+ RECIPES
beyond the basics
SOURDOUGH RECIPES In January of 2021, we published a beginner’s guide to sourdough with recipes. We’re back with some fun recipes that go beyond the basics and reveal just how versatile sourdough can be!
Chocolate Sourdough Bread BY HAILEY MINTON
Levain ¼ cup, plus 1 Tbsp. bread flour ¼ cup, plus 1 Tbsp. spelt flour 1/3 cup water A heaping ⅛ cup of sourdough starter Dough 5 ¼ cups bread flour 1 cup and 3 Tbsp. spelt flour 2 1/8 cups and 1 Tbsp. water, plus 1/4 cup set aside 1 Tbsp. salt 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp., plus 1 tsp. of honey 3/4 cup cocoa powder Add-ins The levain mixture ½ cup chocolate chips First make your levain by mixing all the ingredients in a glass container. Monitor the growth. It is ready to use once it has doubled. After you make the levain, in a separate bowl, mix the bread flour, spelt flour, and cocoa powder to start the autolyse process. Add 2 1/8 cups plus 1 tablespoon of water to the mixture. Blend everything with the goal to get all the flour hydrated but don’t worry too much if there are a few spots you just can’t get to mix in. The dough is really stiff, so it
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can be tough. Cover with a wet dish cloth for an hour or until needed. Once the levain has doubled, mix in the remaining 1/4 cup of water to it. Then, add in the salt, honey, and brown sugar and mix together. Next, add this mixture to the dough. Be prepared to work to get it fully incorporated! Everything should be fully hydrated at this point. Cover and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes before adding the chocolate chips to the center. Now, you will do a set of stretch and folds to incorporate them. Pull up the dough on one side to stretch it, fold it over the chocolate chips, then push it down. Do this four times, once on each side.
of the fridge and out of the bowl with the parchment paper and score it. Making an x on the top with a knife is an easy option. Once your oven is preheated, place your dough and parchment paper inside the oven and replace the lid. Turn down your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid after the first 20 minutes and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting. Repeat the process for the second loaf. Adapted recipe from Food Geek
This next step is considered the bulk fermentation period and has a lot to do with how active your starter is. The recipe I followed said to do 3 sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart, but I waited a lot longer between mine because I didn’t think my starter was as active as the recipe author I was following. For him, it took 2 1/2 hours, for me, it was double that. After that period, cut the dough in half to make two loaves and stretch and fold them again to get the bottom really tight. Line a large bowl with parchment paper and plop the dough in, bottom on top, so the top of the ball is smooth and tight. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat the oven to 500°F with your Dutch oven inside. Take your bread out
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