RECIPE - YOGURT LEMON POPPY SEED SOURDOUGH SOFT BUNS

Yields:  9 buns

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet Stiff Starter:

60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak 

180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

85g milk or 75g water (I used full cream or whole milk) 

30g sugar (I used organic brown sugar)

Main Dough:

140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

All stiff starter (above)

20g light brown sugar, please increase or reduce accordingly to your liking.

1 1/4 tsp salt

45g egg, whisked (from 1 medium egg)

100g greek plain yogurt (reserve 10g and add in later if needed) I used total 100g 

30g butter, room temperature

10g poppy seeds

Zest of 1 1/2 lemon

Egg Wash:

1 egg + 1 Tbsp milk

Utensil:

8" square pan

Note:  If you use water to build the sweet stiff starter, you may want to add 15g of milk powder in the main dough to enhance the taste.

METHOD:

1. Sweet Stiff Starter 
1. In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with milk/water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour.  Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together.   It can be done by hand mixing too.
2. Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled.  It took about 9 - 10 hours depending on your starter.  It should take around  5 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C. 
2. Main Dough:
1. Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer.  I usually slightly torn the stiff starter dough first.
2. Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out.  Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent  an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
3. Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until the dough become smooth, silky and reach window pane stage.  The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
3. 1st Proofing/Resting:  
1. In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid.  The dough rose slightly in 45 minutes.  
4. Shaping:
1. Transfer the dough to a clean surface then divide dough into 9 equal portions (approx. 79g each).  Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.  
2. Form each portion to a ball.  Please watch the video here "How to shape bun"
3. Place bun onto the baking pans lined with parchment paper.
5. Final Proofing:
1. Let the buns proof at a warm place until the dough rise double in size. This one took approximately 2.5 hours at at room temperature of 29C - 30C.  The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and the starter.
6. Baking:
1. Preheat oven at 190C (top & bottom heat) or 170C (fan-forced) for 10 - 15 minutes.
2. Brush with egg wash.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  
4. Remove buns from oven and pan.   Let them cool on rack.

Sweet Stiff Starter

Main Dough

GENERAL NOTES:

SOURDOUGH STARTER

A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina.   It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak.  A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general.  If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.  

There are so many ways and methods of how to maintain the starter.  Below is my method of starter maintenance.  This is just for your reference. Please try and find a way or schedule that works best for you.

I bake almost everyday.  So, my starter is left at room temperature and I feed it twice a day every 12 hours at its peak when it is tripled.

Example

10.00 am - at ratio 1:10:10 at room temperature 26C - 27C

10.00 pm - at ratio 1:10:10 at room temperature 25C - 26C 

I feed a very small amount of 1g starter + 10g water + 10g flour if I am not baking, so that I will not end up with too much discard.  When I am baking, I will feed the starter accordingly to make up the quantity required by the recipe to be baked. If I know that I won't be baking for a few days, I will then feed it only once a day at 1:10:10, transfer to the fridge when it is doubled, and feed again 24 hours later.

If you do not bake daily or if you bake perhaps once or twice a week, then you may place your starter in the fridge and feed once a week.  But, you will need to refresh your starter 2 days before the baking day. There is no way around this, sourdough baking takes planning! 

How I judge my starter is healthy?  My starter usually tripled in size (or at least double) in within 3 - 4 hours at room temperature (27C - 28C) for feeding ratio of (1:1:1 = starter:water:flour)

When is a starter at its peak?  My sourdough starter is usually at its peak when it is tripled in the jar. The surface of my starter looks bubbling and uneven.  It usually stays at its peak within 30 - 60 minutes before it starts to reduce/fall.  

Why use starter at its peak?  This is when the starter is most active and it will result in a better rise for your bread in general.  By the way, you can use when it is doubled/before its peak too.  But, not it starts to fall.

GLUTEN DEVELOPMENT & WINDOWPANE TEST

Gluten forms when flour comes in contact with water.  Hydration of the flour causes the sticky and stretchy protein to form, giving structure to the bread.  This makes your bread trap air and rise. 

Gluten in dough can be developed by autolyse, resting, kneading or folding.

The windowpane test is used to determine whether the dough has been sufficiently kneaded.  By gently pulling the dough (or you may pinch off some dough) and trying to stretch it into a thin membrane.  If you are able to stretch the dough paper thin and translucent  without tearing, then the gluten is fully developed.  However, if you can stretch it without tearing but the membrane is not transparent, then the gluten is not yet fully developed.  

However, from my experience not all the recipe can achieve a thin and translucent window pane stage easily.   For example low hydration and low fat dough.  For such recipes, a reasonable window pane is good enough and it can be left to rest. Gluten will continue to develop while resting.  Exercising restraint to not over-knead the dough prevents the gluten from being overworked and broken.   Some of you may have experienced the dough breaking during the second proofing.  It is because the dough is over kneaded. 

The total kneading time for me is usually 15 minutes at low speeds except brioche dough with high fat percentage or dough using liquid fat which usually takes a little longer (maybe 18-20 mins).

From my experience, I found that high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.

KNEADING TIME

For kneading, please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide.  Timing may differ depending on the brand of flour and electric mixer used. The protein content may vary from one brand of flour to another.

FLOUR

The right flour plays a very important role in bread making.   To achieve fluffy, soft and light bread, I used Japan High Gluten Flour in most of my bread baking.  The protein content is around  12 - 13%.

HYDRATION

The liquid measurement given is also a guide.  It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go.  This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.  This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently. 

PROOFING

Please note that the proofing timing may also vary depending on your climate, environment, flour and your starter. 

If you are unable to judge by just looking at the dough, you can do the finger poke test:

Proofing:

1. Lightly press the side of the proved dough with your finger.  If it bounces back immediately without any indentation, it means the dough is under proved and needs more time before baking.
2. If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back, it means it has been over proved.
3. If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready to bake. 
4. There will be a final burst of rising once the bread is placed to bake in the oven and it is called oven spring. 

BAKING TEMPERATURE AND TIME

Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

1. Feed starter - Feed ratio of 1:1:1, keep at room temperature (28C – 30C) and wait until tripled, around 3 – 4 hours.  Please feed your starter at the ratio that fit your schedule as long as the starter is at its peak when use.  
2. Autolyse - Mix flours,  charcoal powder and water, stir until there is no more dry flour with a spatula.  The dough will tear easily when you pull on it. The dough is no extensibility after immediately water is added, gluten is not formed yet. Cover and leave for 1 - 2 hours at room temperature (28C - 30C).  After 1 hour I checked the window pane stage.  The dough was very extensible when I pulled on it.
3. Levain & Salt- Wet your hand, add 60g sourdough to the dough and sprinkle all the salt on top. hand mixing until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
4. Bench Fold - Lightly mist the counter top with water.  Wet your hand and scrapper.  Transfer dough to the counter top.  Pull and fold the four sides, flip over and round the dough.  Return to the same bowl.  Cover and rest for about 30 minutes or until dough spreads.
5. Lamination -  Lightly mist the counter top with water and wet your hand.  Pull from centre out to form a rectangle shape.  Pick up one edge and fold into the center.  Pick up other edge and fold into the center over first section.  Fold the top down half way.  Fold the bottom up.  Put dough in a new dish (square pyrex dish).  The reason to use a square dish is because it is easier to judge how much  the dough has spread.  Cover and rest for about 35 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.  
6. Coil Fold 1 -  At this stage, the dough is weak and extensible.  Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 40 - 50 minutes or until dough spreads.
7. Coil Fold 2 -  At this stage the dough still extensible but stronger compare with the dough  before the 1st coil fold.  Fold the dough in the dish.  Cover and rest for about 45 - 60 minutes or until dough spreads.
8. Coil Fold 3 -  At this stage, the dough is quite strong and not so extensible and will be the last coil fold.  I did only half coil fold as I found my dough quite stiff.  However, if the dough is still quite extensible and spread a lot, then you will need one or two more coil folds.   Fold the dough in the dish.  Cover and rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until dough rise 50% in size since you added the levain.  
9. Shaping - 
1. 60 - 90 minutes later, the dough had risen 60% in size since adding the levain.  The dough should look puffy.  It should jiggling when you slightly shake it.  This is the end of bulk fermentation.  The total fermentation time for this bread is 5 hours and 25 minutes.  
2. Flour the counter top.  Shape the dough.  Brush the top of the dough with plain water and roll the dough (top) into a dish filled with sesame seeds then transfer to a  slightly flour banneton with the seam side up.
10. Proofing - Proof at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes.  I skipped this as my dough had risen about 60% by the time I shaped.
11. Retard - Then retard overnight in the fridge (4C) for 12 - 16 hours.  This bread is about 14 hours.
12. Baking -  
1. Preheat oven with the dutch oven (cast iron) at 250C (top & bottom heat) for at least 30 minutes before baking.
2. Take bread dough out from the fridge, invert onto a parchment paper and scoring.(Slash the dough approximately 0.5 inches deep at 45-degree angle).  Immediately transfer the dough with the parchment paper to your preheated dutch oven.
3. Bake at 250C (top and bottom heat) with cover on for 25 minutes.  Remove the cover and lower the temperature to 220C (top & bottom heat), continue bake for another 10 - 12 minutes.
4. Remove bread from oven and dutch oven. Let it cool on rack completely before slicing.
   

RECIPE - SOURDOUGH BAGEL

Yields:  6 bagels

INGREDIENTS:

Yudane Dough:

80g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

80g boiling water

Main Dough:

250g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

140g sourdough starter (I used 2 days old discard)

All the yudane dough (above)

30g brown sugar (I used organic brown sugar)

1 1/2 tsp (8g) salt

85g - 95g water (59% - 61% total hydration) - For the bread flour I used need 95g

15g vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

Boiling/Scalding Water:

1 liter water

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp baking soda

Utensil:

Baking tray

6 pieces - 4.5" X 4.5" parchment papers

METHOD:

1. Yudane (Prepare 1 day or at least 4 hours in advance):  
1. Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water and mix well with spatula or spoon until no dry flour.
2. Cling film and use at least 4 hours later.  You can prepare a day before and place in the fridge and Take out from the fridge 30 minutes before using to return to room temperature.
2. Main Dough @ 6.00 pm:
1. Put all ingredients into a bowl of stand mixer.
2. Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out.  Using the paddle attachment, mix for about a minute or until all incorporated. 
3. Change to hook attachment and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough comes together and elastic.  This is low hydration recipe and the dough is slightly stiff. It is not required to check window pane stage as it is not soft sandwich loaf or buns. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
3. 1st Proofing @ 6.30 pm:  
1. Round up the dough and place back in the same bowl, keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. Let the dough proof for about 2 hours on the counter (at room temperature 27C - 28C).   The dough rose about 40% in size.
2. Transfer to fridge @ around 8.30 pm and cold retard overnight for 12 - 15 hours.
4. Shaping @ 10.00 am:
1. Remove the dough from the fridge and leave on the counter for about 30 minutes to return to room temperature.
2. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 6 equal portions (approx. 115g each). Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.  Form each portion to a ball.  Rest for 15 minutes.
3. Flatten a dough ball.  Roll like a swiss roll. Then roll into a long strand (about  9 inches length)
4. Please watch the video "How To Shape Bagel"  
5. Place each bagel onto parchment paper.
5. Final Proofing @ 11.15 pm:
1. I made marks with a pencil between 0.5 cm - 0.75 cm away from the original size of the bagels.  Let them proof at a warm place until the dough rise and reach the pencil marks.   It took about 2 hours at 29C room temperature. The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and starter.
6. Boiling/Scalding:
1. In a sauce pan, combine the water, sugar and baking soda.  Bring to boil then turn to low heat.  Drop the bagels in and simmer each side for about 30 - 40 seconds.  I simmer 3 bagels at one time.  
2. Remove the bagels with strainer ladle and place back onto the parchment paper.  Arrange and place into a tray.
7. Baking @ 1.15 pm:
1. Preheat oven at 220C (top & bottom heat) or 200C (fan-forced) for 15 minutes.
2. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 - 22 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Remove bagel from oven and let them cool on rack.

Yudane Dough

Main Dough

GENERAL NOTES:

SOURDOUGH STARTER

A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina.   It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak.  A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general.  If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.  

There are so many ways and methods of how to maintain the starter.  Below is my method of starter maintenance.  This is just for your reference. Please try and find a way or schedule that works best for you.

I bake almost everyday.  So, my starter is left at room temperature and I feed it twice a day every 12 hours at its peak when it is tripled.

Example

10.00 am - at ratio 1:10:10 at room temperature 26C - 27C

10.00 pm - at ratio 1:10:10 at room temperature 25C - 26C 

I feed a very small amount of 1g starter + 10g water + 10g flour if I am not baking, so that I will not end up with too much discard.  When I am baking, I will feed the starter accordingly to make up the quantity required by the recipe to be baked. If I know that I won't be baking for a few days, I will then feed it only once a day at 1:10:10, transfer to the fridge when it is doubled, and feed again 24 hours later.

If you do not bake daily or if you bake perhaps once or twice a week, then you may place your starter in the fridge and feed once a week.  But, you will need to refresh your starter 2 days before the baking day. There is no way around this, sourdough baking takes planning! 

How I judge my starter is healthy?  My starter usually tripled in size (or at least double) in within 3 - 4 hours at room temperature (27C - 28C) for feeding ratio of (1:1:1 = starter:water:flour)

When is a starter at its peak?  My sourdough starter is usually at its peak when it is tripled in the jar. The surface of my starter looks bubbling and uneven.  It usually stays at its peak within 30 - 60 minutes before it starts to reduce/fall.  

Why use starter at its peak?  This is when the starter is most active and it will result in a better rise for your bread in general.  By the way, you can use when it is doubled/before its peak too.  But, not it starts to fall.

GLUTEN DEVELOPMENT & WINDOWPANE TEST

Gluten forms when flour comes in contact with water.  Hydration of the flour causes the sticky and stretchy protein to form, giving structure to the bread.  This makes your bread trap air and rise. 

Gluten in dough can be developed by autolyse, resting, kneading or folding.

The windowpane test is used to determine whether the dough has been sufficiently kneaded.  By gently pulling the dough (or you may pinch off some dough) and trying to stretch it into a thin membrane.  If you are able to stretch the dough paper thin and translucent  without tearing, then the gluten is fully developed.  However, if you can stretch it without tearing but the membrane is not transparent, then the gluten is not yet fully developed.  

However, from my experience not all the recipe can achieve a thin and translucent window pane stage easily.   For example low hydration and low fat dough.  For such recipes, a reasonable window pane is good enough and it can be left to rest. Gluten will continue to develop while resting.  Exercising restraint to not over-knead the dough prevents the gluten from being overworked and broken.   Some of you may have experienced the dough breaking during the second proofing.  It is because the dough is over kneaded. 

The total kneading time for me is usually 15 minutes at low speeds except brioche dough with high fat percentage or dough using liquid fat which usually takes a little longer (maybe 18-20 mins).

From my experience, I found that high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.

KNEADING TIME

For kneading, please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide.  Timing may differ depending on the brand of flour and electric mixer used. The protein content may vary from one brand of flour to another.

FLOUR

The right flour plays a very important role in bread making.   To achieve fluffy, soft and light bread, I used Japan High Gluten Flour in most of my bread baking.  The protein content is around  12 - 13%.

HYDRATION

The liquid measurement given is also a guide.  It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go.  This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.  This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently. 

PROOFING

Please note that the proofing timing may also vary depending on your climate, environment, flour and your starter. 

If you are unable to judge by just looking at the dough, you can do the finger poke test:

Proofing:

1. Lightly press the side of the proved dough with your finger.  If it bounces back immediately without any indentation, it means the dough is under proved and needs more time before baking.
2. If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back, it means it has been over proved.
3. If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready to bake. 
4. There will be a final burst of rising once the bread is placed to bake in the oven and it is called oven spring. 

BAKING TEMPERATURE AND TIME

Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.