I had been adding recipes for a while to a new cookbook so I could find them when I wanted to cook them. In the electronic age, a digital version seems to make more sense, since I can add, amend, advise, adjust, delete, and reconsider as often as I want to and you can access them if and when you please. I've included the recipes from both my original cookbook which many of you have, and additional accumulated recipes that never got published. This isn’t the latest thing or nouvelle cuisine. These recipes are comfort food, good memories, treasured family recipes, and occasional treats as well as many healthier recipes I've grown to like in recent years. I encourage you to add comments, pictures, and favorite recipes to make this a real family cooking spot. It's the next best thing to sharing a meal.






Sourdough Inclusions

Adding inclusions to sourdough bread is a great way to enhance the flavor, but it’s important to know when and how to add them. There are several options for adding inclusions

  • Add them in during the stretch and folds. 
  • Laminate them in, taking the place of a stretch and fold.
  • Laminate them in at the end of bulk fermentation, right before shaping your loaf, bagel, etc.
A good ratio is 1-2 cups of inclusions total per loaf. 


ADDING INCLUSIONS DURING STRETCH AND FOLDS

This is probably the most used method, adding the inclusions right on top of the dough during the second set of stretch and folds, after the gluten has had time to develop.

Sprinkle the inclusions on top of the dough and gently stretch and fold the dough a few times until they are incorporated. If you do this early enough in the stretch and fold process, the inclusions will easily spread throughout the dough.

ADDING INCLUSIONS DURING LAMINATION

Adding inclusions to sourdough artisan bread using the lamination method is another option. You can either replace a stretch and fold with this lamination process OR you can laminate the dough at the end of the bulk fermentation.

To laminate, stretch the dough very thinly on your countertop. Spread your inclusions over the dough and fold up, adding a few more inclusions as you go. Continue with the bread recipe, bench resting, shaping and cold fermenting. The lamination method is good if you are adding sugar or cinnamon to the dough. Sugar absorbs the water in the dough making it fairly messy and cinnamon slows down the fermentation process. Be careful when adding both these ingredients to dough. 

To create a swirl with your inclusions, the lamination method is used.  Refer to my recipe for Cinnamon Swirl bread for the method of folding and cold fermenting.

BAKING SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH INCLUSIONS

After you shape your artisan bread, make sure none of the inclusions are popping out of the dough. If they do, just remove the inclusion or stick it back into the dough or on the underside of the dough. This keeps the inclusion from burning when you bake at a high temperature.

Sourdough with inclusions added doesn’t bake up quite the same way as a traditional artisan loaf. Inclusions interfere with the gluten strands, meaning you most likely won’t use intricate scoring or a sourdough “ear.”

Much of this information was taken from a post on the Amy Bakes Bread site, which includes videos and recipes

Inclusion Ideas:

Optional Additions to any recipe:
25g honey for 500 g flour
25 g olive oil for 500 g flour 

Roasted garlic and herb additions. Wrap a head of garlic in foil and pour in a little olive oil. Roast one head of garlic for each loaf for about an hour at 400°. Squeeze out the roasted garlic from the head and add the roasted garlic and herbs in the initial mix or in the first stretch and fold.   See this video for an alternate and better method:  https://youtu.be/wHoLDqwDrMQ?si=VWa5zGIoH7xq2nq9

For example:  15g of olive oil for every 500g of flour along with 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of dried mixed Italian herbs, and about 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary or basil, along with 1 head of cool, roasted garlic per loaf.

Cheese: Incorporate shredded or cubed cheese like cheddar, Gruyere, Parmesan (50 g), or goat cheese into the dough for a savory and gooey center.

Herbs and Spices
Edible Flowers
Dried Cranberries and Pecans
Cinnamon and Raisins
Chocolate Chips
Jalapeño and cheddar
Datil peppers
Olives
Lemon zest
Nuts
Seeds
Dried or Fresh Fruits (be careful when adding anything moist as it will change the dough)
Caramelized Onions
Roasted Garlic
Sun-dried Tomatoes
Blueberries
Pesto Swirl.
55g brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon 

The possibilities are endless. 

Garlic and herb bread.:

Mix Your Flour and Flavor Start with your regular sourdough mix say, 500g bread flour. Before adding water, whisk in:

  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
  • Pinch of black pepper
Proceed as usual.  Before baking, rub top with A little olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky salt and herbs. Bake as usual.


Jalapeño cheddar loaf

75 g starter.
450 g bread flour
50 g rye flour
11 g salt.
330 g water.
1 cup cheddar shreds or cubes
60 g pickled jalapeños, diced and dried on a paper towel.
25 g starter as “refresher” added after the first stretch and fold

Add the cheese and jalapeños after the second stretch and fold. Cold retard overnight after bulk ferment . Brush top with olive oil for a softer crust. Bake in a covered cast-iron loaf pan at 450° for 23 minutes and 430° lid off for 23 minutes.

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