Day 31 out of 40

The days are getting longer and the tasks are filling the days. We wait and wait for Spring to get here and run towards it. I am walking slowly as possible, even though it is hard to fight the impulse of doing one more thing when the sun is warming the dirt, the trees, the air and us. When we are busy I still bake bread. I have one recipe that allows me to mix a dough and decide later how I want to shape.

What’s your daily bread?
Flatbread, English muffins, loaf, boule, bagel, pita, cinnamon rolls, pizza, bread chips? Ours often start with my #multipurposesourdough recipe . These days we have been making lots of sandwich loafs and I add 1-2 eggs to my basic recipe. It is a simple recipe or approach – make one dough that allows us to make the bread we would like and we can customize with ingredients we have at home. Today our bread was mixed in the afternoon, the levain had pass its peak, but for breadsticks would do just fine. And dipped in garlic, chili and sesame seeds is beyond fine.

Sourdough breadsticks, my multipurpose sourdough recipe in cups:

Next week Amy Halloran and I will be joining bakers and cultures.group for “April Flours” a benefit for Ukraine.

1 cup starter or ¼ tsp yeast
1 cup liquid ( today I used 1 medium roasted beet blended with water ) and I also added an egg 
3 – 3 1/2 cups flour. (If you are using all whole grains, some flours are thirsty so add a few extra splashes of liquid. If you are using yeast and omitting the sourdough starter, reduce the flour to about 3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp honey or sugar (optional)
3 tbsp of oil 
1) In the morning, mix all ingredients until the liquid and flour is well incorporated. No need to knead, but you can for 2-3 minutes to help develop the gluten if you would like. Let it rise until it nearly double

Roll the dough into a rectangle. Slice the rectangle into 8 logs and twist into breadsticks. Transfer to a greased or lined baking sheet leaving a bit of space between each one. Let them rise for a couple of hours until puffed, Brush with egg wash if desired. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes.