I have made a lot of sourdough crackers lately. Since I first tried to make crackers from my discarded sourdough starter I have been hooked.
But this weekend it was time for a change. There have to be more things you can do with the discard I said to myself, and there is.
Most of you know that you can use the discard for pancakes, waffles, muffins, and much more.
But perhaps not so many of you have tried to make puff pastry, and I think I know why.
Making real puff pastry is a bit tedious and requires time, and not all of us wants to spend that much time on some discarded starter.
But perhaps it’s possible to make a quick version. At least that was what I tried to find out.
There are lots of recipes for puff pastry, most of them with just flour, butter, and water on the internet. I found some based on a sourdough starter as well, but most of them were aiming for croissants, danish pastry and such.
That was not what I was looking for. It was far too complicated and time-consuming.
I just want to do something with my discarded starter, so I don’t have to waste it. I wanted a simplified version of a sourdough puff pastry recipe.
Finally, I found a recipe that I liked. There was no sourdough starter in it, but I liked the method.
I know that there are not many of you who read my blog that understands Swedish, but some of you do, so here is the link.
Normally when you make puff pastry, you roll the butter into the dough in layers. You do that by folding the dough and roll it several times.
For this puff pastry recipe, you mix half of the butter with the flour and starter. The dough is rolled out into a square. Then you distribute the rest of the butter on one half of the square. I used my cheese grater to cut the butter into thin slices. Fold over the other part of the dough and roll it to an even thickness.
Fold the dough into three parts in one direction and one partin the other direction. You should now have six layers.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After that, you can roll the dough into a desired form or thickness.
This sourdough puff pastry recipe is a bit rough, and nothing I recommend if you’re planning to make anything more ambitious.
But if you only want to make some quick and easy dessert for yourself and your friends a lazy Sunday afternoon, it may work just fine. It lifts quite a lot after 15 minutes in the oven as you can see in the picture above, but not as much as if you had done it according to a traditional recipe.
After all, it is a simplified variant of puff pastry. The taste, however, isnot simplified at all. Butter tastes good, that’s no news, but combined with all the unique flavors of the sourdough starter makes it even better.
So, if you use towaste you’rediscarded starter, stop doing that immediately. It’s liquid gold.
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A quick puff pastry recipe based on a discarded sourdough starter. The sourdough starter lifts it to another level with its unique flavors.
Ingredients
- 80 gram Wheat flour
- 100 gram sourdough starter discarded, 100% hydration
- 120 gram butter
Instructions
Note that it's important that all ingredients are cold. Start by mixing the flour, sourdough starter and half of the butter into a dough. Let it rest in the fridge 30 min.
Roll out the dough to a square with an even thickness. Distribute the rest of the butter on one half of the square. Use a cheese grater to cut the butter into thin slices
Fold over the other part of the dough and roll it to an even thickness.Fold the dough into three parts in one direction and one part in the other direction. You should now have six layers.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After that, you can roll the dough into a desired form or thickness.
Notes
You can freeze the rolled out puff pastry dough for later use. It should be used within 6 months.
Keyword sourdough bread, starter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
FAQs
Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust. This can be a desirable outcome if you do not like tough, chewy sourdough crusts.
How do you make sourdough super fluffy? ›
Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.
How to get a strong sourdough flavor? ›
If you really want a stronger flavor in your sourdough bread, adding a little citric acid to your dough will help. You can add ⅛ to ¼ of a teaspoon of citric acid to your sourdough. Do not use more than this amount because it will make your sourdough inedible.
What is the secret to sourdough? ›
6. Just add water for softer sourdough. The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.
Is it better to bake bread with olive oil or butter? ›
While butter is well-suited for baking, there is no question that olive oil contains healthier fats and polyphenols that butter does not. Olive oil is also a choice that adds a unique depth of flavor to baked goods.
What does adding honey do to sourdough? ›
Honey can be used as a natural sweetener when added to your sourdough. Some of the benefits to adding honey to sourdough are: reduce sour flavor in the bread. decrease time of bulk ferment.
What makes sourdough taste better? ›
Keep the dough temperature higher: Lactobacillus perform well at the higher temperatures of 85-95ºF. Keeping the dough in that range will produce more lactic acid bacteria quickly which can result in a more mildy sour loaf.
How do you make sourdough bread lighter and fluffier? ›
- The Question: June F. ...
- My Answer: 11 Tips For Lighter, Less Dense Sourdough Bread. ...
- #1 — Use a lighter flour. ...
- #2 — Use some (or all) sifted flour. ...
- #3 — Make sure your starter is strong and ready for bread. ...
- #4 — Adjust the moisture level of the dough. ...
- #5 — Add baking soda before shaping. ...
- #6 — Knead shorter or knead longer.
Still, there are three specific factors that can really affect your bread's flavor: The health of your starter. The level of the bread dough's organic acids. The complex relationships over time between levain, dough, fermentation, and proofing.
What is the best flour for sourdough bread? ›
High-protein white bread flour is one of the many classes of flour that can be used for baking sourdough bread.
A dough with added egg as part of the hydration can handle long fermentation very well without degrading the gluten. It will keep strong shape. Of course all of the other variables involved in sourdough making must be done right as well.
Why not use a metal spoon with sourdough? ›
Never allow any form of metal such as a spoon or lid to come into direct contact with the stored, un-used sourdough starter as it will cause a chemical reaction that will contaminate and blacken the implement and eventually in time will kill (loose all activity) the starter and a blackish blue or pink liquid will ...
What happens if you add olive oil to dough? ›
Adding oil to your pizza dough makes it crispier once baked. The oil creates an impermeable layer that moisture, such as that present in tomato sauce, cannot easily penetrate. In other words, olive oil in pizza dough prevents sauce from absorbing into the dough and making it floppy.
Does olive oil stop dough from rising? ›
Is it true that oil keeps the dough from rising? The oil has no effect on the fermentation process at all. Because the hydration step allows the water to be absorbed into the flour, sugar, and yeast components, the fermentation process can begin right away. Even after these have been combined and oil has been added.
What happens when you put olive oil in bread? ›
The presence of oil in bread alters its texture. Oils and fats are 'shortening' agents. It wasn't until I started my deep exploration into the ways of yeast and gluten that I really appreciated what 'shortening' might mean. In order to achieve the required spongy texture, two things need to happen.
Do Italians put olive oil on their bread? ›
It's an Italian food rule that you don't dip bread in olive oil (swirl of balsamic vinegar optional). If you ever go to Italy, you'll notice they don't put olive oil at the table when they serve you bread, typically before the appetizer comes out but also sometimes with your main meal.
