The wildness of yeast is a reflection of our wild love. Having our own sourdough bread is an experience in holistic wellbeing from creation to degustation.
The raising of soured dough is a process that combines wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Eating sourdough bread had an enormous list of physical health benefits, like being richer in nutrients, easier to digest, promoting gut health (and an inquiry in the brain gut axis, and a smoother blood sugar ride. All of these things are enormously important, but for us it is the meditative process, and intention that is really the most interesting.
Sourdough starters are very much like people, they absorb the environment they are in. Energy, emotions, humidity, sunshine, smells, and vibrations. In fact, sourdough starters are very much a dynamic representation of our care. We need to feed them, nurture them, and also allow them enough freedom to develop into something beautifully unique, and all before the baking even begins.
Our starter is Miss Vanji (named after Vanessa Vanji Mateo who although tiny has plenty of bite). She has been with us for over five years now and her journey only adds to her depth.
As part of our March/April holistic subscription box REWILD & RITUALwe have dehydrated Miss Vanji and are sending her out to be rehydrated with love by you.
On a day that felt a little grey Tippi and I made brioche buns. We made them because they represent little suns, that we could eat them sweet or salty, and also for the experience of making something that we needed to lean into patience with, and be together. They were delicious. The recipe is below -
SOURDOUGH BRIOCHE BUNS
100 g sourdough starter
520 g strong flour
2 eggs
125 g softish chopped butter
200 ml warm milk
50 g sugar
10 g salt
Add the warm milk to a large bowl and stir in the sugar. After it has dissolved add the sourdough starter, flour, salt, and eggs. Fold into a rough dough. Then add Allow this to the butter. Knead until smooth and elastic, if you press it it should spring back at you. Set it in a warm place to prove and cover it with a shower cap if you are feeling very bakery. At this point we went out for a walk (or rather I walked and Tippi rode).
When we came back the dough had risen and we made little balls which we kneaded again while shaping. We let them sit for half an hour more on a lined tray to be puffy. At this point in brioche making everyone always paints with an egg wash before baking. We didn't. I always feel like the egg wash is a bit showy. Okay for special occasions maybe, but for a greyish winter day we wiped them with a little milk and saved the egg for another day.
At last - the baking. In a moderate over -160/170 we baked them for twenty minutes until deliciously golden with firm bellies.
Eat them straight away, with butter and jam and enjoy every bite!