Sourdough Loaf Sandwich Bread

There’s something to be said about a warm slice of homemade bread slathered with fresh jam…oh my!

I really enjoy sourdough bread. I was intimidated to make my own starter. I watched so many videos and read a LOT of tutorials. When my daughter’s friend offered me some discard I was very excited. When I started feeding it, I was so happy to see how well it responded! I only feed Van Dough (yes, I named him) King Arthur all-purpose flour and filtered water. I was super excited to make my first loaf of sourdough bread. Check out my sourdough bread post. It really is very beginner friendly:).

I love a good crusty artisan loaf as much as the next guy, but I got to thinking “Why not turn this amazing starter into a delicious sandwich loaf?”. And so it began. This recipe is inspired by Emilie at The Clever Carrot. Thanks Emilie!!

Make sure your starter has been fed as is active.

I like to do the drop test to see if “Van” is ready. Simply drop a teaspoonful of starter in a small glass of room temperature water, if it floats, you’re ready to go!

Your starter will float on top when it’s ready.

I purchased a new ceramic bread pan (made by Libbey) and I was really wanting to use it, so what better time than with this awesome sandwich bread.

This bread makes a delicious tuna sandwich. I made one for the hubs today for lunch. He was a very happy camper! I used fresh parsley from my herb garden and yummy lettuce from the garden. There is something so rewarding and satisfying about gardening and growing your own fruits and veggies. That being said, take a look at this delectable sandwich.

Now that I have your attention, you simply must make this bread (I have another loaf proofing as I am writing this).

Please, please, please use a scale to measure your ingredients. I Can Not emphasize enough the importance of using a scale for baking. You will have consistency and your product will come out amazing every time!

Enough of the chit chat…let’s get started making your sourdough sandwich bread!!

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour (500 grams)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, (60 grams) softened and cut into cubes

1 tablespoon granulated sugar (12 grams)

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt (9 grams)

1/4 cup active sourdough starter (60 grams)

1 cup + 2 tablespoons room temperature water (270 grams)

Mix the Dough:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. It should resemble crumbs.

Add the starter and warm water. Mix until the flour is fully absorbed (get in there with your hands to finish mixing). The dough will feel slightly sticky and elastic at this stage. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax.

After the dough has rested, switch to a dough hook and knead for 6-8 minutes on medium speed. The dough will feel soft and supple and not stick to your hands. If the dough is too sticky, add a dusting of flour.

Bulk Rise:

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise overnight at room temperature until double in size, about 10-12 hrs.

Shape your dough:

In the morning, coat a 9×5-inch pan with butter.

Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently flatten the surface to release any large air bubbles.

Roll the dough into a log (approximately 8″ x 15″). Tuck the ends underneath. Using a bench scraper, place the dough into the loaf pan seam side down.

Second Rise:

Cover the dough with plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Let it rest at room temperature until it has risen to about 1″ above the rim of the pan. This takes about 2-4 hours depending on the temperature of your house.

Bake the dough:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Remove the plastic from the pan and bake the dough on the center rack for about 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove bread from the oven and cool in pan for about 10 minutes. I like to brush a little melted butter on top while it’s very hot. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This sandwich loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature. You can also slice the loaf and freeze it. Remove slices as needed. You can keep the bread in the freezer up to 60 days!

Wrapped properly, your bread will keep well in the freezer up to 60 days. Remove slices as needed:)

I hope you make this bread, and if you do, please tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi. I would love to hear from you and see your photos!

Sourdough Bread

My beautiful fish cutting board was made by my son David:).

I think making homemade bread is very gratifying. I used to make bread in my bread maker…a LOT! I mean, like once a week, a lot:).

I started making bread in my Dutch oven at the beginning of this year. This no knead rustic bread is the easiest bread to make, and so delicious! Check out my post on this amazing bread Herb No Knead Dutch Oven Bread.

This brings me to this post on sourdough bread. I have been seeing so many posts on Instagram and YouTube videos about sourdough starters and bread. I knew it was something I wanted to make. Remember when I said I wanted to challenge myself in my baking this year? Well, sourdough bread, challenge accepted!

A few weeks ago my daughter asked me if I would like some sourdough starter. Her friend had some discard that she wanted to share with me. Thank you Emily Davis for sharing:).

I did my homework on sourdough starters. I was really getting all up in my head about feeding and discarding. I couldn’t believe I was “afraid” of this fermenting beast! I mean, making bread is supposed to be fun, right?!

After I received my starter I immediately put it in the refrigerator. There it sat for about a week. Every time I opened the refrigerator, there he was (I named him Van Dough), staring back at me. Taunting me. Mocking me. “It’s just fermenting yeast” I told myself. It’s like the fear I used to have about anything “yeast”.

I removed that starter from the refrigerator, and carefully followed the instructions that came with it. Discard all but 25 grams and then add 50 grams of all-purpose flour and 50 grams of water. There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Nope!

I feed Van with King Arthur all-purpose flour and water that is filtered from my refrigerator. The first time I discarded and fed my starter, I left it on the counter and it more than doubled in size within a couple of hours. I use the rubber band technique to keep track of this process.

Save that discard, there are some pretty awesome recipes to use it up…that’s a whole other post.

Check out my Sourdough pancakes recipe (you’ll be glad you did).

It was time to make my first loaf of sourdough bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sourdough starter (120 grams)
1 cup lukewarm water (240 grams) between 98°-105° F
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (27 grams)
2 3/4 cups bread flour (377 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Cooking spray or olive oil to grease bowl

Making the dough:

Make sure your starter is active by dropping a teaspoonful into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready to use. Not all bakers swear by this method, but it works for me.

In a large bowl mix your starter, water, and olive oil together.

Add the flour and salt and mix together by hand.

Form a ball of dough with your hand that cleans the bottom of the bowl.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow it to ferment. Cover with cling wrap and put it in a warm place for 12-18 hours. I like to make my dough the night before and let it proof overnight. This is called bulk fermentation (as explained by King Arthur Flour). Bulk fermentation (also called the first rise or primary fermentation) is one of the most important steps of yeast bread baking. It begins right when mixing ends and lasts until the dough is divided and preshaped. The name signifies exactly what it is: the step when the dough is fermenting in a large, single mass. Thanks King Arthur Flour!

This is my dough after 16 hours. Look at those beautiful bubbles!!

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the counter (lightly flour the surface if needed) and fold the dough over itself.

On a flourless surface, shape the dough into a ball by pushing the dough against the surface, pulling it towards you to make it round and smooth.

Place the dough in a proofing basket that has been generously dusted with flour. The dough seams should be facing you with the smooth side down.

Cover proofing basket with a tea towel or cloth cover.

Proof the dough for roughly 2 -2 ½ hours or until the bread has risen to almost double in size. Once the dough is well risen and feels almost lighter and not as heavy, it’s time to bake it off.

Place Dutch oven (with lid on) in cold oven. Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured parchment paper. If needed, you can carefully make it round again by pushing the seams underneath.

Score the bread on top with a sharp knife or scoring tool. You can get fancy with this (in time I will), but I just make a single score. This allows the steam to escape so your bread doesn’t burst while baking.

Turn down the oven to 400°F and gently place your bread into the preheated Dutch oven (be very careful!).
Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. After 30 minutes remove the lid. The bread will have started to puff up and will be a light golden color.

Continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until your loaf is a dark golden brown. The smell that will be wafting through your house will be heavenly!

Cool the bread completely before cutting. Enjoy!!

Congratulations! You just made sourdough bread from scratch!

I really hope you make this recipe. If you do, please tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi. I would love to see your pictures and hear some feedback!

English Muffins

When I was a little girl, my mom would buy Thomas’® English muffins. They weren’t something she bought all the time, so when they were in house, it was a treat.

I would always toast mine, and I would slather one side of my muffin with peanut butter and the other side with jelly. I loved the way the peanut butter would nestle down into the famous “nooks and crannies”.

Fast forward to the present. I still love English muffins. I still like to toast them, and instead of peanut butter, I slather them with butter and jelly (homemade strawberry is the best!). You won’t want or need to toast these amazing muffins. Eating them fresh and warm is the way to go!

My youngest grandson Emerson loves English muffins and strawberry jam, so I thought it would be fun to make him some!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (355 grams)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups milk (160 grams)
1/2 cups water (120 grams)
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

In large bowl whisk flour, yeast and salt. Set aside.

In a saucepan warm the milk, water and butter on low heat just until the butter melts. It should not be real hot!!

Pour almost all of the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. If the dough is too dry, add the remaining milk. The dough should be a little sticky and you should be able to form a shaggy ball.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area. The dough will sit for 12-18 hours (I usually start the dough the night before making them). This is the fermentation period and the reason you don’t have to knead the bread. This also gives the muffins all those “nooks and crannies”.

DSCN9215 — Look at all those beautiful bubbles!

Place the dough on a floured surface.

Sprinkle a little flour on top. Cover with a linen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough to about 3/4″ thick. Make sure to keep your rolling pin and work surface floured so the dough doesn’t stick. The dough is a little sticky.

Using a 3″ round cutter, make 6-7 circles. Place a couple of inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment and dusted with corn meal (you can use flour if you don’t have corn meal). Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes the muffins will be a little puffy.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-medium/low heat. Gently place 3 muffins in the pan (being careful not to deflate them). Cover with a lid (this helps to steam them), and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the muffins over. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. The sides will be soft, but not sticky. Place on a cooling rack to cool.

I like to fork split my muffins.

Place on a plate and cover with a generous amount of butter and homemade strawberry jam. YUM!!!

I hope you make these delicious English muffins and if you do, tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi. I would love to see your pictures:).

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It’s National Banana Day, so of course, I had to make banana bread. Yum!!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (113 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams) You can use brown sugar if you would like:)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream (57 grams)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (84 grams) Plus extra to sprinkle on top…this is optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare 9×15 loaf pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl and set aside.

Place melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla in mixing bowl. Place on stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix just until ingredients are combined.

Add flour mixture and mix until combined (do not overmix). Stir in bananas and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top (optional) and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy! I hope you make this banana bread, and if you do, please tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi. I would love to see your pictures:).

Herb No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

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Happy New Year!!

As we begin a new year, I am looking forward to stepping outside the box with some recipes I’ve never tried before. I also want to talk about some of my favorite recipes to make (and why they’re my favorites).

Some of my recipes will be sweet, and some will be savory. I want to dig a little deeper into the science of baking. What makes a recipe successful and what can cause them to fail.

That brings us to this bread recipe that you bake in a Dutch oven. Whaaat?!!! Yes, you heard me right. But, what I found even more fascinating, is the fact that you don’t have to knead this bread. All you have to do is mix everything together in a large mixing bowl until it is combined, cover it with plastic, and let it sit for 12 hours (or up to 18 hours) at room temperature. This recipe is time consuming, so you will want to plan accordingly, but it is the easiest bread to make!!

You will place the dough into a very hot Dutch oven, and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. As the dough heats it gives off steam creating a humid environment inside the Dutch oven. The condensation on the surface of the loaf keeps the crust soft. This allows the the loaf to expand until the crust dries (a dry crust is harder to expand). Steam also causes the starches to form a thin covering that will eventually dry out, giving the loaf a shiny crust that will stay crisp! Yum!! Once the crust dries out and gets very hot, the sugar molecules caramelize. This reacts with proteins to form the amazing golden brown color and wonderful flavor that make a delicious crusty bread. Because of it’s thick sides, heavy lid, and small internal volume, the Dutch oven is the perfect environment to trap and create steam.

After the bread bakes for 30 minutes with the lid on and you take it off…oh dear!! The look and the smell are out of this world!! As you close the oven door and wait for this delicious loaf of yumminess to finish baking, the anticipation is off the charts!!

Then it happens; the timer goes off…it’s done!!!!! I removed this golden bit of goodness from the oven…Oh, the aroma wafting through the house.

I was so happy my sister, Kathy, and BIL stopped by not long after the bread came out of the oven. I was so happy to share this loaf of bread with them. Mind you, my sister is an amazing cook and baker, so I was very happy that she approved! We are going to their house tomorrow and will be bringing a fresh loaf to share with our nephew Gil (who apparently wasn’t very happy he missed out on our little bread snack…sorry Gil).

So, as I am sitting here writing this blog, I am anticipating the bread I will be sharing with family tomorrow!

I hope you try this recipe, and if you do, please post a picture and tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi !

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour (420 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ tsp instant yeast
2 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme
1 ¼ cups room temperature water (295 grams)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (54 grams)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, kosher salt, rosemary, thyme and yeast together. Mix in the water and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to combine; making sure to fold the flour up from the bottom of the bowl, forming a shaggy ball.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap for at least 12 hours (or up to 18).

Preheat oven to 450 F degrees. Place your Dutch Oven in the oven to heat up. While the Dutch oven is heating, uncover the dough and press down with your fingers. Put dough onto a lightly flowered surface. You do not have to knead the dough. You can turn the dough over itself a couple of times and shape into a round ball (or desired shape). Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper brushed with olive oil. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 45 minutes.

Take the towel off the dough and with a sharp knife gently score the top of the dough. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Don’t forget this step…your bread will burn if you don’t!!

Remove pot from the oven and remove the lid (be careful…the Dutch oven will be VERY hot!!). Gently lift the parchment paper and place in the Dutch oven. Place the lid back on and put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and bake for twenty minutes. The crust should be a nice golden brown color (see picture). If you’re not sure, an internal temperature of 190 degrees will tell you your bread is done. Also, it will sound hollow when you tap on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack (if you can wait that long). Enjoy!!

Homemade Burger Buns

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I can’t believe I have never made homemade burger buns before. First of all, they are super easy to make and the taste is so much better than the ones you buy at the store! The overall time to make these bits of deliciousness is about 3 ½ hours, so you will want to time them appropriately, but the active time is ½ hour!!

I toasted the buns before filling them with a delicious hamburger, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion and a spicy burger sauce….YUM!! Next time I will skip the toasting step as it is NOT necessary!

I will never buy store bought buns again! There are no preservatives and the taste is 100 times better.

I plan on making these this weekend for my children and grandchildren. I think I’ll make some pulled pork. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

I hope you make these and enjoy them as much as my hubby and I did….What are you waiting for?!

Ingredients

2 ¼ teaspoons (7 grams or 1 packet) Instant yeast – I use Red Star
1 cup very warm water (115 degrees F)
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pound all-purpose flour, or as needed – divided
1 large egg- room temperature
3 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup granulated sugar-divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top of buns

Directions

Place yeast into a large bowl of a stand mixer; whisk in warm water and ½ teaspoon sugar. Cover and let stand until mixture is foamy (5-10 minutes)
With paddle attachment, mix flour, egg, melted butter, remaining sugar and salt into yeast mixture (just until combined).
Put a dough hook onto stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, about 6-7 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add a little more flour and knead for one more minute.
Transfer dough onto a floured work surface; dough will be slightly sticky. Form the dough lightly into a smooth, round shape, gently tucking loose ends underneath.
Coat inside of mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn over to lightly coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about two hours)
Press dough down to release air bubbles and put on a lightly floured work surface. Make a rectangle with the dough. Pat out to ½ “ thickness. Using a pastry cutter slice the dough into 8 equal pieces. If you want, you can use a scale for more accuracy. Form each piece into a round shape.
Gently stretch the dough rounds into round flat shapes (about ½” thick). Arrange the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Lightly dust the buns with flour and cover with a cotton kitchen hand towel. The buns will rise one more time for one hour (or until doubled in size).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Gently brush buns with egg wash so it doesn’t deflate the risen dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional)

Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned on top, 15 to 17 minutes.

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Delicious Everything Pretzels

Mix water, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should begin to bubble and foam.

Add the flour and melted butter in the mixing bowl with the yeast mixture. Mix on low using the dough attachment just until the mixture comes together.

Mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth (about 4-5 minutes).

Remove the dough from the bowl. I place mine on a counter dusted lightly with flour. No extra kneading is required. It’s going to just hang out on that counter (or table, whatever works best for you), and wait for you to oil that bowl. Pour a little vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub around the inside of the bowl. Return the dough to the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Now place the bowl in a warm place. I like to warm my oven to 200 degrees F and then shut it off. Move the oven rack to its lowest setting and place your bowl in the oven until the dough doubles in size. Let the magic begin!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and brush the parchment paper with the remaining melted butter. That butter is going to give you a delicious pretzel bottom) Trust me, you want to use butter. Not vegetable oil, olive oil, vegetable sprays, shortening (you get my drift, right?). Set the pans aside while you shape your dough and put your pretzels in a baking soda Jacuzzi. Bring 10 cups of water and 2/3 cups of baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface (put vegetable oil on a paper towel and wipe it on the surface). Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece 24 inches long.

Make a U shape with the rope.

Holding the ends of the rope, cross the ends and then cross them again and press onto the bottom of the U making a pretzel shape.

Place the pretzels in the boiling water (one at a time) for 30 seconds. Using a large, flat spatula, remove them from the water. Place the pretzels on the sheets pans. Brush the top of each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.

Bake 12-14 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let them cool for about 5 minutes (trust me, five minutes is going to feel like a long time!).

Enjoy!!

Pretzel Recipe

• 1 ½ cups warm water (115 degrees F) • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp.) active dry yeast • 4 ½ cups (510 grams) all-purpose flour • 8 Tbsp. (226 grams) melted butter /divided • 10 cups water • 2/3 cup (192 grams) baking soda • 1 egg • 1 Tbsp. water • Coarse salt or Everything bagel seasoning (optional)

Copycat Everything Bagel Seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. poppyseeds • 1 Tbsp. white sesame seeds • 1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds • 1 Tbsp. dried minced garlic • 1 Tbsp. dried minced onion • 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt Mix everything together in a small bowl. Store leftovers in an airtight container.