In this video I make the dough using a stand mixer method but if you want to explore all the other methods you could possibly use, check out my playlist on YouTube or read the post here.
While the vodka doesn’t really add a flavor to the dough, it has two jobs! The first is to hinder gluten development and the second is to add moisture that will evaporate in the oven!
The additional moisture from the vodka will make this feel like a wetter dough and your first inclination might be to panic, but don’t worry it will all work out in the end! Trust me. I’ve got you.
Do not be fooled by the name, the same rules apply as my other All Butter Pie Crust. We are going to revisit them just as a refresher. Feel free to skip them if you’re already a pie crust ninja!
Keep it cold: This is the theme that runs through the whole process from the moment you scale your ingredients to the moment when you put the pie in the oven. Keep. It. COLD.
Your butter should absolutely be cold (not frozen), your water should be ice cold and your vodka should be frozen. This makes sneaking a shot easier too…🤫
Work Quickly: This serves two purposes: the first is to keep your ingredients cold and the second is to restrict the amount of gluten that develops in your pastry. Cut your butter in as quickly as the method will allow; keep your focus while adding your water; and when gathering the dough into one cohesive mass, only work it just until it comes together.
Bake it Hot: When you take cold pastry dough that has little pockets and sheets of cold butter, and you pop it into a screaming hot oven, the water will evaporate and the butter will melt creating flakey layers.
Gluten makes my world go round…
Let’s talk about gluten. The first 2 rules exist almost exclusively to control the amount of gluten formation. Huh? Okay, I’ll break it down for you.
Gluten is two proteins that are found in wheat that, when hydrated and agitated, form a felt-like network. They are responsible for the structure in your pie crust. You need a certain amount of gluten to create a flakey crust that won’t just crumble or fall apart after slicing. But gluten is also what makes your pastry shrink or become tough when it should be delicate.
There are several key steps in pastry making that are all about making sure only the appropriate amount of gluten forms. Gluten forms best in a warm environment, so back to the #1 rule of keeping it cold. Cutting in the butter coats some of those gluten strands so that they cannot form a tight, cohesive network.
This brings us to the second rule of pastry. You need to work quickly once you begin adding the water because gluten needs to be hydrated before it forms. The faster you work and the colder your water, the less gluten has a chance to form.
And now that you understand gluten and its integral, yet complicated, role that it plays in pastry, you can understand why I use pastry flour. Different flours have different gluten contents. How do you spot the difference?
Look at the nutritional values. The lower the protein content, the lower the gluten content. Easy peasy.
I use a pastry flour or a lower gluten All Purpose flour (like King Arthur) for my pastry doughs because it contains a relatively low amount of gluten when compared to all-purpose or bread flour. Never use bread flour. Please. Promise me that one thing. .
My recipe is by weight. Weigh your ingredients for the most consistent, best results. The different methods of measuring flour into a dry measuring cup vary by ½ cup.
A HALF a CUP!
Think of all that extra gluten in there and how you don’t have any additional butter to coat the strands! Think of how tough and elastic that pie crust will be. So sad.
Let’s not set ourselves up for failure. Weigh your ingredients. Pretty please.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter. On low speed cut the butter into the flour until you have some larger pieces but most of the butter has worked into the flour. You will notice that the flour will change color and be slightly darker.
Stop the mixer and pour the vodka over the top of the crust. Turn the mixer back on low and slowly pour the water over the crust. Mix on low until the flour has hydrated but a coheasive dough has not yet formed.
Turn out onto a countertop and press gently until a dough forms. It will be a little wet, but that is ok! Divide the dough in half. Press out into disks and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Alternatively you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before using. Make sure to keep it cold!
Notes
Makes enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double crust pie
Almond cream is an easy and classic French recipe! It is the filling for almond croissants, tarts and many other traditional French pastries!
We were about 2 days into the tart unit at culinary school when we made almond cream for the first time. Up until this point I had no idea how the almond filling for my favorite French pastries was made. It just seemed like magic.
That first batch of almond cream was destined to be the filling for a tarte bourdaloue and after one bite all the memories from years of traveling and living in France flooded back to me like an almond flavored stream of happiness.
In that moment, I knew I had made the right choice. All of my doubt about the risks of changing careers and moving to a new city in my 30’s evaporated.
Magical. The flavor still has that effect on me. True story.
Feeling inspired yet?
I would also say that it is the easiest of all the recipes in classic French patisserie. It is a simple creaming method like a cookie dough and there are only 5 necessary ingredients.
The rum is technically optional but, unless you have a real reason to omit it, don’t because it adds that je ne sais quoi.
The only real thing that you need to know about almond cream is that you have to bake it. Everything else is just fluff.
You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 7 days, which makes it easy to pull together a fantastic dessert in a flash!
This Almond Tart Dough (pâte sucrée) is tender and buttery! It is perfect for mini tarts, frangipane fruit tarts or really anything!
Almond is one of my favorite flavors of all time! I believe I’ve mentioned this…once or twice. 😂
In the restaurants I have to be careful that I don’t have a nut allergy in all of my desserts (this has accidentally happened), but at home BRING ON THE NUTS!
This Almond Tart Dough is one of the most versatile and delightful tart doughs on Earth. Bold statements for bold feelings, people.
If this quarantine sitch has taught us anything, it should be that we should be bold and unabashedly unafraid to show our colors! And that baking is the best form of stress-relief! I’m lookin’ at you sourdough 👀
Fun Fact: My AC was broken when I filmed this video and it was hovering right around 95 in my apartment with the oven on. My dough would get soft almost immediately! It was a battle of wits and I’d like to think that I won. But I might have lost or at least shed tears without some core pastry knowledge. Let’s discuss…
A Guide to Almond Tart Dough
This dough is like a combination of the creaming method and the cut-in method that is only moistened with eggs, which results in an incredibly tender crust. Make sure the eggs are completely incorporated before chilling. If there are lingering bits of dry ingredients, work it in by hand by just squishing it between your fingers.
Press the dough flat on plastic wrap before chilling it. This speeds up the chilling process but also makes it easier for you to roll out later! You can also freeze these little dough packets for up to a month! Tarts on demand!
If your apartment is warm, roll out the dough on parchment paper instead of the counter. You’ll see that I switch from rolling it traditionally to rolling on parchment in my video when I realized that the heat was against me. Rolling on parchment also limits the amount of flour you add to the dough, thus preserving the flavor and texture.
Chill the dough right between layers of parchment for easy transfer to tart pans.
Just like other doughs, keep it cold! Ultimately it will affect the final texture if you bake it when it is warm or didn’t let the gluten relax. This is no finicky brisée, so you don’t have to stress as much and this particular dough is pretty forgiving.
You’ll just have to watch the video to see my trick for lining tart shells with parchment. Come on now, let a girl have her secrets! 🤫
75gEggsbeaten (~ 1.5 eggs. Just throw the other half in your omlette)
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add flour, baking powder and almond flour, and mix on low until crumbly and the butter is completely incorporated.
Beat the eggs and then add all at once and mix until incorporated.
Wrap in plastic wrap, pat flat and chill thoroughly, about an hour or two. Overnight works too!
Stop here if you are going to use the dough for a tart that does not require pre-baking!
To Blind Bake:
Preheat an oven to 350F
Roll to 3mm thick either on a piece of parchment or on a floured surface. Chill at least 30 minutes.
Remove from parchment to line a large tart pan up to 12” in diameter. Or cut with ring molds slightly larger than the mini tart pans you are using. Place one dough circle over each mold and gently place it in the crease and the press to line. Chill.
Cut parchment paper that will fit inside your molds. Crumple it up to make it pliable.
Cut off the excess on the top of the chilled and lined tart shells. Place parchement inside and fill with beans or rice. I find that rice doesn’t work as well as medium sized beans. Chill again if they got warm.
Bake in preheated oven for 8-11 minutes with the beans or until the parchment lifts out easily and the sides have begun to brown. Remove the parchment and beans and set aside to cool. You can reuse both again!
Continue baking until golden brown.
Cool completely! You can store them for 5 days or use them immediately.
Notes
Notes:
In the video I made a double batch, so I divided it. You would not need to do that in this recipe. This recipe yields 6-10, 2 ½ inch mini tarts. To get 10 tarts you will need to re-roll the scraps.
Or you can make one large tart up to 12 inches in diameter.
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear all about it! 🥳 Tag me on Instagram @cheflindseyfarr and use the hashtag #cheflindseyfarr
I mean I wasn’t allowed to have pudding cups as a kid, but I can imagine.
Flash back to 1995:
Me in the lunchroom: “Mmmmm cinnamon apple sauce cup! Mom, you shouldn’t have…Jimmy, can I interest you in one delightful apple sauce for your chocolate pudding? No? Ok how about an orange AND an apple sauce? Did I mention that it is CINNAMON?” Hard pass, heard.
But this pudding is no basic 4th grade lunch box pudding, people. This pudding is rich and silky smooth with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. The pudding itself isn’t super sweet because I like my dark chocolate desserts sinfully rich and chocolatey.
There is just a hint of cinnamon in the pudding to bring it to life. You could omit it, if you aren’t a cinnamon fan, but it heightens all the other flavors and says “Lindsey’s palate has matured in her <cough, cough> 24 years on Earth.”
I’d like to say that the Oreo crumbles are optional but in these uncertain times who’s to say what is too much?
You want an easy, soulful chocolate dessert that is simple enough for a weeknight? Look no further. Make a batch over the weekend and then when Wednesday rolls around, these dark chocolate pudding cups will be right there in the fridge when you need them most.
This Dark Chocolate Pudding is an easy, no bake chocolate dessert. A fast chocolate dessert you can make ahead of time!
Prep Time10mins
Cook Time7mins
Ingredients
170gSugar¾ cup
30gCocoa powder¼ cup
24gCornstarch2 Tablespoons
½tKosher Salt
¼tCinnamonoptional
2Eggsbeaten
650gMilk2 ½ cups
113gDark chocolateI used 55%, 4 ounces
28gButtercubed, 2 Tablespoons
8gVanilla2 teaspoons
Instructions
In a medium sauce pot whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon.
Whisk in beaten eggs followed by milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened.
Remove from heat, whisk in chocolate, butter and vanilla.
Strain into a bowl or a plastic lined baking sheet. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and poke a few holes to allow steam to escape. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Pipe into desired molds or bowls.
Alternatively you could put the hot pudding directly into the final container (cups or decorative bowl), but cover the surface with plastic wrap and then refrigerate. It will take longer to cool.
Optional Topping: whipped heavy cream and crushed Oreo crumbs!
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear all about it! 🥳 Tag me on Instagram @cheflindseyfarr and use the hashtag #americanheritagecooking
Pastry Cream or Crème Pâtissière is one of the most versatile recipes in pastry! This silky, delicious vanilla bean pastry cream will take all your desserts to the next level! I’ll teach you all the tricks to keep it lump free every time!
Pastry cream, you sly fox. So dull sounding, not much to look at either, but the base for SO MANY RECIPES!
Vanilla bean pastry cream is the filling for mille feuilles (bonus points if you make your own puff pastry!), banana cream pie (the delicious kind that isn’t made with pudding mix…not that I’m judging), Danish filling, pithiviers (mixed with almond cream), lightened with whipped cream for crème légère, filling for fruit tarts, filling eclairs or profiteroles, Boston cream pie, German buttercream, crème Chiboust, and on and on!
A pastry nerd moment, please! There are three categories of custards in pastry: stirred custard (anglaise), cooked custard (think crème brûlée), and starch-bound custards. Pastry cream is a classic example of a starch-bound custard.
All custards take advantage of the coagulating properties of eggs but in starch-bound custards the eggs are aided by a starch to further thicken. In this recipe I use cornstarch because it is readily available but pastry cream powder can also be used. I’ve found that pastry cream powder holds better over a longer period of time.
Gahh! There are lumps in my pastry cream!!
Along with burning or undercooking it, lumps are a common downfall. There are a few stages where you need to be on high-lump-alert!
Starting with step one! In this recipe I do not split my sugar between the milk and eggs for a few reasons. One, the sugar keeps the milk from scorching and the more sugar, the less I have to pay attention to it. This frees me up to be doing something else in the kitchen – an industrious pastry chef doesn’t have time to stare at pots and wait for them to boil. Two, adding sugar to the eggs too early will denature the proteins in the yolks and create lumps. You basically have the same effect as cooking the eggs when they sit in salt or sugar. These lumps will never come out.
When you temper your milk into the eggs: whisk your eggs with the cornstarch, then slowly, and in a controlled fashion, add the hot milk while whisking. This allows the eggs to come up to the temperature of the milk without cooking them. Look, ma! No lumps!
While the pastry cream is cooking: Whisk constantly! Do not allow bits of pastry cream to coagulate and then burn.
Overcooking: if you overcook your pastry cream or you cook it at too high of a heat, you will get lumps.
Cool it quickly! I pour mine out on a plastic wrap lined baking sheet, spread it out, then cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t develop a skin. Poke some holes in the top plastic to let the steam escape and then pop it in the refrigerator!
Now that you have a lump-free pastry cream, one last note of advice! Before you use pastry cream, you need to “refresh it” or “condition” it. All this means is you need to beat it so that it becomes smooth and silky. This won’t get any lumps out but it will create a more pleasant product to eat and work with. Don’t try folding unconditioned pastry cream into whipped cream. It’s misery.
You can condition it with a stand mixer or by hand in a bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pastry Cream or Crème Pâtissière is one of the most versatile recipe in pastry! This silky, delicious vanilla bean pastry cream will take all your desserts to the next level! I’ll teach you all the tricks to keep it lump free every time!
Total Time15mins
Ingredients
473gMilk2 cups
½Vanilla bean seeded
125gSugarRounded ½ cup
1Whole egg
2Egg Yolks
50gCornstarch1/4 cup
Instructions
Split and scrape the seeds from half a vanilla bean pod. Save the pod for another use or throw it in!
Heat milk, sugar and vanilla beans in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Blanchir (whisk) eggs and yolks with cornstarch. Temper milk mixture into eggs. Return to pot, turning heat to medium, whisk until it begins to thicken. Boil 1 minute while constantly whisking.
Pour out onto plastic-wrap lined baking pan, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap, poke holes and cool completely. You can store it for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
How to Prepare Pastry Cream for Use:
Before you use pastry cream, you need to “refresh it” or “condition” it. All this means is you need to beat it so that it becomes smooth and silky. This won’t get any lumps out but it will create a more pleasant product to eat and work with.
Place desire amount of pastry cream in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. You don’t want to beat it too long or it will loosen and the cornstarch with lose some of it’s hold and it will not firm back up when chilled. This can lead to loose, unruly fillings.
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear all about it! 🥳Tag me on Instagram @cheflindseyfarr and use the hashtag #americanheritagecooking
Learn how to make inverse puff pastry from scratch with an easy to follow video tutorial! My inverse puff pastry makes the flakiest, most buttery pastry imaginable. The results will be better than store-bought!
A bit of work and patience will yield almost endless possibilities. Think of inverse puff pastry as the ultimate social distancing technique!
Well until you start the baking and then all your neighbors will be lining up at your door (6 feet apart, of course) for your buttery, crispy goodness.
But what are you going to do with all this perfectly laminated puff pastry?! In two easy steps you can ensure you always have perfect puff at the ready!
Step 1: Freeze it in sheets between parchment paper and wrap it really, really well.
Step 2: Pull out one sheet at a time whenever a need arises.
What kind of need? I’m so glad you asked! You could use it as a topping for chicken pot pie, make fruit turnovers, cheese straws, tarte tatin, fruit tarts, savory stuffed cheese and vegetable bites, mille feuille, and the list goes on!
Fear not, I will be using up all the puff pastry in my freezer (and there is a lot) over the next few months and will be taking you guys along for the ride!
Let’s talk nerdy details for a minute! (You know this is the part that makes me all giddy!)
BUT WHAT MAKES IT PUFF?
All the flakey layers in puff pastry are made by lamination. Through a series of folds you create individual layers of butter and pastry dough. When the puff pastry hits the hot oven the butter melts, the water in the butter evaporates and creates steam, and that steam pushes the pastry layers apart. Voilà! Layered, buttery awesomeness.
So, your deductive powers are right, and all that flakiness is hinging on two things: creating those layers and maintaining them.
The layers are initially created by folding a butter square (beurrage) around dough (détrempe), to create one tidy packet (pâton) before rolling it out and folding the dough. The inverse part is because in this recipe the butter is on the outside and the dough is inside, whereas traditional puff pastry has the butter inside.
Inverse puff pastry can be a little tricky during combination and the first fold but after that it is much easier to work with than traditional puff. The resulting pastry is generally flakier and more consistent.
In inverse puff pastry the beurrage is made by combining a lot of butter with a little flour, which will keep the butter from melting as quickly particularly in creating the pâton and your first several folds. Think of it as cheap layer insurance.
After the butter and dough are combined, they go through a series of folds. There are two types of folds in the pastry world: single (envelope) folds or double (book) folds. In terms of laminated doughs, folds are often referred to as “turns”. The total number and types of folds will determine how many layers your resulting puff pastry has. This is often a highly guarded secret because without this key, you will never get the same results even with the recipe.
For puff pastry I like to use 6 single folds done in batches of two.
Never try to do more than 2 turns at a time. The gluten in the dough will contract and make getting the pastry thin enough difficult or impossible, and the butter will get too soft and warm and will work into the dough rather than maintain its integrity. Integrity in pastry is just as important as in life. You heard it here first.
Both creating and maintaining the layers depends on keeping the butter cold yet pliable. If you roll cold butter, it will break and sad, uneven layers will result; however, if you do not chill your dough, the dough will become unyielding and uncooperative.
The most important thing in pastry, and this especially holds true with laminated doughs, is to pay attention to your dough. You need to know it intimately, understand its struggles and frustrations, so that you can react immediately and give it what it needs. Dough can never be forced, but you can learn the tricks to controlling it so that it remains cooperative and happy. If the dough is shrinking, chill it letting it relax in the refrigerator. If the butter is hard, wait or learn how to manipulate it at each stage so that it works closer to your timeline. (My video can help)
If I could distill everything into one snippet of advice, it would be: Do not rush and keep it cold and flat! If not, the lamination will suffer and then you just put all that work in for nothing. And that is truly sad. We don’t do sadness at AHC. We do butter. Loads of butter.
Disclaimer: This recipe is by weight and before I get a million angry comments, I want you to know that it took me months of testing minute changes in a dank, hot prep kitchen to arrive at this recipe. The tiniest adjustments of butter in the dough or in the beurrage do make all the difference. You can convert it to volume, but it won’t be as accurate.
My inverse puff pastry makes the flakiest, most buttery pastry imaginable. The results will be better than store-bought!
Ingredients
Beurrage (Outside butter packet):
420gramsButter, unsalted
165gramsAll purpose flour
Détrempe (Inside dough packet):
12gramsKosher salt
125gramsSoftened butter"Beurre en pommade"
198gramsAll Purpose Flour
198gramsCake Flour
15gramsSugar
160gramsWaterIce cold!
4gramsDistilled white vinegar
Instructions
Fold a piece of parchment paper into a 10 inch square, set aside.
Temper butter for the beurrage by hitting it with a rolling pin then placing it in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add in flour. Mix on low until no visible butter remains.
Place inside parchment paper square, spreading the butter a bit with the back of a bowl scraper, then closing the parchment square back up. Flip it over so the seams are toward the table. Roll out in parchment to a 10 inch square. Refrigerate 30 minutes. I like to do the beurrage first because then I don’t need to clean my bowl before I move on to the next step.
Combine dry ingredients for the détrempe in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the softened butter and cut in butter until no visible butter remains. Combine water and vinegar.With the mixer on low, pour in the water/vinegar mixture into the flour. Mix until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto unfloored surface and gently knead until no dry bits remain (dip your hand in cold water and moisten specific areas if needed).
Press or roll into a 6.5 inch square and wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Remove the butter from the refrigerator 5-7minutes before the dough. Generously flour a smooth surface and remove beurrage from the parchment onto floured surface.
Placing the dough packet on top of the beurrage so that the dough looks like a diamond on top of the butter. It will be easier to fold the corners of the butter over the dough if they are offset.
Enclose the détrempe inside the beurrage and seal the seems by smooshing the butter together, working quickly so that the butter does not melt.
Roll out until ¼ inch thick and is 18 inches long by 7 inches wide. Perform an envelope fold by folding the dough like you woulda piece of paper to go inside and envelope. Fold the top third down and then overlapping with the bottom third. Repeat once more before wrapping in plastic wrap and chilling for 30 minutes.
Repeat two more sets of two single turns making sure to chill 30 minutes between each set. During the final set the dough will have developed more gluten and will be more resistant to rolling. If the dough begins to shrink, then place it flat on a baking sheet covered with parchment and refrigerate 10 minutes.
After you complete all six single turns, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or overnight. Overnight is best!
Roll 1/8 inch thick, chilling as needed to prevent the dough from getting too warm or shrinking. I find it easier to roll it about the sizeof a baking sheet, chill and then slice the dough in half with a pizza cutter.Continue rolling one half while the other half chills and then swap them out as they warm up or start to shrink until they are both about 1/8 inch thick. You will end up with two pieces of dough the size of a baking sheet.
Before using the dough be sure to chill it at least 30minutes. Cut into the desired shape, dock the dough and then chill it once more before baking. Do not allow the dough to temp before baking or you will not get those nice layers.
Bake in an oven preheated to 375°F (preferably convection) according to recipe instructions.
With this easy to follow sourdough starter recipe you can be making fresh sourdough bread from your own starter in just five days! You’ll find a day by day recipe and detailed answers to all your starter questions!
The starter is the foundation of a good sourdough and all you need to make your own is flour and water! It’s like Christmas came early with Nature’s greatest gift to the baker!
There are going to be a lot of words in this post. Brace yourself.
If you would rather just watch the highlight reel:
Day 1: Combine 100g rye flour and 100g water in a clean container, cover, let sit out 24 hours at room temperature
Day 2: In a clean container combine 100g rye flour, 100g water, and 100g yesterday’s starter. Throw out the remaining starter. Cover and let sit out at room temperature 24 hours. You should start seeing bubbles and some activity.
Day 3: Repeat Day 2. Your starter should just about double or more!
Day 4: Combine 100g all-purpose flour, 100g water, and 100g yesterday’s starter. Throw out the remaining starter. Cover and let sit out at room temperature 24 hours. The starter will definitely double and have larger air pockets.
Day 5: Repeat Day 4. Mine had tripled by this point. You can totally use her to leaven bread!
Day 6 & 7: Repeat Day 4.
Feeding your starter for the long term: You want a controlled growth of your starter when you are going to use it for bread. This is all in the feeding. Once you have an active starter you can switch to the following ratio for a stiff levain:100g water10g previous day’s starter100g AP flour
Or this one for a Liquid Levain:125g Water10 g Previous day’s starter100g AP Flour
Let’s Dish Details:
Choosing your flour: I start my levain with rye flour because whole grain flours like rye or whole wheat are less processed than AP, so there is more natural yeast in the flour. This gives the starter a kick-start. Then I switch to AP flour on Day 4 because rye flour has a very specific flavor and I don’t want all of my bread to taste like fermented rye. If I want that flavor, I’ll add rye flour to my bread. Think of it like creating a neutral sourdough base. All the sourness without the specifics.
If you like your levains like your women; low maintenance: You can put her in the refrigerator and only feed her every other week or even in the freezer and feed her every other month! Don’t forget that in order for her to properly feast and grow, she needs to be at room temperature! Take her out of the fridge or freezer, let her sit at room temperature 8-12 hours, feed her as usual and then let her ferment at room temperature over night.
This is so key that I’m going to give it its own line: Sourdough starter needs to ferment AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.
What to do when you want to make bread with your starter. Ah yes, this is the root of the matter. If your starter has been at room temperature, feed it 12-18 hours before you plan to mix your dough. If it has been in the refrigerator, you need 1 day to warm up and then 2 feedings. I like to give my starter a kickstart before I use her by feeding her two times before using it, but you don’t have to. You could let her sit out at room temperature day 1 then feed her that night and then mix your dough the next morning.
Enough chit chat, I’m ready to bake some sourdough! Awesome! Here is my recipe for a basic sourdough bread!
This is the new starter on Day 2!
All your sourdough starter questions answered!
Q: It’s been 5 days but my starter didn’t triple like yours did. What’s up?
A: It is probably your flour. Whole grain rye and wheat flours have more natural yeast than all-purpose flour because they are less processed. If you started your levain with AP flour, just be patient. She’ll catch up. Unless you used bleached or bromated AP, in that case she will probably never be strong enough. Those processes don’t leave many yeast, if any, behind. Also check your container. You want it to be clean but not with any soap residue!
Q: This recipe calls for a liquid levain, but what, in God’s green Earth, is a liquid levain and how is that different then a regular starter?
A: The simplified answer is a traditional starter (stiff levain) has equal parts flour and water while a liquid levain has more water than flour. Relax, just feed your traditional starter and whenever a recipe calls for a liquid levain, you can feed a portion of your starter a higher percentage water than flour in preparation or vis versa. The recipe should specify but I use a 125% liquid levain meaning 100g flour + 125g water + 10g old starter
Q: My starter changed color…is that normal?
A: Oooo what color? Part of creating a starter is getting to know it and its many shades. When you first start it, if you use a rye flour, it will be brownish-red to grey. This all depends on the type of rye flour you use! Then when you start to feed it all-purpose it will slowly turn a medium-cream color much like how I envision the color of my second wedding dress. But I digress. The exact color also depends on how processed your AP flour is. When I switched from Pillsbury to King Arthur’s mine took on a brown-speckled cream color. Totally normal.
BUT! If your starter is pink, that is mold and you should throw it directly in the garbage. The environment in a starter isn’t conducive to mold or bacteria growth, but if you use a contaminated container or utensil, you could contaminate your starter. Sadness. This is the end of the road. There is no such thing as a Pretty in Pink Starter.
Q: I think I killed it. Like it’s next level, layer-of-black-liquid-on-top dead.
A: Breathe. You probably didn’t. Most sourdough levains can be revived. Here are some common causes of *almost* death:
Did you neglect it? For shame! Just kidding, this happens to the best of us. Just leave it out at room temperature for 8 hours and then resume feeding it. The longer she has been neglected, the more consecutive days I will feed her before putting her back in the refrigerator. Two weeks? I’ll feed her two nights in a row. Two months? At least 5 consecutive days of feeding or until she doubles in 12 hours. Also, consider putting her in the freezer so you don’t have to have a panic attack every 2 weeks!
She is just so slow, she won’t ever fully double. Just sad, little bubbles on her best day.
This could be because you aren’t throwing away enough of your old starter and you’ve created an environment with too much alcohol for the yeast to proliferate and eat. This is one of the reasons that I feed in a specific ratio. This could also be because you aren’t letting her ferment at room temperature. If you just take your starter out of the fridge, feed it and shove it back in; you can’t expect the yeast to be able to metabolize much starch. Think of a starter in the refrigerator like a bear in hibernation: its metabolism slows, it doesn’t eat much (or anything) and it just exists. Yeast are similar. The cold slows their activity so they don’t need as much food as often, but if you don’t let the yeast warm up and have a room temperature party, then your starter is going to be a lethargic specimen. Gasp! It me! No stress, let it warm up, feed it, then let it ferment 12 hours before throwing her back into hibernation.
So you decided to experiment with new flours…If your starter was fine and then you got a little cray with the experimentation, then it’s possible that the starch in your flour isn’t as readily available to the yeast, which will slow them down or eventually starve them. Just switch back to AP. Problem solved.
Q: I feed her just like you said and all I see in the morning are bubbles inside the starter but she isn’t any higher. What gives?
A: It is possible that she *gasp* already doubled and has fallen by the time you get up! She is like my cat at night – she runs around like a crazed animal but then when I get up in the morning she is already fast asleep in the window soaking up the sun. You missed the action! There are some tell-tale signs that your starter already had a party: there are lots of little bubbles inside the starter; you can see a ring around the container stopping at a particular height; there are streaks leading down from that ring. Think of these streaks like “legs” in a glass of nice wine. You know when you swirl it and then the wine runs down the glass in separate streams? Those legs are created by the alcohol in the wine and a similar situation is happening in your starter container. I always scrape down the sides of my container after mixing so I can easily spot if my starter rose and fell. This information is also crucial if you are going to make bread. You need to know how long it takes for her to double so she can hit that high note at the exact time you want to mix your dough. The kitchen is her oyster, you are just living in it .
Q: Ahhh I get it! She’s fast like a lambo. But I want to make bread at 9AM and she is doubling in 6 hours. I am NOT getting up at 3AM to feed her! I don’t care if the world is her oyster!
A: Come in close, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The kitchen may be her oyster but you own the kitchen. You need to adjust her world so that she grows at the rate you want her to. What temperature is your kitchen? Maybe its warm and conducive to rapid growth. Cool her down. If you don’t have a colder part of your house, put her in a pot full of ice water over night. How much starter are you using? Are you eye-balling it? Well you can control that. Weigh it and stick to the 10% of the flour by weight.
Q: Why do I have to weigh my starter to feed it? Like, this isn’t science.
A: Yo, sassy. It is science. Volume measurements of the flour and water are one thing: Important but if measured properly, can be controlled. However, the volume of your starter changes by minute. 1 tablespoon after 8 hours is completely different than 1 tablespoon after 17 hours. You could be inadvertently be adding triple the amount of yeast culture one day and then barely any the next. Invest in a kitchen scale.
Q: Did you accidentally heat her up? Umm how hot? (Also, wtf were you doing?!)
A: Hotter than 140°F? She’s probably dead. Woops!
Q: What is the benefit to having an old starter? Why not just make a new one if I have time?
A: I have a question back at you—who the heck has time for that?! But in all seriousness, sourdough starters mature with age like a fine wine. The aroma and flavor will deepen and strengthen along with the potency of your yeast as long as you feed it regularly. Depending on the flours you use and your environment, the starter will take on its own unique flavor. A sourdough taste that is all yours!
Q: Do I have to throw all the old starter away?! It seem so wasteful.
A: It totally is wasteful, but it’s in the name of naturally leavened bread, so worth it IMO. You don’t have to throw it away. There are plenty of recipes that use old starter for the sourdough flavor minus the leavening.
Alternatively, you could maintain a smaller starter and then bulk it up when you want to make bread. As long as you keep the ratios of flour to water to culture the same, then its all good. Keep in mind that when you feed it to use it, you need to have extra in order to make the next day’s levain. So add 10% waste or 15% if you are stressed. All I mean by that is add an extra 10% on top of each of the measurements, for example, if the recipe calls for 200g flour in your levain you will use 220g. Make sure you increase ALL the measurements. Ha! Your 5th grade teacher was right – math is useful!
My new starter on Day 5!
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear all about it! 🥳Tag me on Instagram @cheflindseyfarr and use the hashtag #americanheritagecooking
Uncertain and unsettling times make me seek comfort in baking and cooking. Based on the number of friends, who up until this point I didn’t know even had an oven, asking me about baking bread, and the influx of bread posts on Instagram; I think it is safe to say that I am not alone here.
Just three weeks ago I was the pastry chef at two busy Manhattan restaurants and barely had time to breathe. Now it feels like there is too much air.
All that is left to do is bake and share everything I know with all of you. Teaching brings me joy and I am welcoming all the joy.
These Cherry Preserves are quick and easy! There is just one simple addition that makes them tower over all the rest! Stock up on Summer’s bounty and enjoy all year! I spread mine on black pepper honey ricotta toast for an easy snack or breakfast.
I can’t eat cherry preserves with a spoon. That guilty pleasure is reserved for Nutella, peanut butter, and pasta sauce. (Oh, so that last one is weird?! Judgy)
So what to do with all the cherry preserves? Spoon a generous amount over black pepper honey ricotta on sourdough toast! Obviously.
You could use regular ricotta…but I’m Extra and I mixed mine up with some fresh cracked black pepper and a dollop of local honey. I keep a pre-sliced loaf of homemade sourdough in my freezer for just these moments. This particular batch was Smoked Paprika Sourdough. Imagine all those flavors marrying in your mouth…yup a little bit of heaven.
In these TWO video tutorials for how to make the ultimate salted caramel sauce you will learn the dry caramel method and the wet caramel method! They both have same perfect result, so you can choose your favorite!
Is there anything more beautiful than the slow pour of a perfectly amber salted caramel? Just gaze at it for a few seconds and appreciate the beauty of pastry. Sigh.
{Cough, cough} And we’re back!
It only took 4 years but I {finally} made a salted caramel video! It’s not just one, but two videos! One for the Dry Caramel method and one for the Wet Caramel method.
