favorite episodes of It's Alive is where Brad and Claire Saffitz, Senior Food Editor at Bon Appétit, make sourdough bread. I'll admit it...I've never made bread before, but watching Brad and Claire tackle this process gave me hope. To ease my foray into the bread baking world, I used the starter from Cultures for Health. If you’re unaware of what sourdough exactly is and how it’s made, here’s a quick info session. Sourdough is an old-fashioned technique of capturing wild yeast to leaven baked goods. A sourdough culture is made by combining flour and water to sit out over an extended period of time with the main goal being to capture wild yeast. Once the culture is established, it can last indefinitely, can be used to make many different baked goods (not just bread) and it is also easy to care for.
Cultures for Health sourdough cultures contain only filtered water, organic flour, and wild yeast. The sourdough starter kit is perfect for beginners because it’s reliable and more stable and active than making your own starter using commercial yeast. There are also increased nutritional benefits, a diverse range of flavors and money savings when sourdough is used. It can also guarantee a more delicious bread - that’s a win in our book!
Armed with my starter, I channeled my inner baker and tried a recipe from our friends at Cultures for Health. I'm happy to report that the Long-Fermented Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls were a huge hit with my crew and gave me the boost of confidence I needed to move onto baking a loaf of glorious sourdough. It really is true... if you bake it, they will definitely come :) Give it a try - recipe below!
Happy Baking,
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into small chunks
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 Tbsp. sugar, honey, or maple syrup
- 1 cup milk or cultured milk
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Filling
- 1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- At least seven hours before baking, prepare the dough for a long fermentation. Start by cutting the butter into the flour until it is in small pieces. Stir in the starter, sweetener, and milk until a soft dough just comes together. Cover and place in a warm spot in your kitchen for 7 to 12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. When ready to start baking, combine salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a very small bowl until evenly mixed. Sprinkle this over your fermented dough and knead until it comes together into a cohesive, soft dough.
- In a small bowl combine filling ingredients until they form a paste.
- Roll dough out into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough. Roll dough tightly and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
- Place in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and bake in pre-heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom.
