Bready or Not Original: Soft Sourdough Loaf or Bratwurst Buns mixed in a bread machine
Today’s Bready or Not features two variations on the same ingredients: a Soft Sourdough Loaf baked in a pan or Soft Sourdough Bratwurst Buns.
This recipe is written for use in a bread machine, for maximum physical and time accessibility, but it can absolutely be made by hand or with a stand mixer.
The recipe includes two leaveners, which means it is done in hours rather than all day or over multiple days, as is usually the case with sourdough. The sourdough flavor still comes through beautifully.
This loaf is ideal for sandwiches or garlic bread. The buns, made by dividing the dough into eighths, are the perfect size for a bratwurst or other large sausage. Yes, it takes practice to get the shaping right by hand. The important thing is to remember to make the top look smooth and nice, and hide the messy seams underneath.
This bread will keep in a sealed, room temperature bag for up to 3 days, and it is fantastic to freeze for later.
By the way, I baked up sourdough recipes like this one because I have maintained a starter for book research reasons: my next release, A House Between Sea and Sky, features a sourdough starter named Mother as an important character. Find out more (and preorder) here!
Bready or Not Original: Soft Sourdough Loaf mixed in a bread machine
Equipment
- digital thermometer
- kitchen scale
- bread machine
- loaf pan
- nonstick spray
- aluminum foil
- pastry brush
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup active sourdough starter room temperature (about 170 to 190 grams)
- 1/3 cup lukewarm milk or half & half (about 100-110 degrees)
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 cups white bread flour plus more for surface
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
Topping
- softened butter to brush on loaf at end
Instructions
- Add ingredients to the bread machine bucket in the order specified by the manufacturer; it is usually wet ingredients first. Set machine on Dough mode and begin. Monitor the dough as it begins mixing, adding a touch more milk if it is lumpy or flour if it is too loose. Dough should come together smoothly.
- After the cycle ends, apply nonstick spray to the loaf pan.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape, folding and tucking the dough to tighten what will become the top. Place dough in pan. Set in a warm place to rise, such as on a counter, a cabinet, or in an oven on proofing mode.
- After about 45 minutes to an hour, the dough should rise about 2 inches over the rim of the pan. If it is in the warm oven, remove from there. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
- Bake bread about 20 minutes. Cover with shaped foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake for about another 20 minutes. Bread should sound hollow when tapped, and if tested with a digital thermometer, over 190 degrees inside.
- Immediately tip loaf from pan, carefully setting upright on a cooling rack. Brush on the softened butter.
- Let cool for at least an hour before slicing. Bread will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, and can also be frozen for several months either whole or in slices.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Soft Sourdough Bratwurst Buns
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup active sourdough starter room temperature (about 170-190 grams)
- 1/3 cup lukewarm milk or half & half (about 100-110 degrees)
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 cups white bread flour plus more for surface
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
Instructions
- Add ingredients to the bread machine bucket in the order specified by the manufacturer; it is usually wet ingredients first. Set machine on Dough mode and begin. Monitor the dough as it begins mixing, adding a touch more milk if it is lumpy or flour if it is too loose. Dough should come together smoothly.
- After the cycle ends, prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough by 8.
- Shape each piece, folding and tucking the dough while elongating it, creating a tightened top. Place each bun slightly spaced out on pan; baker’s choice as to if they touch or not after rising. After all of the buns are shaped, place in a warm place to rise, such as on a counter, a cabinet, or in an oven on proofing mode.
- After about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, the buns should look rounded and puffy. If pan is in the oven, remove from there. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
- Bake bread about 21 to 25 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Bread should sound hollow when tapped, and if tested with a digital thermometer, over 190 degrees inside.
- Cool on pan or rack for at least an hour before eating. Slice bun from the side or top to insert the bratwurst and other toppings.
- Buns will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, and can also be frozen for several months.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
These Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies are cakey and delicious, a perfect comfort food.
The sourdough doesn’t act as a leavening agent here, but adds nuanced flavor and lends a unique breadiness to the texture. I doubt anyone would eat these and immediately identify they include a starter, but they would probably know something is different.
I added dried cranberries and walnuts to these cookies, but mix in whatever dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips that you want. Just don’t exceed 2 1/2 cups of add-ins. Or try to fool people into thinking dark raisins are chocolate chips. That’s just evil.
By the way, I baked up sourdough recipes like this one because I have maintained a starter for book research reasons: my next release, A House Between Sea and Sky, features a sourdough starter named Mother as an important character. Find out more (and preorder) here!
Bready or Not Original: Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- cookie scoop or spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard (113 grams)
- 3 cups rolled oats also called old fashioned oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla and sourdough discard.
- In another bowl, stir together rolled oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is incorporated. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts to distribute.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to dole out the dough, spaced out, on the parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes; the cookies should be golden at the edges and no longer glossy on top.
- Transfer cookies to a rack to fully cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Cookies keep for at least 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Sourdough Chocolate Loaf Cake
This Sourdough Chocolate Loaf Cake is rich with a deep chocolate flavor and tender crumb. It’s a fancy way to use up sourdough discard. My starter imbued this cake with a flavor like malt, so combined with chocolate, I was reminded of a chocolate milkshake.
When I say discard, I mean the mother starter should be 1) active and 2) likely fed the evening before if this is being made in the morning. After the starter is divided to be used in this recipe, feed the mother starter again and tend as usual.
Now, a confession: my first attempt at this recipe was a cake fail. The original Bake from Scratch recipe calls for baking an hour and five minutes. I did that, and the center of my loaf collapsed during cooling because it was completely raw inside. I did salvage the bottom, top, and sides, though.
On my second attempt, I monitored closely after the hour point, and I kept baking. At an 1 hour 30 minutes, I declared it baked, and slicing into it later revealed it was just barely done. So, keep an eye on things. I’d rather have a bake overdone than underdone.
Bready or Not: Sourdough Chocolate Loaf Cake
Equipment
- loaf pan
- parchment paper
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Loaf
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard 275 grams
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or soured milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Cut parchment to fit inside the loaf pan like a sling, sticking up at the two long sides. Use nonstick spray in the pan and on the parchment paper.
- Beat butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add egg. Add sourdough discard, buttermilk or soured milk, and vanilla, scraping the bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.
- In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, scraping the bottom again. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for somewhere between 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. After the hour point, use the toothpick test every so often to check for doneness; a digital thermometer is also a good way to check inside, with a goal of seeing over 190-degrees in the middle.
- After about 15 minutes, use the paper sling to lift the loaf out. Let cool completely on a wire rack, speeding in the fridge if desired.
- Make the glaze. Spoon it over the loaf pan to dribble over the sides. Let set at least 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy! Store in a sealed bag or container. Cake can also be frozen in slices for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Bready or Not: Sourdough French Bread started in the Bread Machine (2 loaves)
Fresh French Bread is one of the best things on the planet. With your bread machine and a little bit of effort, you can create this wonder at home!
(Of course, you don’t NEED a bread machine to make the dough. You can just use the ingredients and mix by hand. This recipe aims for greater accessibility, though, for those who are crunched for time, have conditions like arthritis, or simply hate kneading.)
This recipe produces two loaves. A food scale will make for more precise results, both in assembling ingredients and dividing the dough later on.
Greatly modified from Making Artisan Breads in the Bread Machine by Michelle Anderson (a book I highly recommend).
Bready or Not: Sourdough French Bread started in the Bread Machine (2 loaves)
Equipment
- food scale
- bread machine
- food thermometer
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- cake pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups active sourdough starter (around 350 grams)
- 3/4 cups lukewarm water (180 ml) about 100-110 degrees
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar (31 grams)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 cups bread flour (480 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast or bread machine yeast
Instructions
- Most bread machines call for adding liquids to the bucket first. Therefore, place the starter and water inside. Use fingertips to whisk them together. Add sugar and salt, followed by the flour and yeast. Start the machine on dough mixing mode.
- Monitor the dough as it mixes. If it seems especially lumpy, drizzle in some extra water until the texture smooths out.
- Once the dough is done, measure it on a food scale to divide in half. Sprinkle extra flour on a clean work surface. Press dough out to a flat rectangle, about 10 inches long, then fold inward as if folding a sheet to go in an envelope. Pinch the seam together while gently elongating bread. Place seam underneath. Set loaf on parchment paper. Repeat with other half of dough.
- Let rise in a warm spot in the kitchen or in an oven on proof mode for an hour or so, until loaves look doubled. If loaves were in warm oven, remove them so the oven can preheat at 400 degrees. On a lower oven rack, place something like a metal cake pan that is an inch or two in depth so that it can heat as well.
- Once the oven is preheated, use a French lame or knife to slash the top of the loaf so that it can vent while baking. Being VERY careful to not overfill or get scalded by steam, pour water into the hot pan in the oven. Immediately place the risen loaves on the rack above and close the oven (and don’t open it again until the bread looks done!).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until loaves are golden and sound hollow when tapped. A check with a food thermometer should find an interior temperature over 190 degrees.
- Let loaves cool at least 30 minutes before slicing in. Bread will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen right after cooling, and will keep well for up to a month there.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Small Sourdough Boule
Begin the year as you intend to go, that’s what I have often heard. Therefore, we’re kicking off 2025 with a small bread round that entirely relies on sourdough starter as the rising agent. This Small Sourdough Boule begins a series of sourdough recipes that will continue into the fall, building up to the release of my new fantasy book from 47North, A House Between Sea and Sky.
One of my characters is a sentient sourdough starter by the name of Mother. Yes, I said “character.” Mother does not speak, but her feelings are still made known. I had early readers say that it was a testament to my writing that they came to deeply care for a sourdough starter.
Sourdough has a life cycle. It requires consistent maintenance to stay active. For this recipe, use a mature starter (at least a few days old) and feed it a half day before commending this recipe. Meaning, if the last feeding was in the evening, start making the dough the next morning. Because this bread relies entirely on the starter for leavening, the dough needs to be begun about a day and a half in advance of baking.
Bready or Not: Small Sourdough Boule
Equipment
- nonstick spray or oil
- parchment paper
- plastic wrap or towel
- small cast iron skillet or baking pan.
Ingredients
- 3 2/3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups water room temperature
- 1/3 cup mature sourdough starter (83 grams)
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the starter and water. Pour wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until the dough looks smooth and is no longer tacky. In a stand mixer with bread hook, this will be about 10 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto the counter and form it into a ball by tucking dough underneath the tighten the top. Apply nonstick spray or oil to the bowl. Place dough back inside and turn it to coat the surface with oil.
- Line another large bowl with parchment paper. Place dough inside, seam side down. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow dough to rise for about 12 hours at room temperature.
- Transfer bowl to fridge to continue its fermenting overnight. Keep there until baking time at some point the next day.
- Preheat oven at 500 degrees. Place the small cast iron skillet or baking pan inside to heat up as well. Once the oven and pan are at full heat, CAREFULLY remove pan from inside.
- Pull dough from fridge. Set aside the towel or plastic wrap. Use the parchment as a sling to transfer dough to the hot pan. Use a knife or French lame to score the top so that carbon dioxide can escape the bread as it bakes.
- Place pan in oven. After closing the door, change the heat to 475 degrees.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes.
- When done, the loaf should sound hollow when thumped. A digital thermometer plunged into the center should read over 190 degrees.
- Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing in. Enjoy hot or at room temperature. Fresh bread can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
