Classic Sourdoughs (22 page)

Place in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap and proof for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C). During this time, the dough should double in size. Gently ease the dough from the container to a floured board.

Divide the dough into 15 equal balls. Roll each ball into a 6-inch (15 cm) rope and pinch the ends together, forming a doughnut shape. Proof for 1 hour at 85°F (29°C) in a proofing box.

Bring 4 quarts (4 liters) of water to a boil and add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Drop the bagels, 2 at a time, into the water. Remove them after they rise to the surface, drain on paper towels, and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Pizza has been made in Italy for thousands of years. Ancient
pizza napoletana
was leavened by
crisceto
(sourdough); a by-product of beer fermentation was used until just before the Second World War. That has since been replaced with various forms of commercial yeast. But there are ways to use natural leavening properly, as in the old days. This recipe made with sourdough culture has the original natural sourdough crust, but the toppings can be as American-style as you like. If you have Italian type 00 flour, use it; otherwise, all-purpose flour does very well. You may freeze the dough balls after the second proof; thaw it at room temperature before shaping. Traditional Italian toppings include tomato, mozzarella, and olive oil or tomato, oregano, anchovies, and olive oil
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MAKES ABOUT SIX 10-INCH (25 CM) PIZZAS

Mix together the culture, flour, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl and knead for at least 30 minutes to develop the gluten. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, and proof for 4 hours at 77° to 82°F (25° to 28°C) in a proofing box. Punch down and divide into 6 balls about 8 ounces (250 g) each. Place the balls on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and proof for an additional 4 hours at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C).

To form the pizzas, flatten each round by pressing on the center with the heel of your hand until a ridge begins to form at the periphery. Lift the dough by holding onto the ridge with both hands and let the weight of the dough stretch the developing circle. Turn the dough to maintain the circle, while alternately pulling on the ridge and pressing on the center until a 10-inch (25 cm) circle is formed with a ¼-inch (6 mm) ridge.

Transfer the pizzas to a lightly floured baking sheet or peel and proof for ½ to 1 hour at room temperature. Sprinkle on the toppings of your choice. Bake in a preheated 500°F (260°C) oven, on a preheated stone if you have one, for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Brioches are uniquely French creations characterized by extremely light, rich doughs. As such, brioche is hardly the most obvious use of sourdough, but try it. You may be surprised. Brioches are usually baked in special molds or straw baskets; this cheese brioche can be shaped as either a molded or braided loaf. If you don’t have brioche molds, try Bundt pans
.
MAKES TWO 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAVES

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt, cheese, and 2 cups (280 g) of the flour and mix well.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour. The dough will be very soft and sticky at first. Knead the dough using your hands and a dough scraper until it loses its stickiness and becomes elastic, about 10 minutes. Break off walnut-size pieces of butter and, using a spatula or dough scraper, fold them, one at a time, into the dough. Knead until the dough is smooth.

Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 equal balls. Place the balls, seam side down, in brioche molds, or divide each ball into 3 and roll out each piece into a rope, then braid into 2 loaves (see
this page
). Proof at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), for 3 to 4 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Beat the egg yolk with the 2 teaspoons water and brush this glaze over the tops of the loaves. If they are in brioche molds, make 2 or 3 diagonal slashes in the tops of the brioches. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes, or until brown. Unmold and let cool on wire racks.

Crumpets are as English as Big Ben. The batter is beaten vigorously to develop the gluten needed for leavening as the crumpet dough is proofed. The crumpets can be cooked freeform, like pancakes, but they are traditionally made by pouring the batter into 3- to 4-inch (8 to 10 cm) rings set on a hot griddle. Crumpet rings can be made from a can inches (4 cm) high, from which the top and bottom have been cut. They are also found on the Internet, possibly as English muffin rings
.
MAKES
8 CRUMPETS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and stir in the salt and egg. Add this mixture to the culture and mix. Add the flour and mix well to fully develop the gluten. Cover the bowl and proof at 85°F (29°C) for 1 hour in a proofing box.

Oil a griddle and several crumpet rings. Set the rings on the griddle and preheat over moderate (medium-low) heat. Pour or spoon batter into the rings until they are one-third full. Cook on the griddle for 5 to 7 minutes, or until holes appear in the dough.

Remove the rings with tongs and turn the crumpets over with a spatula. Cook the opposite side for about 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool a little, but eat hot if you can.

One winter day when the snow swirled past the windows, Jean said “I forgot to thaw anything from the freezer for dinner.” We thought of a solution we had not prepared for years—eggs Benedict. But we didn’t have English muffins. So on the spot we developed and made our first sourdough English muffins, and they were better than any we had ever tasted. Ed baked his in the oven and Jean used the griddle. The essential ingredients for eggs Benedict, in addition to those marvelous muffins (split in half), are a slice of ham, a poached egg or two, and hollandaise sauce. You can buy a packet of dry hollandaise sauce mix to simplify the preparation. We top ours with asparagus spears
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MAKES
20
MUFFINS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl and stir in the water, milk, butter, and salt. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too difficult to mix by hand. Transfer to a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Roll out each ball into an oval ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick. Use a 4-inch (10 cm) biscuit cutter to cut out 20 muffins. You can also use a can of the same diameter with the lid removed, or a water glass. Lightly grease two baking sheets and dust with cornmeal. Put the muffins on the prepared sheets and proof for 3 hours at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C).

Jean’s method: Cook on a large electric griddle preheated to 400°F (200°C). After 2 minutes, when the bottoms are brown, reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C), turn the muffins, and cook for 8 minutes on the other side. Then turn again and cook for another 6 minutes.

Ed’s method: Bake in a preheated oven at 450°F (230°C) for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the muffins over and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.

These crescent rolls are rolled in caraway seed; you can omit these if you like
.
MAKES 12 ROLLS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl and stir in the oil, salt, sugar, and egg. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.