Classic Sourdoughs (24 page)

Sourdough makes marvelous biscuits. The dough is softer than bread dough, and you should mix it just enough to moisten the flour. It will be sticky and will need to be floured occasionally for handling. When cutting the biscuits, it is desirable to make a quick, sharp cut, which avoids tearing the gluten and produces better rising. If the biscuits are placed close together on the baking sheet, they will rise together and seal their adjacent cut edges
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MAKES 15 BISCUITS

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the culture, stirring with a fork. The dough should be soft and moist and just pull away from the sides of the bowl. Add a little flour or milk as necessary to achieve this consistency. Turn out onto a floured board and knead briefly until the dough is soft and barely sticky. Add more flour if needed.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick and cut biscuits with a 2-inch (5 cm) floured biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet close together and proof at 85°F (29°C) for 1 to 2 hours in a proofing box. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.

You won’t find buns like these at a fast-food chain. Burgers served on them are truly sublime
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MAKES 8 BUNS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and add the milk, eggs, salt, and sugar. Beat with a fork to mix and add to the culture. 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.

Roll the dough out to a ½-inch (1.5 cm) thickness and cut with a 4-inch (10 cm) round cutter (a can with the top cut out works well).

Place the buns on a baking sheet and proof at 85°F (29°C) in a proofing box for 2 to 4 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 18 minutes, or until browned. Let cool on a wire rack.

You can make the short conventional buns or the long ones (up to 9 or 10 inches/23 to 25 cm) by simply rolling and pulling this dough into the desired length. The sourdough caraway flavor is purely delicious!
MAKES ABOUT TWENTY 6-INCH (15 CM) BUNS

Pour the culture into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter and add the milk and water to warm. Stir in the salt, caraway seed, and sugar. Add this mixture to the culture and mix well. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Then turn onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 6 inches (15 cm) long. Set on baking sheets and proof at 85°F (29°C) for 1 to 2 hours, or until about doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 35 minutes, or until brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Khubz arabi
(“Arab bread”) is a soft, round flatbread—the pita of the desert. This is probably the most delicious pita I have ever encountered. It is produced throughout the Middle East, both commercially and in the home
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MAKES 8 FLATBREADS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the water, salt, and oil and mix. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until 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. Proof for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Then gently ease the dough from the container to a floured board.

Divide into 8 equal balls. Roll the balls into round flats about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and form 2 stacks with the rounds, separated by paper towels. Proof the rounds at 85°F (29°C) in proofing box for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven and a baking sheet to 500°F (260°C). Use a hand board or large spatula to slide the rounds onto the heated baking sheet. Use care to avoid damage to the surface or the rounds may not puff completely. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the rounds puff and start to brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Kaahk,
a sort of vanilla-cinnamon cookie, are usually baked in a crescent shape, the symbol of the Ottoman Empire. They are most popular during the holy period of Ramadan and are eaten after the daily period of fasting. This is not a simple recipe, but the results are worth the effort
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MAKES ABOUT 24 CRESCENTS

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar to the warm milk and stir to dissolve. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the cinnamon and vanilla; stir in the milk mixture. Add this mixture to the culture and mix well. 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. Divide the dough in half and form it into 2 balls. Chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Place 3 tablespoons (45 g) of the butter between 2 sheets of waxed paper and flatten with a rolling pin to an oval about 6 by 8 inches (15 by 20 cm). Roll out a second oval with the remaining butter and place both in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Turn out the chilled dough onto a floured board and roll each ball into a flattened oval about 12 by 16 inches (30 by 40 cm). Place the chilled butter in the center of each dough oval and fold the dough over the butter from all sides.

Roll the dough into a rectangle to about 12 by 16 inches (30 by 40 cm) and fold the bottom half up to the center and the top half down to the center. Repeat this rolling and folding once. Chill for 15 minutes, then roll again into a rectangle about 12 by 16 inches (30 by 40 cm). Cut the rectangle in half the long way. Then cut each half into 3 equal squares. (Sourdough is difficult to roll into an exact shape, but the
objective is to form approximate squares for the next step. The size will determine the size of the finished rolls.)

Cut the squares diagonally to form triangles and roll up the triangles tightly from the broad side to the tip. Pull the triangles into crescent shapes and lightly pinch the tips together. Place the crescents on a baking sheet and proof at 85°F (29°C) in a proofing box for 1 to 2 hours, or until they have doubled in size.

Gently separate the joined tips of the crescents and brush each with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 425°F (215°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Let cool on wire racks.