I have made a lot of sourdough crackers lately. Since I first tried to make crackers from my discarded sourdough starter I have been hooked.
But this weekend it was time for a change. There have to be more things you can do with the discard I said to myself, and there is.
Most of you know that you can use the discard for pancakes, waffles, muffins, and much more.
But perhaps not so many of you have tried to make puff pastry, and I think I know why.
Making real puff pastry is a bit tedious and requires time, and not all of us wants to spend that much time on some discarded starter.
But perhaps it’s possible to make a quick version. At least that was what I tried to find out.
There are lots of recipes for puff pastry, most of them with just flour, butter, and water on the internet. I found some based on a sourdough starter as well, but most of them were aiming for croissants, danish pastry and such.
That was not what I was looking for. It was far too complicated and time-consuming.
I just want to do something with my discarded starter, so I don’t have to waste it. I wanted a simplified version of a sourdough puff pastry recipe.
Finally, I found a recipe that I liked. There was no sourdough starter in it, but I liked the method.
I know that there are not many of you who read my blog that understands Swedish, but some of you do, so here is the link.
Normally when you make puff pastry, you roll the butter into the dough in layers. You do that by folding the dough and roll it several times.
For this puff pastry recipe, you mix half of the butter with the flour and starter. The dough is rolled out into a square. Then you distribute the rest of the butter on one half of the square. I used my cheese grater to cut the butter into thin slices. Fold over the other part of the dough and roll it to an even thickness.
Fold the dough into three parts in one direction and one partin the other direction. You should now have six layers.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After that, you can roll the dough into a desired form or thickness.
This sourdough puff pastry recipe is a bit rough, and nothing I recommend if you’re planning to make anything more ambitious.
But if you only want to make some quick and easy dessert for yourself and your friends a lazy Sunday afternoon, it may work just fine. It lifts quite a lot after 15 minutes in the oven as you can see in the picture above, but not as much as if you had done it according to a traditional recipe.
After all, it is a simplified variant of puff pastry. The taste, however, isnot simplified at all. Butter tastes good, that’s no news, but combined with all the unique flavors of the sourdough starter makes it even better.
So, if you use towaste you’rediscarded starter, stop doing that immediately. It’s liquid gold.
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A quick puff pastry recipe based on a discarded sourdough starter. The sourdough starter lifts it to another level with its unique flavors.
Ingredients
- 80 gram Wheat flour
- 100 gram sourdough starter discarded, 100% hydration
- 120 gram butter
Instructions
Note that it's important that all ingredients are cold. Start by mixing the flour, sourdough starter and half of the butter into a dough. Let it rest in the fridge 30 min.
Roll out the dough to a square with an even thickness. Distribute the rest of the butter on one half of the square. Use a cheese grater to cut the butter into thin slices
Fold over the other part of the dough and roll it to an even thickness.Fold the dough into three parts in one direction and one part in the other direction. You should now have six layers.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After that, you can roll the dough into a desired form or thickness.
Notes
You can freeze the rolled out puff pastry dough for later use. It should be used within 6 months.
Keyword sourdough bread, starter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
FAQs
Does olive oil make dough softer? Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust. This can be a desirable outcome if you do not like tough, chewy sourdough crusts.
Why is my puff pastry not puffing? ›
Heat is the enemy of Puff Pastry—it handles best when cold. So avoid working with it on hot, humid days, in a stifling hot kitchen or next to your oven. Puff Pastry works best when cold.
How to get a strong sourdough flavor? ›
For bread with stronger sour flavor, the preferment should be:
- Looser (100% to 125% hydration), rather than stiff (see “a cautionary note,” below)
- Ripened at a higher temperature (75°F to 82°F)
- Fed a larger meal; rather than 1:1:1 (starter:water:flour), the feeding ratio should be more like 1:4:4 or similar.
The goal of adding oil to pizza dough is to improve the texture of the dough and flavor the finished crust. The oil will specifically: Making the dough softer will improve its capacity to stretch when rolled out. If you don't use any oil, the dough will pull apart and produce holes.
What happens if you don't add oil to bread dough? ›
The rye bread without oil had a slightly tough, chewy crust. Fats work as tenderizers in breads by coating some of the proteins that form gluten, preventing them from hydrating and linking up to form large networks that would lead to toughness.
What does vinegar do in puff pastry? ›
Adding vinegar tenderizes the pastry. It inhibits gluten from forming there by making the pastry tender and flaky.
How to make puff pastry extra puffy? ›
After baking, the pastry will be cracker-thin and shatteringly crisp. To make a tart with a puffy outside crust, lightly score a border around the entire edge with a paring knife and then prick everything inside this border with a fork. The edges will puff up while the center stays down.
Should you chill puff pastry before baking? ›
Warm pastry: Your pastry should be cold, cold, cold going into the oven. It's worth reiterating: Cold butter equals flaky layers. If your pastry is warm, the butter can easily leech right out during baking. For best results, work quickly and keep your hands off!
Why is puff pastry so difficult? ›
Puff pastry does need some gluten development but, because of the amount of rolling out that will happen during lamination, it is very easy to overwork a dough which makes it incredibly hard to use and can cause a lot of shrinkage.
What temperature do you bake puff pastry at? ›
Always bake Puff Pastry Shells in a preheated 425° F oven. Bake Puff Pastry Cups in a preheated 400° F oven for 20 minutes. Do not bake either Shells or Cups in a microwave or toaster oven.
Soggy bottoms
This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.
What is the secret to sourdough? ›
6. Just add water for softer sourdough. The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.
What is sourdough hooch? ›
This liquid is called hooch and it forms when your sourdough starter has used all of its food. It's an indication that your starter is hungry! Hooch is actually alcohol and is a by product of the fermentation occurring in your starter.
Why does my sourdough bread not taste like sourdough? ›
Still, there are three specific factors that can really affect your bread's flavor: The health of your starter. The level of the bread dough's organic acids. The complex relationships over time between levain, dough, fermentation, and proofing.
What are the benefits of olive oil and bread? ›
Olive oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. These types of fats regulate cholesterol levels and positively affect heart health. Breads containing olive oil may improve overall cardiovascular health by supporting healthy fat intake.
Is sourdough bread dipped in olive oil healthy? ›
Sourdough, Olive Oil, and Mediterranean Diet
The olive oil -a traditional staple of the Mediterranean diet and one of its most delicious, as well as health-promoting components- boosts flavor, adds moisture and volume to the bread.
Is olive oil good for bread dough? ›
Bread. Most breads are made from just four simple ingredients: flour, yeast, salt and water. However, you can use olive oil to replace some or all of the water in order to add more flavor to your yeast-risen breads.
Why do you put oil in homemade bread? ›
The main purposes of adding oil to bread dough include: Moisture and Softness: Oil helps retain moisture in the bread, resulting in a softer and more tender crumb. Bread made with oil tends to stay fresher for a longer time than bread without oil.
