"Summering" with Sourdough! (11)

Northern Lights appearance last summer

Hello gentle readers! It's almost July and summer is kicking into full gear! Many of you might be thinking that sourdough baking makes the most sense in the fall and winter. Not so much in the summer when it is so warm. That could be true, but there are so many ways to use your sourdough all year round. For example, my husband just saw a recipe from Food and Wine for tomato sandwiches with basil garlic aioli. https://www.foodandwine.com/tomato-sandwich-11749828 He said; this would be great on your sourdough bread! I agree! We just got some great looking tomatoes from the farmers market, so I plan to try this recipe out soon.

We use our "stale" sourdough bread for croutons. Very easy to make and add to your summer salad. You just cut your leftover bread into crouton size, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. You could add any spices you prefer, and then bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until crunchy. Let them cool (if you can, I always sneak couple while they are still warm, yummy!) I recently made a tomato feta salad recipe I found in the NYT recipe app.https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026738-tomato-feta-salad The recipe did not call for croutons, but it was the perfect addition and gave the salad a bit of "crunch". It was very good and summery!

These buttermilk rolls https://www.baking-sense.com/2021/08/12/sourdough-dinner-rolls-with-buttermilk/ are the perfect size for sliders. I've used it for chicken salad sliders and mini smoked turkey sandwiches. (Larry makes excellent smoked turkey, but it would be good with turkey or any meat from your local deli too!). I'm a big fan of Chicken Salad Chick and the Classic Carol chicken salad is one of my favorites. That was so good on those rolls.

Pizza made with your very own sourdough crust is easy and can be made on your smoker or grill (or even an outdoor pizza oven). I just finished making a batch of the Classic Marinara Sauce (see recipe section for details) for pizza tonight. Take another look at my post on making pizza for more details on making pizza.

The olive oil is warm and ready to add the garlic!

Beginning to simmer.

Ready to use!

How about your own twist on a charcuterie board? I slice the Pain de Compaigne bread (see recipe section) into smaller pieces (I cut each slice into 4 pieces) or slice a sourdough baguette https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes-recipe and include that with sliced cheese, grapes and sliced apples. I add a bowl of mixed nuts and maybe something chocolate and that's a perfect appetizer, light dinner or snack for game night.

Note: I will be adding a post on making the sourdough baguettes. It's easy, but does take a little time.

Charcuterie board with sliced baguette, summer sausage, cheese and fruit. Delish!

Brownies and cookies are great for outdoor barbecues. These chocolate chip cookies are very good, can be made ahead of time and frozen prior to baking. Being able to freeze cookies to bake a few at a time is a great time saver and allows you to time your bake to when it's cooler out. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe

Sourdough brownies seem to be extra moist and fudgy. This recipe calls for keeping the brownies in the fridge after baking and cooling. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/super-fudgy-sourdough-brownies-recipe

That makes them even better on a warm summer day. My older grandson gives them a big thumbs up!

I like to bake my bread in the morning. I let it cool for several hours and then it's available to use for several days. Sourdough bread tends to last longer (stays fresh for up to a week or so) than traditional yeast breads. That is due to sourdough bread's pH. (I found that detail on the King Arthur web site). I store my completely cooled bread in reusable plastic loaf bag with a bread clip. (You can rinse and air dry your bags between uses to cut down on the waste factor.) Your crust will soften up a bit, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Remember that sourdough bread makes excellent toast. We like avocado toast or even cottage cheese and sliced tomatoes as a great topping and is quick breakfast or lunch.

These are just a few ideas on baking sourdough in the summer. Enjoy! Happy July 4th and I will get back to you soon! Take care! Bridget