KOMBUCHA SOURDOUGH
A TWIST on the traditional sourdough, to create a crunchy bread FULL of flavor, character and goodness. Traditional sourdough is created using a starter that contains wild yeasts and good bacteria to make the bread rise. A starter can be shared by someone who already has one, or you can make your own. This recipe kick starts the process by using the live cultures present in all Remedy drinks, substituting the usual water for your favorite Remedy Kombucha!
SOURDOUGH STARTER:
For best results, create your starter a few days before baking. An easy way to remember starter ratios is 1+1 flour and liquid, for example, 125g flour to 125mls of Remedy Kombucha Ginger Lemon.
Ingredients:
Flour
Any Remedy Kombucha flavor
METHOD
Mix 125g flour + 125g Remedy Kombucha, stand for 12-24 hours. After this time, discard half of the starter and then feed it the 60-75g each of flour and Remedy Kombucha. Repeat this step every 12-24 hours until your starter is doubling in size and smells of bread.
SOURDOUGH
For the recipe, use about half of your starter, and keep the other half in a jar in the fridge for future baking. Feed this fridge based starter every few days, by discarding half of the mix, and feeding it fresh flour and Remedy Kombucha.
To make your bread, first make a mix of your starter, flour and more Remedy Kombucha. This first stage makes what is called Levain, or a ‘sponge’. More flour, liquid and salt are then added to create the dough. The quantities of Remedy Kombucha and flour below are a good guide, however sometimes your mix will need a little more flour, or a little less liquid depending on the weather, temperature, and type of flour used.
Levain ingredients
• 50g (2 tbsp) Sourdough starter
• 80g (80 ml) Remedy Kombucha
• 75g (½ cup) strong bread or pizza flour
Dough ingredients
• 500g (500ml or 2 cups) Remedy Kombucha
• 700g (4 cups) strong bread or pizza flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2½ teaspoons fine sea salt
HANDY TIP! The best part of the recipe is there is no kneading. The activity of the live cultures does all the work! You just fold the dough a few times with rests in between. 4-6 times works best.
METHOD
- Feed your sourdough starter to keep it active, 4 — 8 hours.
- Make the levain. Combine your starter, flour and Remedy Kombucha in a medium bowl. Mix until combined, and then cover with plastic wrap and leave it to stand in a nice warm part of the kitchen. Overnight works best. By morning it should have expanded and look very bubbly.
- Make the dough. Combine the levain with half the Remedy Kombucha set aside for this stage, and then mix until smooth, add the remaining Remedy Kombucha to the mix. Sift the flour and salt, and then add to the wet ingredient mixture. Mix this with a wooden spoon until you have a very basic rough looking dough. Cover this bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour.
- Unwrap the bowl and take a corner of the dough in one hand. Stretch it away from the dough slightly, and then fold this stretched piece back on top of the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat this step three more times. Cover again with the plastic wrap, and set aside in a nice warm place for a further 30 minutes. Repeat this process four to five more times. By this stage, the dough will look very uniform and smooth. After the final folding, cover again and let it stand for about an hour until the dough is puffed.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Cut your dough into two pieces. Shape these two pieces into two loaves. At this stage, you can use a loaf tin, proving baskets, a dutch oven, or a baking tray to shape the type of loaf you want. Use non-stick baking paper to line or place the loaf for baking. Once shaped, cover your loaves with a floured tea towel, oiled plastic wrap or baking paper, and then stand somewhere warm and draught free for a final rising.
- Preheat the oven to 240 C (220 C fan forced). Place the loaves in the oven and throw in a handful of ice cubes into the bottom of the oven. This will help create a great crust!
- Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature by 20 degrees (220 C, or 200 C fan-forced). Bake for another 15-20 minutes until the crust has a nice deep color to it, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Take the loaves out of the oven to cool on a wire rack for about an hour. DELISH.
Once you’ve mastered the art of Kombucha Sourdough, start experimenting with all your favorite Remedy flavors!
Recipe made in collaboration between Remedy Drinks, Remedy Team Member Nik Gray and I Quit Sugar. Photography by Bec Dickinson.
