Jun 19Liked by Andrew Janjigian, Kirsten K. Shockey
This was an utterly fascinating read! Thanks so much for sharing! Have always been fascinated by alternative approached to raising bread dough and had never even heard of Koji as an option.
Jun 20Liked by Andrew Janjigian, Kirsten K. Shockey
That is true! And it does make total sense. For a short period I tried making bread with Miso but could never get it to work. Koji itself probably makes a lot more sense!
What's so interesting about this method is that it seems to capture a different yeast (I believe it is a rice-loving Saccharomyces) than sourdough or fruit yeast water, and so easily. The starter I made was ready for use in less than a week, and it has incredible activity. When I go to refresh it after a week of fridge storage, it starts bubbling within an hour or so. The starter you make for it for bread triples in volume in 2 hours!
oooh interesting. What a fun idea. Miso as the starter vs just for flavor? I use it for flavor in baked goods. Miso is such an interesting ferment but much further down the path than the koji so I can see that it wouldn't have enough vigor in the microbes present to get a full bread going.
Love this delving into more ways of fermenting! Kirsten can you share the bakery names in Japan that use sakadane? I’m visiting there later in the year and would like to taste the products.
This was an utterly fascinating read! Thanks so much for sharing! Have always been fascinated by alternative approached to raising bread dough and had never even heard of Koji as an option.
Glad you liked, Sophia! I had no idea about it myself until about a month ago, and now I'm obsessed. Will have lots more to share next week.
Looking forward to your post!
Delighted you learned something new. It also blew my mind, but when I thought about how yeast works, it makes perfect sense.
That is true! And it does make total sense. For a short period I tried making bread with Miso but could never get it to work. Koji itself probably makes a lot more sense!
What's so interesting about this method is that it seems to capture a different yeast (I believe it is a rice-loving Saccharomyces) than sourdough or fruit yeast water, and so easily. The starter I made was ready for use in less than a week, and it has incredible activity. When I go to refresh it after a week of fridge storage, it starts bubbling within an hour or so. The starter you make for it for bread triples in volume in 2 hours!
oooh interesting. What a fun idea. Miso as the starter vs just for flavor? I use it for flavor in baked goods. Miso is such an interesting ferment but much further down the path than the koji so I can see that it wouldn't have enough vigor in the microbes present to get a full bread going.
Super interesting stuff! Thanks for sharing.
I am delighted you enjoyed.
Love this delving into more ways of fermenting! Kirsten can you share the bakery names in Japan that use sakadane? I’m visiting there later in the year and would like to taste the products.