I’ve had a bit more time in the kitchen recently and, having been eating the same basic bread for the last couple of months, I thought it was time to mix things up a little. So, for your culinary pleasure here are a few variations to the basic sourdough bread recipe.
You’ll note that in the recipes below I’ve used white spelt flour when making the sponge. This resulted in a “lighter” loaf. I’m not generally a fan of white flour; the “refining” process removes the best of the nutrition from the grains. Anyhow, when our groceries were delivered they’d run out of the wholemeal spelt and had substituted it with white. Baking at home with organic white spelt flour has to be better than the wheat-based options from the local supermarket so I accepted the substitution. One has to be pragmatic about such things.
Enough waffle – on with the recipes.
Wild Garlic Bread
In spite of my best efforts, there are areas of our garden that are covered with wild garlic. The white flowers look lovely juxtaposed against the blue of the forget-me-nots, but it’s slowly taking over.
As the name suggests, wild garlic has a, well… garlicky smell, and taste. It’s more mild that the regular garlic you’ll buy in the shops. What better way is there to dispose of your garden weeds than eating them?! We’ve had wild garlic in salads and omelets in recent weeks, and now in our bread too.
Method:
Make the sponge using white flour (instead of wholemeal) and set it aside for several hours or over night.
When it comes to making the dough throw all the ingredients in the mixer as you would for the basic bread, but also add in:
- 25-30g wild garlic, chopped
From here the process is exactly the same as the basic recipe.
Once you’re finished allow the bread to cool a little and serve warm with plenty of organic butter.
For a something a little different you could bake “mini-loaves” and serve each person their own loaf of garlic bread. Just remember not to cook the little ones for quite so long – perhaps 10-12mins depending on their size.
Cinnamon, Date and Walnut Bread
If you fancy something a little sweeter, this bread could be what you’re after. It works well using a little white flour to lighten it up, but is also good with all wholemeal.
Method:
Make the sponge using white flour (instead of wholemeal) and set it aside for several hours or over night.
Make the dough, putting all the ingredients into the mixer as you would for the plain bread, but also add:
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- 150g dates, chopped
- 1tsp cinnamon
Again, the process from here is the same as the basic recipe.
This bread requires no condiments other than a little butter or, for more sweetness, spread on a little of your local honey.
Thyme and Sun-dried Tomato Bread
We’ve had a few days of sunshine recently so with this last bread we were inspired to take a trip to the Mediterranean.
Method:
As with the previous variations, make the sponge using either white or wholemeal flour and set it aside for several hours or over night.
Mix all the ingredients in the mixer as you would for the plain bread, but also add:
- 120g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1Tbsp dried thyme
Again, the process from here is the same as the basic recipe. If your tomatoes come in oil you could use this as a substitute for some of the oil you would otherwise add.
We enjoyed this bread just as it was, with no butter, and then with some avocado too.
Having sampled all three of these breads over the last week we asked the boys, “Which was your favourite bread?” The response, without hesitation or deliberation was emphatic and unanimous, “All of them!” So there you have it. I hope you enjoy them too.
