Summer Solstice Finger Bread (VIDEO recipe)

Happy Summer Solstice! As a break from the usual fresh sourdough bread, here's a sourdough bread recipe I decided to make in the shape of the sun, to celebrate.

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• 50 g Active starter with whole wheat or rye (100% hydration)
• 300 g white wheat flour
• 175 g water or milk
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pinch of fine sea salt
• 50 g tomato sauce + fresh or dry herbs (oregano, basil)
• sesame seeds on top
• 1 egg yolk for decoration

1. In the evening, mix 25 g of whole wheat flour with 25 g of water and 1 teaspoon (active) starter for rye sourdough. Cover and let ferment overnight until bubbly and doubled in volume.
2. In the morning prepare the dough. Dissolve all your active starter in 175g of water (or more if the dough seems stiff), add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 300g of flour and 2 pinches of salt. Mix until all ingredients are combined. The dough should be stiffer but still soft so that it can be cooked without any resistance. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Once done, transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel to prevent the surface from drying out.
3. Let the dough ferment for 3-4 hours. At that time the dough will not double in volume, however you will see the difference and also the signs of fermentation at the bottom of the bowl.
4. When it's ready, preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F) along with the baking tray. Next, transfer the dough to the work surface (use the plastic dough scraper) and divide it into two equal parts. Take a piece and transfer it to lightly dusted parchment paper. Roll into a 23 cm (91⁄16 in) diameter round. Leave it aside. Take another piece and flatten it as well.
5. Spread the tomato sauce over the first piece of dough but leave 1-2 cm free around the edge. Sprinkle the herbs over the sauce. Cover with the second flattened piece of dough and seal (if desired) the edges.
6. Place a glass jar in the middle of the dough.
7. Start shaping the bread. Use the back of a knife or bench knife to first divide the dough into four equal pieces. Next, divide each quarter into two parts and again into 3 parts, so you end up with 6 sticks in each quarter. Take each stick and roll it three or four times.
8. Once done, remove the jar and brush the middle of the dough with the egg yolk and then sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Wash the twists as desired. You could be dough with water.
9. Take the baking test out of the oven and pass the bread on it. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned. When baked, place the bread on a cooling rack and allow to cool or warm.

endnoteS

• I made the sourdough starter in the evening, let it ferment overnight, mixed the dough in the morning, let it ferment for 3 hours, then shaped the loaf and baked it right away.
• Pay attention to the amount of water your flour absorbs. In my experience, white Khorasan flour absorbs more flour than white wheat flour (about 200 g) and white spelled flour absorbs less than white wheat flour. I advise you to start with less flour and keep adding more if necessary. The dough should be firmer on the firmer side, boiled anyway.
• You can also use sourdough starter straight from the fridge, it will work too.

• Author: Natasha Krajnc
• Preparation time: 16 hours and 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 35 min
• Category: bread

Video Recipe for Sourdough Bread

Today is a special day. It's the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere, marking the longest day of the year. The memories of last year's solstice celebration are still so vivid. We drove to a forest and then fell from sunset to sunrise by the fire with a group of friends! It was one of the most emotional experiences of my life.

To honor this year's summer solstice, I decided to make a summer solstice sourdough fingerbread in the shape of the sun. Best of all, this sourdough bread is very simple and quick to make, so you can make it and take it to a picnic.

Check out the video recipe and leave me a comment below if you like it:

Summer Solstice Sourdough Pulled Finger Bread

Although not the typical cheesy garlic bread you usually see THE split bread, this sourdough split bread with tomato and herb sauce is still amazing!

Baking time

I made the sourdough starter in the evening, let it ferment overnight, mixed the dough in the morning, let it ferment for 3 hours, then shaped the loaf and baked it right away.

Ingredients

yields: a loaf of 24 sticks

• 50 g active starter with whole wheat or rye (100% hydration)
• 300 g of white wheat flour
• 175 g water or milk (I used water)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 pinches of fine sea salt
• 50 g tomato sauce + fresh or dry herbs (oregano, basil)
• sesame seeds on top
• 1 egg yolk for decoration

*Be careful how much water your flour absorbs. In my experience, white Khorasan flour absorbs more flour than white wheat flour (about 200 g) and white spelled flour absorbs less than white wheat flour. I advise you to start with less flour and keep adding more if necessary. The dough should be firmer on the firmer side, boiled anyway. (Speaking of Khorasan flour, I used this flour in my flour wild garlic sourdough recipe!)

GUIDELINES

• In the evening, mix 25 g of whole wheat flour with 25 g of water and 1 heaped teaspoon of pre-prepared (active*) rye dough. Cover and let ferment overnight until bubbly and doubled in volume. *you can also use sourdough starter straight from the fridge, it will work too.
• In the morning prepare the dough. Dissolve all your active starter in 175g of water (or more if the dough seems stiff), add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 300g of flour and 2 pinches of salt. Mix until all ingredients are combined. The dough should be stiffer but still soft so that it can be cooked without any resistance. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Once done, transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel to prevent the surface from drying out.
• Let the dough ferment for 3-4 hours. At that time the dough will not double in volume, however you will see the difference and also the signs of fermentation at the bottom of the bowl.

• When it's ready, preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F) along with the baking tray. Next, transfer the dough to the work surface (use the plastic dough scraper) and divide it into two equal parts. Take a piece and transfer it to lightly dusted parchment paper. Roll into a 23 cm (91⁄16 in) diameter round. Leave it aside. Take another piece and flatten it as well.
• Spread the tomato sauce over the first piece of dough but leave 1-2 cm free around the edge. Sprinkle the herbs over the sauce. Cover with the second flattened piece of dough and seal (if desired) the edges.
• Place a glass jar in the middle of the dough.

• Start shaping the bread. Use the back of a knife or bench knife to first divide the dough into four equal parts. Next, divide each quarter into two parts and again into 3 parts, so you end up with 6 sticks in each quarter. Take each stick and roll it three or four times.
• Once done, remove the jar and brush the middle of the dough with the egg yolk and then sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Wash the twists as desired. You could be dough with water.
• Take the baking test out of the oven and pass the bread on it. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned. When baked, place the bread on a cooling rack and allow to cool or warm.

This pulled bread recipe was approved by the beautiful Kálács bread by Viviene Perényi (Underneath).

I also recommend checking out my crowd-pleasing sourdough recipes on the blog!

Here are more pull-out recipes:

Pull the Sourdough Bread – Frequently Asked Questions

My NYC experience

I'm back on track!

It seems an eternity away from these hamburger bun with sourdough – The beginning of June was really special and unforgettable. As one of the finalists in the sixth annual Saveur Blog Awards 2015, I headed to New York (first time in the US!) to attend a three-day finale event hosted by Saveur Magazine – see photos here.

Even though I didn't win in the special interest blog category, this New York experience was truly inspiring and I'm so happy to have met all the beautiful and talented blogging souls. Thanks to everyone who nominated my blog to make this happen and to all my readers and supporters. Congratulations to all the winners!

“I will make it in any way, I have a pocket full of dreams…”

(Alicia Keys, New York)

And I am very grateful for the opportunity to visit the premises of Saveur Magazine. We prepared something – stay tuned! =)

On my last day in New York I decided to explore the city (read how to find sourdough bakeries). Sourdough bread mission in NY was successful, I found many bakeries with delicious sourdough bread. I can't wait to come to New York next time to visit Good luck bakery. And since so much bread I bought was a challenge for me (I usually eat one loaf a week), I shared it with the homeless.