Sourdoughandbeyond

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/mar/20/britains-bitter-bread-battle-what-a-5-sourdough-loaf-tells-us-about-health-wealth-and-class

Britain’s bitter bread battle: what a £5 sourdough loaf tells us about health, wealth and class Some complain that pricey sourdough is elitist and pretentious. Others lambast cheap sliced white as unhealthy and unsustainable. How did our most basic foodstuff become a source of conflict and division?

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Every single year, I forget to join in for but, I'm going to just give a little bit of an introduction to some of my new followers 👋

My name is Allana, and I've been sewing in some form or another since I was 8 years old! My passion for costumes ramped up after binge watching the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in one day when ill and every textile and applied art project from them on included something costume or historical. 📺

I went on to study 'Costume for Stage & Screen' at the University of Glamorgan (now The University of South Wales) before running away with 'The Phantom of the Opera' UK tour as a Wardrobe assistant. With my heart still in costume making, I went back to school to expand my skills and build up some confidence at the amazing .mdm.p who pretty much set me up from there!

Over 10 years later, I never went home and built my life up here as a freelance maker in Yorkshire with an amazing husband and beautiful son ❤️

I pride myself in taking on a challenge and never being surprised with the opportunities that come to me, emails that start with "This might be a little odd/unusual" etc are my favourites!! I've met some incredible people and love a good mix of bridal, theatre, and re-enactment work to keep me on my toes. 👰‍♀🤵

As a Maker, I believe in clarity. If it's beyond my skill set or ability, I'm happy to admit it from the start. I also offer no obligation design consultations so no one ever feels 'tied-into' a project. I also keep my prices as open as possible with fabrics charged as extra based on selection or the option to find your own fabrics if you prefer. 🧵

Being self-employed can be super tough, but it's worth it for the joy I feel going to work every day and knowing I have such creative freedom whilst being able to have wonderful family time as well 👨‍👩‍👦

Always on the lookout for alternative ways to make tasty ingrédients and zéro waste, I came across this article, à plus for less waste. Preserved lemon adds à zing to any dish you would add lemon juice to. I always add it to my homemade humus and felafel mix, to baked fish, chicken, naan and paratha. Possibilités....

How to turn spent lemon halves into preserved lemon rind – recipe | Waste not Store used lemon husks in the fridge or freezer, preserve them in brine and within three weeks you’ll have a ready-made condiment for next to nothing

https://www.health.com/sourdough-bread-8567814

3 Reasons Eating Sourdough Bread Might Be Better For Your Health Sourdough is a tangy-tasting bread made with naturally occurring yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Learn more about sourdough, including its health benefits, nutrition, and uses.

When you are gifted with duck eggs.... pasta with some wholegrain spelt made with duck eggs and sourdough discard. You only need a small portion of pasta with your favourite sauce for a satisfying meal. Sourdough is not just for breadmaking.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnelO_GBqaq/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

C'est reparti pour une nouvelle semaine et j'attaque fort avec 80kg pétris à la main. Un pétrissage doux et 100% de blés anciens qui vous garantissent une digestibilité optimale. 😊 #sourdough #bread #artisanbread #breadbosses #wildyeast #handkneaded #toulousemaville #sourdoughclub #sourdoughbread #digestivehealth

We're back in the northern hémisphère and it's a little cold. My dehydrated starter was struggling, I was stuggling to keep an even temperature. I thought of starting some yeast water but didn't get round to that. Instead, I put some very old dried figs into à bottle of filtered water I was using to feed the starter. It did the trick, and within 2-3 days (once à day starter refreshment), it started to double in volume within 6 hours of refreshment. I did start with 100% hydration starter but have now converted my starter to 50% hydration, I only make a loaf one à week.

Being in subtropical temperatures has reminded me how important temperatures are to the bulk rise and final proof. This is 50/50 white wheat and wholemeal spelt at 75% hydration with a stiff levain (50% hydration), re****ed 12 hours before being baked.

I've just reached 300 followers! Thank you for continuing support. I could never have made it without each and every one of you. 🙏🤗🎉

Here's my basic recipe for my Cranberry Cacao Sourdough Loaf based on recipes shared by bakersandbest.com and The Clever Carrot Both are great reads and having tried different combinations, I've come up with one that works for me. I like this with both sweet and savoury accompaniments, specially with strong blue cheese.

Starter 20-30% (you'll know your starter strenght best)
Water 70%
(Sugar 10% optional, I tend not to add)
Bread flour 100%
Cacao 8-10% (depends on quality)
Salt 2%
Optional vanilla if making it sweet.
Add-ins 25-35% dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, baking choc chips *

Mix in sugar and vanilla into water if using.
Sift together flour and cacao, the mix into water.
Autolyse 1 hr.
Add in starter and salt, mix till well incorporated.
2 x stretch and folds @ 30 min intervals
At 3rd s&f stretch out dough into rectangle, sprinkle add ins, roll up and fold over as best you can.
4th and last s&f gently.
Bf 1.5 to 2 hrs. Pre-shape, bench 20-30 min., final shape.
Leave at RT for an hour, fridge overnight .
On baking day, bring out to rt for 1 hour, whilst preheating oven.
Bake at 200°C , 20 min with steam, 30 minutes without steam. Switch oven off leave loaf invité door ajar for another 10 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.
* if you decide to put chocolate as add ins, use the chips you can get for making choc chip cookies. Using broken up pieces from a block tends to just melt and disappear with the longer and hotter baking time and temps.



https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1300566383799570&id=401485993707618

Confit of grape tomatoes.
Harvesting the last of our tomatoes, and there have been tons! These grape tomatoes were a joyful surprise as it just kept on giving. With the growing season over, these little beauties have been slow cooked in olive oil and bottled to be enjoyed in the colder months. I had to try them on my sourdough toast...OMG !!! Its like a bite of summer, intense burst of flavour.

The summer heatwave was relentless. My attempts at making bread was frustrating so I took a break. Bit cooler now and the sourdough bread making starts again. The are still difficult for me to make pretty but they do taste great. This is based on tartine except for the use of a stiff starter at 50% hydration.

These grape tomatoes have come from just 2 little seedlings that plonked itself on my short pathway to the washing line. We've had at least 4 trugs full. I did weigh it once, 1.480 g. Lovely to eat as it is but also tasty roasted.

Taking a break from breadmaking during this long heatwave here in Europe. We do still have to eat. Had some pears ripening quickly, made this absolutely delicious pear and chocolate frangipane tart, recipe from the Hairy Bikers Best of Britain

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pear_frangipane_18911

Another cacao loaf with cranberries. It got a bit big so it went into a big-ish round bannetton for its final proof then chopped into 4 to bake. I think i shall do this with other loaves that go into the freezer, looks neater.

Baguette practice... tastes so good but need to work on the look.

Ringing the changes to routine, thought I'd try Sourdough Noir. Have had the recipe for sometime, this is my first go at it. The only change was using the chocolate starter I already had from The Sourdough School book. This is a sweet chocolatey loaf, almost a cross between cake and bread but more bready in texture. My current oven seems hotter than i thought.
Recipe is here : https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2014/10/sourdough-noir/

When bananas go brown...I make banana bread granola. This will be great with warmed milk during these cold and frosty mornings.

Baguettes...I thought why bother if I live in France. However, quality and flavour does vary. Besides, when one is used to the flavour depth of sourdough, mastering the baguette is a challenge. A bit more tweaking with the oven, pleased with the dough quality. Getting to understand french flours a bit more.

I snagged this formula from one of my 'fb in France' groups posted by 'Carroll. The learning process never stops.

Been having trouble with my loaves here in France. I am using french supermarket flours for now. This is the first one with some measure of success. Based on a spelt recipe, using a percentage of psyllium husk powder. It seemed to help with some extensibility. Will keep on tweaking I think.

Pump up your salads and veggies with some savoury granola. These are awesome as nibbles too.I don't add any rolled oats but you could, instead I use a mix of pepitas, sunflower, sesame seeds soaked in miso and a little garlic infused honey this time, I've used soy sauce, balsamic, even orange juice before. As my nut allergic family members are not at home with us, I've added chopped almonds and walnuts. Soak for 30 minutes, strain, coat in a little oil, roast in pre-heated oven (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes till it starts to brown. Done this in the airfryer too.

Am awakening my starter as its got a bit sluggish. Have a bit of discard to use up so made tortillas recipe from . Haven't made this for a while and its ever so good and easy.

Sourdough Crumpets from starter discard, so easy and simple to make and much lighter tnan bought ones.

Seven seed blend in 48% rye loaf.

Emptying the fridge in our holiday chalet and making up something for dinner. 1 aubergine, 1 red pepper and the usual salad items. Luckily there are a couple of young white onions and shallots left and half a garlic bulb. In the fridge door was a tube of what would be like tomato puree....voila!! Caponata for our evening meal.

French viennoiserie...unbeatable with a cup of coffee.