a gluten-forward food diary

Tag: adaptation

sourdough sticky buns

sourdough sticky buns

flour bakery in cambridge, ma was the first bakery i truly fell in love with. in college, i’d walk the 15 minutes from my dorm on tuesday late afternoons to order my usual breakfast sandwich and a pot of tea, sitting by window doing homework until whoever was closing that day had to politely ask me to leave (also can we agree that breakfast sandwiches are not just reserved for breakfast, and deserve to be eaten at any time of day?).

as an asian american woman who also grew up in flyover states and also went to university in boston, i consider joanne chang to be one of the greats, one of my life heroes.

i’ve adapted her original sticky bun recipe to include ripe sourdough starter rather than yeast. sourdough and brioche sweet bread might seem counter intuitive, but the sourdough doesn’t negatively affect the flavor at all.

whenever i eat these i first get hit by the melt-in-your-mouth gooey goodness, and then by a huge wave of nostalgia. i’m not sure which feeling i enjoy more, and i hope these do the same for you.

notes

like many brioche doughs, this is a fairly wet dough. don’t panic if it seems unwieldy! the dough strengthens with folds and refrigeration.

you could swap the heavy cream in the goo for whole milk, though you will end up with a much thinner (albeit still tasty) goo.

sticky buns are best eaten warm, within 4 hours of baking. share with friends and after a bite, you’ll be their favorite friend.

you can store them in an airtight container for up to 1 day and reheat with microwave or oven. i’ve also stashed them in the freezer for longer term storage. i swear they taste just as good straight out of the freezer, microwaved for a couple of minutes.

baker’s percentage & basic timetable

baker’s percentages are percent weight relative to total flour, and refer to the dough only (excludes goo topping)

ingredientsbaker’s percentage
all purpose flour86%
bread flour14%
levain65%
whole milk48%
granulated sugar14%
egg32%
sea salt2.3%
butter16%
steptime
levain build8 hours
bulk rise4 hours
cold proof6 – 12 hours
final proof2 – 3 hours

sourdough sticky buns

pillowy soft cinnamon rolls topped with melt-in-you-mouth toasted pecan caramel goo. flour bakery's famous sticky sticky buns naturally leavened with sourdough.

formula

levain build
  • 25 g levain
  • 100 g water @ 85°F
  • 25 g king arthur whole wheat flour
  • 100 g king arthur all purpose flour
brioche dough
  • 300 g king arthur all purpose flour
  • 50 g king arthur bread flour
  • 227 g levain
  • 170 g whole milk, room temp
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 g sea salt
  • 55 g butter, room temp
goo topping formula
  • 175 g butter
  • 275 g light brown sugar
  • 100 g honey
  • 80 g heavy cream
  • 80 g water
  • 2 g salt
  • 70 g chopped pecans, toasted
filling formula
  • 50 g light brown sugar
  • 30 g granulated sugar
  • 50 g chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 g cinnamon (1/4 tsp)

method

8 am: feed levain
  • refresh your starter using levain build formula, and stiff starter method.
3:20 pm: prepare brioche dough
  • cut your room temp butter into small, 1/4-inch chunks, and set aside.
  • using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle hook, combine the flours, levain, milk, sugar, salt, and the eggs. beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all the ingredients are combined.
  • pause the mixer as needed to scrape down the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients.
  • once the dough has come together, let dough rest for 10 minutes
  • then, using the dough hook attachment, work the dough on low speed for another 5 to 7 minutes.
  • slowly cut in the butter pieces on low speed, one piece at a time, until all the butter is incorporated, about 10-15 minutes. don't panic if the dough looks wet! resist the urge to add more flour. dough is done when it starts pulling away from the sides
4 pm: bulk fermentation
  • butter a large bowl with a lid, and transfer the dough. cover, and let dough rise for 4 hours at room temperature.
  • this dough needs 4 folds, one every hour.
8 pm: overnight cold bulk
  • let the dough continue rising, covered, overnight in the fridge, for at least 6 hours.
8:15 pm: prepare goo & pecans
  • in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. whisk in the brown sugar while cooking, stirring to combine. it'll look separated, and that's ok.
  • remove from heat, and continue to whisk in the honey, cream, water, and salt.
  • let cool for at least 30 min, or until at room temperature. cover and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • toast 120 g pecans on a baking sheet at 350°F for 5-6 minutes, or until aromatic. let cool completely before storing. reserve 50 g for the filling and 70 g for topping.
[next morning] 6:30 am: prepare filling
  • in a small bowl, mix the sugars, cinnamon, and 50g of the pecans together.
6:35 am: shape
  • roll out the brioche dough (like pie crust) into a rectangle about 12 by 16 inches and 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. the dough should feel like cold, damp playdoh.
  • sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the rolled out dough.
  • take the shorter end of the rectangle, and begin rolling up the rectangle like a jelly roll (or a fruit rollup!). roll this tightly to achieve a more defined spiral — i recommend going pretty slowly to ensure getting the middle and edges.
6:45 am: assemble
  • trim off the ends (about 1/4 in), so that the roll is even.
  • using a bench scraper, divide the roll into 8 pieces, about 1.5 inches wide per piece.
  • pour the goo into a 13×9 inch pan, covering the bottom. sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly across the goo.
  • place and arrange the buns evenly into the pan (4 wide and 2 across).
6:50 am: proof
  • cover the buns, and let rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours, until puffy, pillowy, and touching.
9:15 am: preheat
  • preheat oven to 350°F.
9:45 am: bake
  • place baking pan on middle rack and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until buns look golden brown.
  • let buns cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
10:15 am: serve & enjoy
  • sticky buns are best eaten within 4 hours of baking! to serve, invert buns one at a time onto serving dish, and spoon extra goo on top. sprinkle additional toasted pecans if desired, and enjoy!
double chocolate sourdough discard banana bread

double chocolate sourdough discard banana bread

deb perelman is a true queen.

amongst the kitchen goddesses of the internet, smitten kitchen reigns supreme in my heart (read: stomach. they’re the same thing right?). when i came across her recipe for double chocolate banana bread last month, i knew i had to make it. and i knew it was going to be delicious.

sourdough discard and overripe bananas are two things in constant supply in my brooklyn apartment. i love whipping up a batch of banana bread or banana baked oatmeal over the weekend and bringing it to work for breakfast for the remainder of the week — it makes the entire kitchenette smell heavenly and i never fail to get compliments from coworkers as i’m warming it up 🙂

i’ve adapted the smitten kitchen recipe a bit to create a sourdough discard version. i’ve swapped out…

  • some flour for a hearty portion of sourdough discard
  • butter for coconut oil to make this lighter and dairy-free
  • all the brown sugar for a tiny bit of honey

most internet recipes are far too sweet for my personal taste, so i’ve decreased the amount of sweetener substantially (1-2 tbsp honey). feel free to adjust the honey to the sweetness of your liking.

when i make this for breakfast, i add walnuts to the party for a healthy kick of omega-3’s, and significantly reduce the amount of chocolate chunks. this is completely optional. turn up the chocolate and omit the walnuts if that’s how the banana bread spirit moves you.

double chocolate banana bread

a super simple, one bowl chocolatey banana bread that makes zero waste sourdough baking easy. who says you can't eat chocolate for breakfast?
all measurements in grams are estimates.

formula

  • 4 medium-sized very ripe bananas, or 3 large bananas (400-480 g)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (45 g)
  • 2 tbsp honey, adjust to taste (30 g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (3 g)
  • 3/4 cup discard starter (180 g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour (62 g)
  • 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted (50 g)
  • 25-50 g dark chocolate, chopped in chunks (i use 2 squares TJ’s pound plus chocolate)
  • 1/3-1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional (60 g)

method

  • preheat oven @ 350 degrees F. lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with coconut oil.
  • mash bananas at bottom of large bowl. whisk in coconut oil, then your starter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract.
  • sift flour and cocoa powder (good-bye lumpy cocoa powder, hullo silky smooth luxury) over wet ingredients, and add the baking soda and salt. stir dry and wet ingredients with spatula or spoon until just combined.
  • lightly fold in chocolate, walnuts, and any other add-ins you'd like to include.
  • pour into pre-greased pan and bake 50-60 min @ 350 degrees F, until tester or toothpick inserted into center comes out batter free. cool in pan for 15 min, and then run a knife around the edge. carefully invert onto cooling rack and onto serving platter.
  • serve warm (recommended!) or at room temperature. keeps for 4 days room temp, and longer in the fridge wrapped in foil or in an air tight container.