Semolina, Cornmeal, and Quinoa Sourdough
Living in a small apartment prevents us from accumulating too much clutter. There is, after all, only so much you can fit in 500 square feet (though we certainly have pushed it to the ). We’re getting ready to move and have gradually been going through things to try and cut down on what we have to take with us. This bread was both a flavor experiment and an attempt to use up a few different ingredients that had been hanging around.
I had been wanting to make a semolina bread and thought that the flavor would go well with a small amount of cornmeal. Looking around our pantry for something else to add I spotted a small amount of tri-colored quinoa we had left over. I soaked it overnight to soften it and worked some into the dough, coating the outside of the loaf with the rest.
This bread was one of the last things to come out of the oven on an afternoon spent baking. My timing certainly could have been better; last weekend when I made these it was in the 80s, whereas yesterday it was in the 40s. Hopefully it was the last cold weather day before Michigan fully gives way to summer!
- 200 g whole wheat flour
- 150 g bread flour
- 100 g semolina flour
- 50 g cornmeal
- 400 + 25 g water
- 100 g active sourdough leaven
- 100 g quinoa, soaked overnight
- 12 g salt
- The night before (or at least 7-8 hours) you make your dough combine 2 tablespoons (15-20 grams) of unfed sourdough starter with 60 g of water, 30 g of all purpose flour, and 30 g of whole wheat flour.
- Stir until there are no dry bits of flour, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit out overnight. This will be your active leaven the next morning. A drop of the starter will float in water when it is ready.
- When ready, disperse the leaven starter in 400 g of water in a large bowl. Add all flours and cornmeal and mix by hand until there are no dry bits. Knead for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Cover and let rest for one hour.
- After the hour is up add salt and remaining 25 g of water. Mix well and cover the dough again.
- For the next two hours ‘turn’ the dough every 30 minutes. This means grabbing the underside of the dough, and stretching it up and over the rest of the dough. Perform a few of these turns each time you handle the dough.
- After the first turn work in the wet soaked quinos. After two hours is up, let the dough rest for another hour before you turn it again.
- After the third hour, let the dough rest another 30 minutes. Then turn it out onto an unfloured surface. Flour the top of the dough and flip it over. Work into a round shape and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Following the bench rest flour the top of the dough again, flipping it over after so the flour side is face down. Fold the third of the dough closest to you inward, and then stretch the dough out to the sides. Fold the right, and then left, sides in toward the center. Fold the top of the dough inward, and then wrap the bottom part of the dough over it all.
- Work this into a round shape, and place seam side up in a proofing basket lined well with flour. If desired cover with dry spent grain before placing in proofing basket.
- Let rise for 3-4 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator). One hour before baking place a dutch oven, with the lid on, in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees.
- Once hot, drop the dough into the pan and score the loaf. Immediately place the top back on and return to the oven. Turn the heat down to 450 degrees and cook for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes remove the top of the dutch oven and rotate the pan. Continue to bake the bread for another 20-25 minutes, until the crust is deeply browned.
