I met Karen O’ Donoghue of the Happy Tummy Co at Camp Good Life’s autumn event in North Wales last year, and was astounded by her knowledge of all things sourdough. As part of her bread-making course, she uses leftovers in sourdough, to create a “prebiotic bomb” that’s good for gut health. “The great thing about stuffing leftovers into sourdough breads is that it not only uses them up, it also extends the bread’s shelf life,” she explains.
Fridge-raid stuffed sourdough
I’ve adapted Karen’s recipe here, which she assures me can be stuffed with sweet or savoury leftovers, and anything from leftover apple crumble and brownies to pesto pasta and roast dinner; my version uses leftover roast pumpkin and kale. Karen warns that stuffed breads such as this can be tricky to master on the first attempt, and says it’s important to make sure the stuffing is all folded into the dough and not stuck to the outside.
400g sweet or savoury leftovers
225g sourdough starter
1kg strong organic stone milled flour – Karen uses a mixture of 650g wholewheat, 200g white and 150g einkorn flour
22g sea salt
Put the leftovers in a bowl, roughly mash to a paste and refrigerate.
Mix the active sourdough starter with 700ml warm water, then stir in the flourand leave in a warm place to autolyse for an hour.
Add the sea salt and another 50ml warm water, then leave for 45 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough by picking up a corner, pulling it across the dough and pressing it down. Fold the other three “corners” of the dough in the same way, then repeat the 45-minute resting and folding process twice more.
Thirty-five minutes after the last fold, pre-shape the dough on a worktop. Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour, flip it over and carefully pull out each corner of the dough out to make a rough square. Pull the top left corner down into the centre of the dough and push down. Repeat from the top right corner, then in turn from the middle left, middle right, bottom left and bottom right. Finish by rolling the knitted dough into a neat ball from the top to the bottom.
Set aside to rest for another 30 minutes, then do the final shape: lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour again, flip over and carefully pull out each corner to form a square. Spread the leftovers paste over the dough, then repeat the six folds process above, to knit the dough into a parcel and seal in the paste. Finish by rolling the knitted dough into a neat ball from the top to the bottom and transfer to a proving basket. All the paste should remain inside the dough, so don’t overwork it.
Leave the shaped dough for 30 minutes at room temperature, then put in the fridge overnight.
After eight to 12 hours, when the dough has risen by half, heat a heavy, cast-iron pot for which you have a lid, or a baker’s cloche or similar in a 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9 oven. Lift out the casserole, flip the dough into it, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Turn down the heat to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the bread and leave to cool before slicing.
