This week we will put it straight out there given it’s Sourdough September. Sourdough is the best thing since, well sliced bread!
What’s not to like about a bread made from only three ingredients – flour, water and salt – and a starter culture that triggers the fermentation process and the natural leavening.
This in sharp contrast to the mountain of ingredients in shop-bought breads such as emulsifiers, thickeners, stabilisers, improvers, bleaching agents, acidifiers and colourings.
Emulsifiers, bleaching agents and acidifiers! We’re talking about something we eat not something we paint on a wall or put down a toilet.
It’s little wonder that the Real Bread Campaign launched Sourdough September six years ago and that it is growing in popularity each year.
That’s because there’s nothing like real, homemade, bread, and sourdough is at the top as far as we are concerned.
It’s apparently so good that scientists this week made a sourdough with yeast recovered from ancient Egypt – 4,500 to 5,000 years ago.
We’re all for experimenting here in the SK development kitchen, but we’re not sure what our customers would say if we told them we made our onion bhajis from an onion found in a Roman archaeological dig!
So, for this week’s Sourdough September recipe, we’re sticking to a traditional sourdough making recipe, but with a Spanish twist.
Sourdough Tostada Con Tomate
Making the Starter dough:
Ingredients:
- Strong white flour 150g
- Warm water 200ml
- Fast acting yeast 4g
- Sugar 5g
Day 1:
Mix together in a bowl until a smooth batter is formed. Then transfer into a clean bowl, cling film and leave somewhere warm for 24 hours.
Day 2:
- Strong white flour 150g
- Warm water 200ml
Mix in the flour and water. Then transfer to a clean bowl, cling film and leave somewhere warm for 24 hours.
Day 3:
- Strong white flour 150g
- Warm water 200ml
Mix in the flour and water. Then transfer to a clean bowl, cling film and leave somewhere warm for 24 hours.
Day 4:
The sourdough starter should now be bubbly and ready to use.
Sourdough Bread Recipe:
- Strong white flour 300g
- Sourdough starter 160g
- Salt 5g
- Sugar 6g
- Fast acting dried yeast 5g
- Warm water 150g-160ml (water depends on the moisture in your kitchen)
In an electric mixer with the dough attachment connected add all your dry ingredients then add the water. Mix on a slow to medium speed until a smooth elastic dough is formed – this should take about 10 minutes.
Tip onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes then transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to proof and double in volume.
Preheat oven to 200oc.
Once doubled in volume tip out on to a floured surface and knead a little then cut in half and place into two bread tins. Again, place somewhere warm and cover until risen. Bake in the oven at 200oc for 25-30 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool.
Tomato compote
Ingredients:
- Best quality vine ripened tomatoes quarter and deseeded 215g
- 1 Garlic clove
- Avocado oil 15g plus extra to drizzle
- Salt
- Crumbled goat’s cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
In a food processor blitz all the ingredients, except the cherry tomatoes until a rough compote is made, then just drain any excess moisture.
To plate:
Toast the sourdough and rub with a garlic clove. Spread the tomato compote on the warm bread and top with cherry tomatoes, crumbled goat’s cheese, fresh basil and a drizzle of avocado oil.
About Chris Brown
Sous Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
