Category: Sourdough

sourdough sandwich bread
Breads, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Sourdough

Practical Man’s Guide to The Rose Homestead Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Join us in the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen as we put The Rose Homestead’s sourdough sandwich bread recipe to the ultimate test! 🍞 Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your quest for great sourdough bread, this post and our YouTube video have something for everyone. Let’s see if The Rose Homestead’s recipe lives up to the hype! 🚀

sourdough sandwich bread

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here! Between the recent cold spell and my unique ability to capture defeat from the jaws of victory, this SFH-TK test has been a real challenge. Nevertheless, I’m happy to report that our test of this bread recipe by Mary Rose produced a great loaf of bread.

When I started putting our YouTube video together, Executive Chef Blondie cautioned me that some of the content would put viewers into a deep sleep or even a vegetative state. Of course she wasn’t able to tell me that until I woke her up. So, this post will provide you some of the geeky material that I edited from the video.

When you go to the video you will find these highlights:

  • Step-by-step tutorial: Follow along as we mix, prepare, and bake this highly recommended recipe.
  • Essential tips: Learn the techniques to achieve a perfectly fluffy and flavorful sourdough loaf.
  • Ingredients: Discover the ingredients that make a difference.
  • Test results: See how this recipe stacks up and hear honest feedback from our dear friend Miss Nancy.

Baker’s Percentage Analysis

Baker’s Percentage is a way of expressing the ratio of ingredients to the total weight of flour in a recipe. It may not look like much fun working with percentages, but it can be very helpful in scaling a recipe up or down. Here’s the baker’s percentage analysis for this recipe:

  • Flour: 100% – (assuming 3.25 cups as the average) 3.25 cups = 390 grams (assuming 1 cup of flour weighs 120 grams)
  • Water: 60.8% – 1 cup = 237 grams (assuming 1 cup of water weighs 237 grams)
  • Sourdough Starter: 30.8% – 1/2 cup = 120 grams (assuming 1/2 cup of starter weighs 120 grams)
  • Olive Oil: 13.8% – 1/4 cup = 54 grams (assuming 1/4 cup of oil weighs 54 grams)
  • Honey: 10.8%- 2 tbsp = 42 grams (assuming 1 tbsp of honey weighs 21 grams)
  • Salt: 2.3% – 1.5 tsp = 9 grams (assuming 1 tsp of salt weighs 6 grams)

Yes, it adds up to more than 100%. But don’t sweat the small stuff. That’s a problem for mathematically inclined bakers.

Why this Recipe Works

When you break out a recipe this way, you can see beforehand what characteristics will be present in the bread. Here’s the breakdown for Mary Rose’s recipe:

  • Hydration: The hydration level (water to flour ratio) is around 60.8%, which is typical for sandwich bread. It should yield a dough that is a bit sticky and easy to work with. It will give the bread a soft crumb and help in achieving a tender texture. It’s perfect for sandwich bread.
  • Sourdough Starter: Adds a mild tangy flavor characteristic of sourdough bread. The starter provides natural leavening and flavor. The 30.8% starter is a substantial amount of starter, which will result in a noticeable sourdough flavor and quicker fermentation. The bread should have good structure and a nice tang from the natural fermentation process.
  • Olive Oil: Adds a subtle, rich flavor and tenderness to the crumb. It also helps keep the bread soft and moist.
  • Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness which balances the tanginess of the sourdough, and also creates a slightly caramelized crust.
  • Salt: Enhances the overall flavor by bringing out the sweetness and sourness, while also strengthening the gluten network for better structure.

Substituting Freshly Milled Hard White Wheat

If you substitute 1 cup of freshly milled hard white wheat for 1 cup of all-purpose flour, here are some changes you might need to consider:

  • Hydration: Freshly milled flour tends to absorb more water. You might need to increase the water slightly to achieve the same dough consistency.
  • Texture: Freshly milled flour can make the bread denser. Consider sifting the flour to remove some of the bran for a lighter texture. (We prefer not to sift in order to retain the natural nutrients in the bran.
  • Fermentation: Whole wheat flour ferments faster due to higher nutrient content. Keep an eye on the dough and adjust fermentation times as needed.

Potential Improvements

As you will notice, I have converted the test recipe to grams to improve consistency. Weighing the flour instead of using cups can help achieve results that are reliable and repeatable.

In our video, I have a special section showing how I totally destroyed a loaf of bread due to over proofing. The lesson here is that you need to adjust the fermentation time based on room temperature. Warmer temperatures may require shorter fermentation times, while cooler temperatures may need longer. In this case I tried to compensate for very low room temperatures. In my own characteristic way, I managed to overcompensate. Let me tell you, Chef Blondie was not amused.

sourdough sandwich bread

Resources

blueberry sourdough muffins
Breads, Recipe, Sourdough

The Best Blueberry Sourdough Muffins Ever

At the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen, we’re always looking to put our own unique spin on classic recipes. When our staff stumbled upon the Blueberry Sourdough Muffin recipe by Susan Reid at King Arthur Baking, I knew it was the perfect recipe to showcase the incredible baking and milling skills we have access to here in our humble Test Kitchen.

Hello my friends! Chef Blondie here. – To make this recipe adaptation come together, I relied on my Hubby, our resident sourdough expert. It was his job to make sure our sourdough starter, affectionately named Mrs. Patmore, was ready to do her job. So, Hubby fed her in the morning on baking day and made every effort to keep her warm and cozy.

blueberry sourdough muffins

Mrs. Patmore is a lively culture. Hubby has faithfully fed and nurtured her for over a year. Over time, she has developed deep, complex flavors that I knew would pair beautifully with the sweetness of blueberries.

What We Changed in Our Blueberry Sourdough Muffins

When it came time to conduct our test we followed the King Arthur recipe as a guide, but made a few key adjustments to really make the recipe our own. We made the changes to fit in with everyday cooking in our farmhouse kitchen and to suit our personal preferences. Here are the two most significant modifications.

Reduced Baking Temperature

The original recipe calls for an oven temperature of 425°F. With muffins and similar items, I find this temperature to be a bit too high. I think it increases the chance of scorching and overcooking. So, I reduced the temperature to 400°F. Of course that meant that the baking time had to be increased to about 30 minutes.

Home-Milled Cornmeal

In the past, when I have used this recipe I found that store-bought cornmeal is too coarsely ground. The grittiness of the cornmeal tends to detract from the enjoyment of the muffins. Because Hubby is now exploring different ways to use home-milled grains, he provided a now obvious solution.

blueberry sourdough muffins

Using dried corn (not popcorn) he milled cornmeal that was finer, and smoother in texture. As a result, the grittiness disappears from the muffins but the flavor of the cornmeal is retained. – It makes for a perfectly enjoyable, rustic texture and flavor.

Blueberry Sourdough Muffin Test Summary

This SFH Test Kitchen adventure was a great success. The elements of sourdough tanginess, rustic grain flavors, and the sweetness of blueberries combined to make a batch of muffins that were beyond compare. And if you want to make them even better, slather on some great Irish butter. – These are blueberry sourdough muffins you will make again and again.

Watch our video. Give this recipe a try. And most of all – Happy Cooking!

At the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen, we're always looking to put our own unique spin on classic recipes. When our staff stumbled upon the Blueberry Sourdough Muffin recipe by Susan Reid at King Arthur Baking, I knew it was the perfect recipe to showcase the incredible baking and milling skills we have access to here in our humble Test Kitchen.