I give you my top knot loaf. With this loaf you will be handling the dough in a way and at a point that may feel a bit scary, but go with it, it’s great fun, and worth being brave… you’ll find step by step photos in the recipe…
PS you can use any grains, there’s full details on how to cook them in my first book, or, if you can’t find any grains, you can use seeds. I have been asked if you could use oats, but if you use oats they will soak up water and change the consistency of the dough.
A tasty flatbread, with a perfect mix of soft pillowy holey parts and equally lovely crunchy edges, ideal for eating on its own, teamed with cheese, or dips, antipasti, soup, chili, or anything it can be dunked in!
I hope you like it!
By the way, the fougasse freezes and defrosts perfectly…allow it to fully cool then wrap it to freeze it. To defrost, place it, uncovered, on a rack to defrost for 2-3 hours then serve. For best results heat it briefly in the oven to crisp up the edges again.
If you like bread, and you like cheese, you’ll love this! Add in a bit of chilli heat, to a level of your choice, and you’ve got this loaf of joy!
In this recipe, the dough is laminated, and spread with small chunks of cheese, rolled up into a fat sausage to prove again, before baking. The cheese creates pockets of melted brilliance inside the loaf… I challenge you to eat only one slice!
This loaf was created as an oval, but will also work as a round loaf or in a large loaf tin.
Download your copy of the recipe here, print it out and keep it to go with your book:
There are certain rites of passage when it comes to making sourdough, we make our starters, there may be some bumps in the road, but in the end, we get there. Then we make our first doughs, again, lots of learning, and even when we think we’ve sussed it, suddenly something can throw us. This is why I constantly share whatever tips I can to try and anticipate your questions, so this is another one in case it’s useful:
What prevents dough from growing?
Peoples immediate response is to blame the starter, and it’s rarely actually the case. If your dough grows your starter works. If it’s slow, it could be for other reasons, or…
BUT if your starter has become thin for any reason, it is therefore weak and will struggle to lift itself, let alone a dough. So keep an eye in the consistency. If it has become thin as a result of heat, or weak flour, just spoon in some more flour and thicken it back up to give it some body and power. Let it respond before using.
A young starter is not by default a weak starter; I have used a 3 day old starter and it’s worked perfectly. Yes, they gain flavour and power with age and use, but a young starter is again, rarely the reason.
A big culprit is cold temperatures, they slow down the proving, so your dough hasn’t ‘not grown’ it just hasn’t finished growing. Give it more time. That’s all it needs. If you want to put it in some warmth go for it, but don’t leave it for too long, and keep an eye on it. (Don’t forget to look at the boost on page 61 of The Sourdough Whisperer if you’ve got it).
Another issue that people often overlook is a dry surface. If your dough has got a dry surface as a result of not being covered properly, only being covered with a dry tea towel, or you live in a dry place, the dough underneath cannot grow (this also works the same for a starter). Remove the dry surface and let the dough continue to prove and next time cover it with a shower cap or similar. It needs the moisture and protection.
Heavy doughs also struggle to grow. If your dough has a lot of add ins, it won’t grow as much as a dough without additions, and that’s fine. Let it get to double if you can. A heavy wholegrain dough may take longer to grow, especially if you’re using home milled flours and haven’t allowed for it needing extra water.
These things are all fixable, as is everything with sourdough, hopefully they’re useful tips. If you’ve got your own to add, please feel free in the comments xx
What makes a gummy loaf? I get asked this a lot so I thought I’d share some answers and possibilities here, there can be a few reasons:
Slicing into a loaf before it’s cooled enough will give you a lovely warm slice of fresh bread, but it won’t be at its best, it will end up gummy from the steam; I leave my loaves for hours and hours before slicing into them. That way they’re light and dry and the texture I want them to be. If you can’t wait, go for it, but just do keep this in mind.
Over proving can produce a moist crumb, if your loaf is wide and flat and pale on the outside with small holes and a slightly damp interior, it may well be over.
Under baking can produce a gummy interior. Try baking for longer.
Is your pan big enough for your loaf? If the pan is too small and your loaf doesn’t have the space it needs to grow as it bakes it will hinder the bake and prevent it from being fully baked inside.
Too much water can also produce a damp loaf. Try less water with your flour.
Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it’s baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you’re baking at and bake for a bit longer. Experiment until you find the sweet spot, and take notes along the way.
Consider if you’ve added any inclusions? Have they added liquid to the dough you didn’t account for?
If you live somewhere humid and you’ve baked your lovely loaf and left it out for several hours to cool, the humidity can soften the crust and damped the loaf, try to catch it whilst it’s still crisp on the outside and store it in something that will repel moisture.
A gummy loaf could be as a result of one, or more, of these. As always, the best way to find your solution is to go through an elimination process and change one thing at a time and make notes, always make notes.
If all else fails, make toast. Dry your slices of bread out in the toaster and enjoy!
I hope this helps!
For more tips and help check out my FAQ page and my Tips Index.
This was written by one of my bakers, Karen Gardiner, about my new book, Easy Everyday Sourdough Bread Baking..
“⭐️⭐️⭐️ SHOULD YOU BUY THIS? ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️ DO YOU REALLY NEED TO IF YOU HAVE THE OTHER TWO? ⭐️
💖 MY THOUGHTS 💖
Notwithstanding that Elaine’s new book contains the same no nonsense easy to follow sourdough process that you find in the other two books, this one is absolutely jam packed with a plethora of fantastic recipes you will NOT find in the other two, as well as ways to bake your beautiful sourdough that you may not have ever considered.
Elaine shows how you can use baking vessels that everyday kitchens already contain, especially if you are not new to baking. The sandwich loaf section is outstanding with a wide variety of recipes including Pullman tin and traditional loaf tins. But no less impressive is the cake tin section.
The variety of recipes is incredible. Unlike many traditional how to/recipe books where you may flick through and only find one or two you’d happily try, the previous two books were quite the reverse of the norm!! I have found that there aren’t any recipes I wouldn’t try in the other books, and, WOW, this book is no exception. In fact, I would go so far as to say it exceeds them. 👏👏👏👏 The selection of sweeter doughs alone is to die for.
As to whether you should buy this one is, obviously, a decision only you can make. But… if you want to try such deliciousnesses as the ‘holiday chocolate enriched Bundt tin loaf’, ‘raspberry, chocolate and honeycomb snug swirls’, ‘same day cheese and ketchup babka’ or ‘satay swirled black sesame seed loaf’, then this book is a must!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To sum up, this is a fab sourdough book designed for everyday people, with everyday kitchens and utensils. It contains amazing easy-to-follow delicious recipes.
