Oct 26, 2022·edited Oct 26, 2022Liked by Andrew Janjigian
LOVE the "homeopathic" amount comment, andrew. thanks for the perfect description and laugh. i am baking this tomorrow! or maybe later today.............your efforts are appreciated.
I'm enjoying testing the various versions for the Discard English Muffin Loaf recipe. But I can't locate Version 3 (no yeast, no proof time, linked post titled "Subscriber Test Recipe" published on 5/26/22). I believe the PDF embedded in the archived post for Version 3 only points to the PDF of Version 4 "The Final Cut" posted today, 10/26/22. What am I doing wrong? I'm trying to view Version 3. Thanks.
I've actually had a question about this recipe, having made (and greatly enjoyed) the yeast-less Version Three numerous times. I've found, as you note, that I get a better rise and more open crumb when using fresh levain vs older discard. Do you have a sense of why that is, though? The three explanations I could think of are:
1) The yeast in fresh levain is more active (unlikely, I think, since the version I made didn't include a rising step)
2) Increased acidity in discard leading to weaker gluten structure in the loaf
3) Enzymatic breakdown of gluten during the the time that discard hangs out in the fridge
Also: I saw somewhere that your background is in chemistry. I'm a biochem PhD student — any recommendations for good resources that address bread/gluten/baking at a molecular/chemical level?
This sounds awesome. I only had tried the first version and my results were positive (just found my word document!) I had added cheese and it turned out to be a heavy Vollkorn-type bread; mostly because my starter gets fed with freshly milled whole grain. So, my version was 50% whole grain! I will do this again, but minus the yeast. I don't have any and since I will have to build a levain anyway, I assume I don't really need it. This is kinda like giving my starter a snack in the morning before adding him to my dough. I usually feed 5g starter with 15g water & 20g flour in the evening, and in the morning, I feed the whole thing again with 15g water & 20g flour & a 1/2 tsp milled malted barley from the homebrew store. After the snack, he takes 2 hours to dome and triple in size; that's when I add him to my autolyze. So, following your last recipe, I'm thinking if I let the dough (minus the yeast) sit for 2 hours in the pan, it should rise enough on its own. I also put my pan breads inside the Challenger for a crustier crust and extra steam. The only thing different I've be doing in the past is sprinkling the pan with whole teff seeds after buttering it. :) THAT makes a good crust too. But I'll use cornmeal this time. I'll let you know how it turns out. Today I'll make your Gingerbread cake as per request of my husband. ;) Gotta keep him happy!
eating and typing. i did not try earlier versions but this was perfectly instructed and came out looking and tasting perfect! what a great use of discard, for the future. i made the levain last night. i love the crunch of the exterior cornmeal.
1) I'm eager to try the discard granola recipe, as I have a bunch of discard that's been in my freezer for quite awhile, awaiting a suitable use. I recall it coming through earlier this year, but neglected to take action.
2) I no longer accumulate sourdough discard. After reading Mark Bittman's recent bread book, I've modified my usual method and use all but about 5 - 10 grams of my starter in my current bake. This way, I never have excess starter to "discard" into a plastic bag in my freezer.
This used up all but a tiny bit of the accumulation of discard in the fridge. It turned out great other than not having a ton of flavor as might be expected with an English muffin. With homemade raspberry jam, it was a wonderful breakfast. I did use bloody butcher cornmeal which added some fun crunch and color.
Made the new and improved version today, with 50 g Einkorn (in the levain) and steam pan - my Dutch oven is too small. The bread turned out great, the best English muffin bread I have made so far - I tried several recipes in the past.
Unsurprisingly, it tastes like something in between soda bread and regular bread! Really nice texture but I think I’d use a smaller pan next time because it was a little flat.
I also don’t think I’d do the cornmeal next time, it was a little TOO crunchy and makes a huge mess 😄
I love English muffins and am always looking for recipes that use surplus sourdough. I baked this bread today - we had it with bacon and eggs (and jam) and later, as a snack, with cheese and cucumber. We liked it a lot!
I found it very helpful that you specified in the ingredient list the best milk temperature for cold or room temperature starter. Since my Dutch oven would not hold a loaf pan, I baked it without one, but with steam.
I've made this several times and is always delicious. But please help me clarify... In the bakers ratios in the overall formula, there is 111% for levain and 50% for preferment flour. How does this compute to the 400g of discard in the following recipe?
LOVE the "homeopathic" amount comment, andrew. thanks for the perfect description and laugh. i am baking this tomorrow! or maybe later today.............your efforts are appreciated.
I'm enjoying testing the various versions for the Discard English Muffin Loaf recipe. But I can't locate Version 3 (no yeast, no proof time, linked post titled "Subscriber Test Recipe" published on 5/26/22). I believe the PDF embedded in the archived post for Version 3 only points to the PDF of Version 4 "The Final Cut" posted today, 10/26/22. What am I doing wrong? I'm trying to view Version 3. Thanks.
I've actually had a question about this recipe, having made (and greatly enjoyed) the yeast-less Version Three numerous times. I've found, as you note, that I get a better rise and more open crumb when using fresh levain vs older discard. Do you have a sense of why that is, though? The three explanations I could think of are:
1) The yeast in fresh levain is more active (unlikely, I think, since the version I made didn't include a rising step)
2) Increased acidity in discard leading to weaker gluten structure in the loaf
3) Enzymatic breakdown of gluten during the the time that discard hangs out in the fridge
Also: I saw somewhere that your background is in chemistry. I'm a biochem PhD student — any recommendations for good resources that address bread/gluten/baking at a molecular/chemical level?
This sounds awesome. I only had tried the first version and my results were positive (just found my word document!) I had added cheese and it turned out to be a heavy Vollkorn-type bread; mostly because my starter gets fed with freshly milled whole grain. So, my version was 50% whole grain! I will do this again, but minus the yeast. I don't have any and since I will have to build a levain anyway, I assume I don't really need it. This is kinda like giving my starter a snack in the morning before adding him to my dough. I usually feed 5g starter with 15g water & 20g flour in the evening, and in the morning, I feed the whole thing again with 15g water & 20g flour & a 1/2 tsp milled malted barley from the homebrew store. After the snack, he takes 2 hours to dome and triple in size; that's when I add him to my autolyze. So, following your last recipe, I'm thinking if I let the dough (minus the yeast) sit for 2 hours in the pan, it should rise enough on its own. I also put my pan breads inside the Challenger for a crustier crust and extra steam. The only thing different I've be doing in the past is sprinkling the pan with whole teff seeds after buttering it. :) THAT makes a good crust too. But I'll use cornmeal this time. I'll let you know how it turns out. Today I'll make your Gingerbread cake as per request of my husband. ;) Gotta keep him happy!
eating and typing. i did not try earlier versions but this was perfectly instructed and came out looking and tasting perfect! what a great use of discard, for the future. i made the levain last night. i love the crunch of the exterior cornmeal.
Two thoughts:
1) I'm eager to try the discard granola recipe, as I have a bunch of discard that's been in my freezer for quite awhile, awaiting a suitable use. I recall it coming through earlier this year, but neglected to take action.
2) I no longer accumulate sourdough discard. After reading Mark Bittman's recent bread book, I've modified my usual method and use all but about 5 - 10 grams of my starter in my current bake. This way, I never have excess starter to "discard" into a plastic bag in my freezer.
This used up all but a tiny bit of the accumulation of discard in the fridge. It turned out great other than not having a ton of flavor as might be expected with an English muffin. With homemade raspberry jam, it was a wonderful breakfast. I did use bloody butcher cornmeal which added some fun crunch and color.
Turned out great, my whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made the new and improved version today, with 50 g Einkorn (in the levain) and steam pan - my Dutch oven is too small. The bread turned out great, the best English muffin bread I have made so far - I tried several recipes in the past.
I'm pretty sure there should be a space between the numbers and the g's, i.e., "100 g" not "100g". See, for example, https://grammarhow.com/do-you-put-a-space-between-number-and-unit/.
In contrast, "100%" (with no space) is correct.
Unsurprisingly, it tastes like something in between soda bread and regular bread! Really nice texture but I think I’d use a smaller pan next time because it was a little flat.
I also don’t think I’d do the cornmeal next time, it was a little TOO crunchy and makes a huge mess 😄
I love English muffins and am always looking for recipes that use surplus sourdough. I baked this bread today - we had it with bacon and eggs (and jam) and later, as a snack, with cheese and cucumber. We liked it a lot!
I found it very helpful that you specified in the ingredient list the best milk temperature for cold or room temperature starter. Since my Dutch oven would not hold a loaf pan, I baked it without one, but with steam.
I've made this several times and is always delicious. But please help me clarify... In the bakers ratios in the overall formula, there is 111% for levain and 50% for preferment flour. How does this compute to the 400g of discard in the following recipe?