15 minute read
Good Cooking
Good Cooking Sarah Webster’s passion for baking is leading her life in tasty directions
Story by Jacquelyn Hall Photos by David Moore
Some of Sarah Webster’s earliest memories are of baking cookies with her older sister Emily. Early on, the Georgia Mountain woman felt her calling was not the traditional college/ job route. Always creative, she followed her passions and made baking her profession.
Immersing herself in all things baking, Sarah attended the former campus of Birmingham’s Virginia College pastry school, worked at Birmingham Breadworks and Edgar’s Bakery plus assisted her friend Matthew Dyer, a professional chef, with desserts for private catered dinners.
Through her “externship” at Birmingham Breadworks, she quickly found herself fascinated by sourdough. It was a fortunate position for her, as there are only a few bakeries that specialize in sourdough located in North Alabama.
Continuing her education in her newfound fascination, she traveled to North Carolina in 2018 to take part in a sourdough workshop that ran for several days. And in 2019, she was able to take part in an apprenticeship in a small family-owned, sourdough bakery in Virginia that makes wood-fired loaves.
Selling her efforts happened rather organically when a friend asked to order some of her baked goods. After that, Sarah tentatively opened a booth at the Guntersville Farmers Market under her business name, Mission Bread, offering a variety of sourdough items.
Through lots of practice she became extremely proficient in all things
Sarah Webster exercises her call to creativity in the kitchen. For more info visit: www.facebook.com/missionbread.
sourdough, but not without a few hiccups along the way.
Initially, Sarah focused on easier and more predictable yeast-based breads, like a basic white sandwich loaf. Then she tried her hand at sourdough bread – but it just didn’t turn out right.
Going back to the drawing board, she did some troubleshooting, figured out the minutiae of the process, made a hybrid yeast and produced a sourdough bread which turned out brilliantly. It’s now one of her principal recipes. Fueled by the thrill of success, Sarah officially, as she puts it, caught the sourdough bug.
“I had to do it again.”
With the basics of sourdough down pat, she loves tapping into her creativity by combining different flours for the flavors and textures they offer. Some of her favorites to use are organic highprotein bread flour, organic rye flour and organic whole wheat flour.
Sarah orders most of her flours from a mill in South Carolina. With her skill growing, she now offers sourdough products that require more finesse. One is her extremely popular sourdough chocolate chip cookies, which must ferment at least overnight before baking.
After figuring them out, sourdough items are now her favorite to bake.
“They are super satisfying to make,” she says. “I love the fermentation process, even though it is slow.”
Sarah also enjoys the process and challenge of baking with laminated layers of thin dough and butter, and making croissants and other viennoiseries*. The croissants take upwards of 18 hours to rise before being baked. After a few batches of them went sideways, Sarah now makes them as a hybrid yeast/sourdough so they reliably rise properly.
The dough for the laminated items is very versatile.
“It can go both savory or sweet,” Sarah explains.
Given all of the time, effort and ingredients that go into each batch, if they get messed up, she adds, “it is kind of devastating.”
With Mission Bread growing, Sarah is making a couple of transitions in the selection as well as ingredients.
Note: Recipes on this page and page 26 require sourdough starter, which bakers may be familiar with. If you are not brave enough to learn like Sarah, you can buy starter online and at some local groceries. OVERNIGHT SOURDOUGH PANCAKES
1 cup sourdough starter, unfed 1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk plus a splash of vinegar) 1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar Mix above ingredients in a bowl and rest overnight.
1 large egg 1/4 cup melted butter Pinch of salt 1 tsp. baking soda
Combine all ingredients together until well combined. Cook on a preheated griddle, oiled pan or waffle iron. Flip when well browned. Serve with grass-fed butter, pure maple syrup and fresh fruit.
Serves 4
SOURDOUGH SAUSAGE BALLS
1 lb. pork sausage (hot or mild; local grass-fed is my favorite) 1 lb. (about 4 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, bagged or freshly grated ½ cup sourdough starter 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 4 Tbsp. butter, melted Splash of milk (a couple tablespoons) ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 Tbsp. hot sauce, optional
Preheat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until well combined and no pockets of flour remain.
Shape into tablespoonsize balls and place onto the prepared pans. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.
Make ahead option: Cover the prepared sausage ball mix with plastic wrap and save in the refrigerator for up to two days. Shape and bake as usual.
Yield: 24
Confidently proficient in a variety of sourdough recipes, she has shifted to primarily offering those instead of carrying more yeasted items. She’s also switching to the highest quality ingredients she can buy.
“I want to use the best ingredients, like grass-fed butter and cage-free organic eggs. It’s a small change, but it really does make a difference in the end,” she says.
Sarah’s creativity in the kitchen is not limited to baking. She loves making her version of her mom’s chicken soup – starting with a whole chicken, as she does with anything chicken-based. And she leans on the lessons of days-gone-by where nothing of the chicken is wasted. Once the meat is used in the recipe, she cooks the bones to make a rich broth which she uses in the soup.
While working to build Mission Bread up to a full-time position, she’s also worked the last two years at The Moon Bake Shop in Huntsville, which offers a variety of baked goods, such as cookies, scones and cakes. Working there enables her to put her passion for baking to good use; enjoying – as she does at home – the process of making the more complicated doughs like the croissants.
Sarah is excited about her vocation in the world of baking. Her passion overlaps perfectly with her love for giving homemade gifts from the heart. Pouring her love into what she does, Sarah will tell you, makes her “job” less like actual work and all the more fulfilling.
* Some readers may not be familiar with two terms used here and in the milk bread recipe on page 28 (we weren’t). So ...
“ Yudane” comes from a Japanese term for boiling water to scald flour instead of using fire.
“Viennoiserie” refers to breakfast pastries made in the style of Vienna. The “bridge” between pâtisserie and French bread, these goods are typically made with white flour and active yeast cultures, which cause the dough to rise quickly and be nice and flaky.
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp. baking powder 3 Tbsp. sugar ½ tsp. salt ¼ cup (57 grams) cold butter, cut into cubes ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream 1 cup inclusions (such as cooked bacon, jalapeno, cheddar)
Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl, whisk to combine. Add cubed butter to
SAVORY SCONES
the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut butter into the flour until all the pieces are pea-sized, no smaller.
Pour the cold heavy cream into the flour mixture and toss to combine. Once there are no large pockets of flour, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough with your hands, about 1 inch thick, place your add-ins on one half and fold the other half on top. Make sure to keep the counter floured to avoid the scone dough sticking.
Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough and fold over once more. Roll out to 1 inch thick and cut out scones with a 2-inch round cutter or use a knife and cut to desired size. Freeze or bake right away at 425 for 20-22 minutes (fresh) or 24-26 minutes (frozen).
When done, brush with a 1:1 mixture of honey or maple syrup and melted butter while still warm.
Yield: 6 scones
2 cups + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 2/3 cup water ½ cup water 7 tsp. (packets) unflavored gelatin Pinch of salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract (or flavor of choice) 1 cup powdered sugar + ½ cup cornstarch
Butter an 8x8-inch pan, bottom and sides. Combine the gelatin and ½ cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, leave to bloom.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cover. After 2 minutes remove the lid and check for sugar crystals on the side of the pan; if there are any, cover for one more minute. Once there are no sugar crystals remove the lid.
Place a candy thermometer (or a laser thermometer) in the sugar syrup and wait for it to reach 242. When the syrup is almost to 242 turn the mixer on med-low speed, add the salt to the gelatin mixture. Once it hits 242, while mixer is running, slowly pour syrup in against the inside of the bowl. Whisk on med-high for 3-4 minutes, turn on high speed for 4-5 more minutes. “Marshmallow” mixture should triple in size. In the last couple of minutes add in the vanilla extract.
Scrape mixture into the buttered pan and smooth with an oiled spatula. Sift a layer of the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture on the top. Let set for a minimum of 4 hours. Once set, turn it out onto a cutting board dusted well with the powder mixture. Cut into 25 squares with an oiled knife or oiled cookie cutters. Toss in the dusting powder and store in an airtight container.
Yield: 25 pieces
VANILLA MARSHMALLOWS
1 cup flour (I use a mixture of organic whole wheat and all-purpose) 1 cup sourdough from your starter ¼ cup fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, rosemary and thyme is a great blend) or 2 Tbsp. dried herbs ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ cup olive oil ½ tsp. sea salt Extra oil, salt and garlic for topping
In a medium bowl or stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, flour, garlic powder, herbs, salt and olive oil. Once it is mixed well and there is no dry flour, remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to overnight. Preheat the oven to 350.
Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, the size of a baking sheet. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to the size of the parchment (about 1/16 inch thickness). Lightly brush the dough with olive oil and lightly sprinkle salt and garlic powder over the top. Using a pizza cutter or knife cut into 1 to 2 inch squares. Poke each cracker square a couple times with a fork or knife. Slide the parchment paper with the crackers onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 12 minutes; rotate the pan, 12 more minutes.
When done, remove the crackers from the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.
Note: Add different herbs or spices for the dough and the topping!
CHICKEN SOUP
For broth & chicken
1 whole chicken, thawed, 3-4 lbs. 4 quarts (16 cups) water 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. black pepper Handful of fresh herbs or 1 Tbsp. dried herbs Splash of apple cider vinegar Scraps from carrot, celery, onion (optional)
Final soup
Broth and the chicken from above 1 Tbsp. butter ½ large onion, diced 4 medium carrots, ¼ inch half moons 3 celery stalks, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. salt, more to taste Black pepper to taste 1 Tbsp. each fresh chopped rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano (or ½ tsp. dried of each) 1 bay leaf 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger ¼ tsp. ground turmeric One recipe of homemade egg noodles, below, or 4 cups uncooked packaged egg noodles
Add all ingredients for the broth and chicken to a large pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce to medium heat and let cook for 2-3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones. When the chicken is done, carefully remove it from the stock to a dish. Let cool for a few minutes but while still warm pick all the meat off and set aside. Freeze the carcass for future bone broth. Strain broth; set aside.
In the same pot melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add herbs, garlic and spices in with the veggies, cook for 2 minutes. Add more butter if needed.
Pour the reserved broth in and simmer for 10 minutes. Add anywhere from half to all of the picked chicken meat. If too much liquid evaporated while cooking the chicken, you may add 3-4 cups extra boxed chicken stock or water + bouillon.
Bring it up to a boil and add the noodles. Boil for about 7-8 minutes with fresh noodles and 9-10 for packaged noodles. Once the noodles are cooked, turn the heat back down to a low simmer. Check for seasoning. Add extra salt or pepper if needed.
Serves: 12-15
1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. salt 1 large egg ¼ cup milk 2 tsp. softened butter
HOMEMADE EGG NOODLES
the milk and egg. Add liquid and butter to flour and salt. By hand, mix all the ingredients together well so that all the flour is saturated. Knead for 5 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a sheet about 1/16-1/8 inch thickness.
Flour the surface of the dough, cut into strips 3 inches wide, stack each strip and cut them into ¼ inch wide noodles.
Separate the noodles and lay them out on a pan to dry for a minimum of 1 hour before cooking. If not cooking immediately, let them dry out completely and store in an airtight container in the freezer.
Photo by The Twin’s Photography
*Yudane
75 grams (1/3 cup) boiling water 60 grams (1/2 cup) bread flour
Main dough
All of the yudane 270 grams (2 cups) bread flour 195 grams (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.) cold whole milk 4 grams (1-1/8 tsp.) instant yeast 20 grams (1½ Tbsp.) sugar 25 grams (1½ Tbsp.) softened butter 7 grams (1 tsp.) salt
Egg wash
One egg 1 Tbsp. water 1 tsp. honey
For the yudane: Pour boiling water over the flour and mix well. You can mix this in the stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Cover with plastic and let cool.
Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer with hook attachment, add all of the main dough ingredients (except butter). Knead on medium speed for 7 minutes.
Add the softened butter to the bowl and mix on medium high speed for 7 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test*. At the 5-minute mark it will begin to really come together – just be patient! Cover the bowl and keep in a warm place** until it has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
While it is rising (proofing), prepare your pan by coating with oil or butter and set aside.
Test the dough by dipping your finger in flour and poking the dough – if the indention stays, it is ready; if it comes right back, give it more time. Once ready, turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide in two. Shape your two pieces of dough into smooth rounds.
From here you can either keep the dough in ball form and put directly into the pan or roll into small coil shapes.
On a lightly floured surface, take one of your dough balls and roll into a rough oval/rectangular shape with a rolling pin. Fold the two long sides in and pat down to secure. Starting from the top, make tight rolls like a scroll and place seam side down in the prepared pan.
Now cover the shaped dough (in the pan) and let proof a second time. About 1 hour, until it reaches the top of the pan.
While it is proofing, preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your egg wash by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
Once it is fully proofed, brush with prepared egg wash and bake for 35 minutes. It should be golden brown when it is ready. You can also check the internal temperature for it to be 200.
Let cool inside the pan to keep its shape and enjoy!
*Note: The windowpane test is done by taking a large pinch of dough and stretching to check for gluten development. It should stretch very thin so that light shines through the dough. **Note: If your kitchen is around 7080 degrees that will be good for proofing. If not, place your bowl in the oven with ONLY the oven light on for a bit of warmth or in a sunny spot.
Tips
• Yudane can be made days in advance so feel free to prepare ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. • After the initial 1-hour proof the dough can be refrigerated, for up to two days, and shaped cold. Just remember this will take extra proofing time. • This dough is fun because you can also shape it into rolls, burger buns or whatever your heart desires.
The shape will affect the proofing and baking time.
