Sourdough Discard Chocolate Donuts!

I've been talking about wanting to make donuts with my sourdough for a while, so the Hubs gave me one of my Christmas gifts early: a 3-inch silicone donut mold!  I was pretty excited to try it out.  The original recipe I used was meant to make 24 donuts, so I cut it in half to make enough batter for 12... but then, when I started pouring, turns out it was just a little more than I needed to make six donuts. So either I was pouring heavy, or the original recipe was meant for a smaller diameter donut mold, or both.  I tinkered with this enough to be able to list it out as an original recipe (also, I did the conversions to grams so, you're welcome).

INGREDIENTS (makes 6-ish three-inch donuts):

• 75g AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 70g brown sugar
• 60g sourdough discard
• 120g milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 36g coconut oil, melted
• 50g mini chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze:

• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• splash of milk
• splash of vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Whisk together all the dry ingredients, then add in the brown sugar, sourdough discard, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Mix until well combined with no lumps, then add in the chocolate chips (if you like).

Transfer the batter into the donut mold (I opted to put a little cooking spray in mine, even though it's silicone, as a bit of insurance) using a ziploc bag as a piping bag. Put the mold on a cookie sheet for easier handling in and out of the oven.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Set the mold on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then flip and remove the donuts from the mold.  Once they've cooled for at least 30 minutes, you can make the glaze (the original poster melted chocolate chips to make a frosting, which would also be good) and add to the donuts.  Then eat!

Pre-glazing.

These had a very light, fluffy texture, less dense than cake donuts you would get from the donut shop or store. We saved back a couple to see if they would get more firm/less dense the next day. The glazed had definitely hardened them up a bit but the interior was still very fluffy.  I'm looking forward to trying out some other recipes with my donut mold! 

Next day donut.

Sourdough Pop-Tart Toaster Pastries

 I realize I just said in my last post that we needed to make fewer sweets with the sourdough discard...but I was craving pie crust, yet we didn't have enough eggs for a quiche or other savory option.  So...pop-tarts* it is. 

*I don't think I can get sued by Kellogg's, right?  Fine..."toaster pastries".  

I used Little Spoon Farm's recipe, with minor modifications:

• we made a double batch because I needed to use up a lot of discard 
• I used lemon juice in place of the vinegar (because we apparently don't own white vinegar)
• No icing--I was running out of time so we just put cinnamon sugar on top after the egg wash
• Filling: the double batch made 8 pastries, so we put strawberry jam in 2, peach jam in 3, and a mix of brown sugar & mini chocolate chips in the last 3.  The chocolate ones were the only pastries that didn't leak and weren't messy to eat, so if I did these again, I might make them all chocolate, possibly with marshmallow bits too.

Heads up--because the dough needs time to chill, DO NOT wake up at 7am and think you'll be able to make this in time before church at 9am.  I should have read the instructions better and made the dough the night before.  Learn from my mistakes. 

"S" for strawberry.

 These reheat in the toaster really well, though a few of them were almost too big--they wouldn't fit on their side and when put in the toaster vertically, the top inch or so still stuck out.  Aside from that minor issue, this was a pretty easy recipe and a good way to use up some discard, especially if you're craving pie crust. The original recipe calls for 25-30 minutes, but I found that 35-40 minutes in our oven got the best amount of crisp bottom and edges (had to bake them in two batches). I also recommend lining your cookie sheet with foil or parchment because the jam DOES leak out the edges.

Sourdough Pita Bread & Dehydrated Starter

This week's mission: pita bread!

The Hubs & I recently got back from an anniversary trip down to the Yucatan Peninsula.  After a week of drinking and eating as much as we want, we decided we probably needed to make some healthier choices once we got home. After some brief discussions of keto and a 21 day Daniel Fast, we landed on the more sensible, sustainable choice of The Mediterranean Diet.  More fresh fruits & vegetables, simple ingredients, more fish, less red meat. 

This much deliciousness, 3 times a day, for 7 days: time for a reset.

 But then, the question came up: what do we do with the sourdough starter?  We both acknowledged that we'd been eating a lot more bread since I started making sourdough--which has been delicious, but probably also needs to be moderated as well. Bread definitely isn't forbidden with the Mediterranean Diet, and homemade sourdough bread which has been slow fermented and is more easily digestible makes more sense than store-bought bread with more processed ingredients.  But all of the sweet discard recipes we've been making for breakfasts and desserts? That should probably be ratcheted back.  I also had been meaning to dry out some of my starter for safe keeping, just in case something happened to it.

Sourdough Insurance.

Like most Americans, when I think about Mediterranean breads, pita is the first thing that comes to mind.  And it also seems pretty simple: make some dough, let it rise, then roll it out in to some flat tortilla-like rounds and toss in the oven to puff up.  We used Farmhouse on Boone's recipe. Ingredient-wise we didn't vary from this so you can click over there if you want to try it.

Unfortunately, my dough ended up very wet and sticky--likely because of high humidity here since it's summer.  I added a fair bit of flour when I was rolling these out into rounds...but then I also ran out of space to be able to flatten them out to 1/4 inch as in the recipe.  

When I went to try to get them off the cutting board after a 30 minute rest, they were all stuck solid.  After much scraping and cursing, what ended up on the pizza stone were irregular, oblong flatbreads, rather than pita.

Many choice words were flying around this kitchen...

After fighting with the first three, I balled all the remaining rounds up together with a little extra flour, kneaded, and then started pulling off smaller dough balls. With the main mass of dough over on one side of the board, I then had space to flour the surface and roll them out to 1/4 inch.  So I ended up baking these one at a time.  Not really ideal, but with the reworking & additional flour, they did finally start puffing up like beautiful little pita breads.

Final result was a little dry (probably because of adding so much flour on the back end just to keep them from sticking) but good flavor. Some were a little too thin and crumbly to use for pita pockets--they broke easily and leaked, but all in all, not terrible for a first attempt.  Will I try again??? TBD.  As you know, I like trying new recipes, and as it turns out, there's a TON of Mediterranean breads that aren't pita.  In the meantime, it was delicious with hummus and worked fairly well as a pita pocket for these deviled egg salad sandwiches inspired by my friend Jo. (Basically, regular egg salad but with less mayo, more mustard, and diced homemade dill pickles in it.)

Apple Crumb Cake with Sour Cream & Sourdough Discard

We were headed to a potluck with one of The Hubs' Homebrew Groups, and I needed something to use this week's sourdough discard in. We also had a container of sour cream that needed to get used up, and some of last year's apples from our backyard tree hanging out in the freezer.  When I searched the interwebz for a "sourdough sour cream apple cake"...I got a lot of "sourdough apple cakes" and "sour cream apple cakes"...but no crossover.  So--I found a couple different recipes I liked, mixed & matched, and this was the end result.

Note: This results in some of the measurements below being in grams, and some in dry measurements--this is because the sourdough substitution is based on weight, rather than volume--I removed 75g of flour and 75g of sour cream from the cake layer to make up for the addition of the 150g of sourdough discard.

INGREDIENTS:

Apple Layer:

• 3 cups frozen or fresh sliced apples, peeled (sliced thin or cubed)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cake Layer:

• 1.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 170g sour cream (about 2/3 cup)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g sourdough discard
• 240g all-purpose flour (should be a little shy of 2 cups)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Crumb Topping:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the APPLE LAYER ingredients and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let simmer until apples are very soft, around 20 minutes.  Remove from heat--it will continue to thicken as it cools.
3. In a separate medium bowl, melt the butter for the CRUMB TOPPING, then add the remaining ingredients and mix with a fork until crumbly.  Set aside.
4. Using a large bowl and hand mixer, or a stand mixer, combine the room temp butter and sugar and beat until fluffy. Then add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and sourdough discard and mix until smooth.
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and weigh the flour into the bowl, then add the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Place back on the mixer and blend until combined.
6. Pour CAKE LAYER into a buttered 9x13 pan and smooth out.  Then add the APPLE LAYER onto the cake batter, and use a butter knife to swirl the mixture evenly into the CAKE LAYER.
7. Add the CRUMB TOPPING layer evenly across the top of the pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Cake Layer.

Apple Layer added & swirled in.

Crumb Topping added.

This works well as a dessert, or as a coffee cake for breakfast!

Jagerschnitzel with Sourdough Spaetzle

 The Hubs asked for Jagerschnitzel as his special Father's Day dinner. And I did my best to accommodate, except that we could not find pre-breaded pork or veal cutlets ANYWHERE, and I didn't have enough time on Father's Day to make everything from scratch. So, this dinner was a little belated, but still delicious and well deserved. I'm thankful to have husband who is a true partner in marriage, sharing responsibility for things around the house, taking care of the kiddo, while also having our own areas of expertise.  I do most of the cooking, not because he CAN'T, but because I enjoy it more.  He enjoys working with his hands and fixing things.  It's a pretty great situation.

Anyway...FOOD.  

I bought this spaetzle maker on Amazon---not joking, looked it up--A FULL DECADE AGO. 2013.   That's pre-kid, we still owned The Inside Scoop--purchased in June (full tilt ice cream season) so this was probably a stress purchase. And it's just sat in the drawer, in the package, since that time.  The spider strainer was a much more recent purchase,  but still brand new.  Nice to finally get to use kitchen gadgets. :)

I used my sourdough discard to make this recipe--most recipes I found online called for a full cup (300g) of discard, which I didn't have.  And there was a whole range of recipes out there--some called for 1 egg, some for 4, etc.  So, I opted to just modify the recipe that came on the package of my spaetzle maker.

Because making THREE things from scratch for the same dinner is a hefty lift on busy summer weekends, I made the spaetzle the day before and put it in the fridge. Then day of, I sautéed it in some butter, seasoned with some salt, pepper, and parsley.  Worked perfect.

INGREDIENTS: 

Spaetzle (Makes....a lot.  Like probably 8-10 side servings. We froze half.)

• 100g sourdough discard
• 325g all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• ~200mL water (more or less as needed for consistency)
• 1/2 stick butter

Schnitzel

• 1 lb pork chops hammered to ~1/4-1/2 inch thick, or a butterflied pork loin, divided into 6 sections and pounded flat
• Dry dredge: 1/3 cup flour, 1 Tbsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Wet Dredge: 2 eggs, beaten
• Final dredge: 2 cups panko
• vegetable oil for frying
• Lemon wedges for serving

Jager Gravy

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 8 oz button mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp Tony Chacheres Roux Mix (FYI since the recipe isn't on the can--gravy is 2 Tbsp mix + 1 cup water)
• 2 Cups cool water

DIRECTIONS:

Spaetzle-

1. Start a pot of salted water to boil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the discard, eggs, and bouillon.  Mix in the flour--you'll end up with a dry shaggy dough.  Start adding the water and mixing in until dough is smooth, like thick pancake batter.  The idea being that the dough won't just drip through the holes in the spaetzle maker as you add it to the hopper, so you can control the size of the noodles. 
3. Let rest about 15 minutes.
4. Set the spaetzle maker across the top of the pot of boiling water.  Add dough to the hopper in small batches.  Slide the hopper back & forth to press the dough through the holes.
5. Once the noodles start to float up to the surface, it's OK to stir. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove with the spider strainer.
6. Place in a container with some butter & toss. The butter will help keep the noodles from sticking to each other.  If you're making this all the same day, you can serve at this point, or let cool and place in the fridge.  
7. Reheating: Heat 1 pat of butter in a large skillet over medium heat--once melted, add the cold spaetzle (you will likely have to break it apart a bit with your hands) & season to taste.  

Schnitzel-

1. Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep pan, like a dutch oven, to avoid splattering.  Target temp is about 330F.
2. Heat oven to 200F (for keeping cutlets warm if needed)
3. Once oil is up to temp, dredge pork one at a time through the flour, then egg, then panko and gently drop into the oil. My pot was able to hold about 2 at a time, so have some paper towels nearby for after they come out of the oil.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.  Remove, drain, then place on a cookie sheet in the oven (if you're trying to keep them all warm for serving).
4. Serve with a light drizzle of lemon juice, and then either add gravy to the top, or on the side.

Jager Gravy-

1. In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions & mushrooms and saute until tender & golden.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the water and roux mix, whisk, and then heat to boiling.  Let boil for 1 minute then drop temp to simmer.
4. Add mushrooms & onions to the gravy and let simmer until ready to serve. (I then used that skillet to heat up the spaetzle I'd made the day before.)

Served this up with some sauerkraut for the full German experience...and some green beans, because vegetables are important. :)

Also, as a point of process...even though the Aldi website may not mention it...they DO have pre-breaded veal cutlets in the freezer section, if you want to make this & are short on time.  Found this out later. *sigh* Ah well--since we have frozen spaetzle now, that means next time we want this dish, all I have to make is the gravy!

Sourdough Adventures #21: Discard Chocolate Coffee Cake w/ Ganache

We had a family reunion to attend, so I opted to bring a dessert made with sourdough discard. It's been a nutty month between vacation and coming back to work, coaching summer interns, etc.  So I haven't made any actual sourdough bread in a while.  

Natural light, some expert slicing by your MIL, and a brand new phone will do wonders for your food photography, just FYI.

This chocolate cake recipe from Milk & Pop looked gorgeous, so I settled on that.  And while my version ended up a touch dry (I think I overbaked it a bit), I would not let that discourage you from trying it.  I followed their recipe pretty tightly, only change was the addition of about a 1/2 Tbsp of cinnamon, so you can click the link to jump to their recipe if you're interested in trying.  If I made this again I might add some dry instant pudding mix, or up the oil content just a bit, to ensure a more moist cake.

The original baker's trick for using sugar inside the pan to ensure the cake comes out cleanly?  *chef's kiss* WILL DEFINITELY be using that again.

I DID opt for a different icing option than what Milk & Pop had shared, and instead made a simple ganache by heating 

• 1 cup heavy cream

And then stirring it into 

• 9 oz of semi-sweet chocolate

This made a gorgeous smooth glaze...and honestly, made too much.  You could probably do about half that (4-5 oz chocolate, 1/2 cup cream) and have plenty to cover this cake.  Thankfully, we had some strawberries on hand to help with the excess...

The cake was a hit at the reunion--up against some stiff competition. As with any Midwestern potluck--dessert options matched entrees and sides in a 1:1 ratio.  And you've gotta try them all...it'd be rude not to. 

Sourdough Stories #20 - Sausage Egg & Cheese Biscuit "Muffins"

What's this?  An original recipe!?!?  YUP.  Pretty proud of that fact.  I needed to use up a bit of discard, as well as some sausage left over from dinner earlier in the week (homemade wonton soup, which was fabulous, FYI).  And I figure if I'm going to try to pair my sourdough adventures with this blog, I jolly well need to post some actual original content, not just talking about other people's recipes and what worked & didn't.

I was very happy with how these turned out--crisp & flaky edges on the outside, tender interior and great flavor from the cheese & sausage. A perfect quick breakfast option.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 12 muffins)

• 8 oz ground pork sausage, browned & drained, seasoned with black pepper
• 100g sourdough discard
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (275g)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (omit if you used salted butter)
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a sharp cheddar)
• 2 green onions, sliced (or 1 Tbsp dried chives)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Brown the sausage. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the discard, butter, egg, and milk until well combined. 
4. Add the salt, garlic powder, then the flour, baking powder, cheese and onions.  Stir until combined, but don't overmix.
5. Use a scoop to portion into a greased muffin tin, and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are nice & golden. 
6. Remove from the tin to cool, and eat while warm.
7. Cool any remaining muffins completely on the counter, and then store in the fridge for later in the week, or freeze if not planning to eat right away.

Sourdough Stories #16: Mixed Berry Sour Cream Discard Muffins

 This is officially my new favorite recipe for using up discard.  Just gonna say that up front.  Just the right amount of sweetness.  In the rearranging of our freezer to make space for our 1/4 cow, I found a bag of frozen mixed berries.  Perfect for smoothies & muffins!  I also needed to use up some sour cream, so this seemed like an excellent opportunity.

The base recipe for the muffins I made is here, but I made enough modifications that I'll go ahead & post my recipe here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp margarine (like Country Crock)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 100 g sourdough discard
• 2 cups frozen mixed berries (tossed with 1 Tbsp flour)
• 3/4 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cream the butter & sugar together, then add the eggs one at a time, along with the lemon juice.  
3. Gently fold in the sourdough discard.
4. Mix in half the sour cream, then half the flour, then repeat.
5. In a separate bowl, toss the frozen berries in 1 Tbsp of flour.  
6. Fold the berries into the batter.
7. Portion the dough into a muffin tin (made about 18 for me).  I love these silicone cupcake liners!
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.