Open Crumb Microwave Sourdough (OCMS)
OK, I titled this to get attention and partly in jest, but see for yourself.
Wherever sourdough starters are explained, the subject of what to do with discards inevitably comes up. Crackers and pancakes (the breakfast type, waffles, or savory pan-fried flatbread) are commonly given uses for discard.
Employment of refrigeration and stiff starters (fermenting more slowly, fed less often) and/or small starters (less to discard) are strategies for reduction of discard volume and needed attention. Levain builds--particularly the progressive refreshment of "No Muss No Fuss" stiff, refrigerated starters--can take the place of a few days of once or twice daily feedings in preparation of a cumulative volume of active levain needed for a bake, such that little or none is discarded.
I've been perplexed that I've never seen mention of what I do with all of my discards, microwaving them into a single-serving bun. This is versatile, because it doesn't seem to matter whether the excess starter is early or far past peak and proteolytic. It's quick and takes just about the least effort for use of a discard. Being 100% starter and undergoing long fermentation, it can have a great tang. With high hydration, microwaved discard comes out fluffy and gelatinized much like the crumb of a good loaf. Granted, there's no caramelization or crunch, but I've always had a soft spot for the soft interior, and one of my kids just lost her front teeth and appreciates a lack of crust anyway. Please see my introductory post yesterday for our family favorite "soft and squishy" bread.
So here is this morning's OCMS, made from a 100% whole wheat liquid starter that had gotten away from me. This also works well with white flour starters, of course. I take out a dab to maintain the starter, and to the rest I stir in a generous sprinkle of salt, top with a plate to trap steam, microwave for 90-120 seconds (your time may vary), and let cool for a bit while covered by the glass bowl.
We love this bread! Does anyone else do the same?
Best regards,
--Tom
still has a big problem in being accepted. Cake is slowly gaining acceptance baked in the microwave but perhaps because the baking process is not completely understood, it still resides in the realm of magic to many people. You can find baking bread in a microwave if you look for it. In particular sourdough? Well, like you said, no one mentions it. It's that lacking of crust thing, the crunch, and the browning aroma filling the house during a bake, but also peer pressure that nuking your dough is somehow cheating and not a natural baking method. Hmmmm. And what about sourdough organisms? Are they always the source of the crumb expansion? Do bacteria and yeast multiply faster in a microwave? (No, but I bet they die faster.)
You are right on with this post and it is a great way to use and economize with starters and waste. To reduce acid a pinch of baking soda works wonders and so does adding more flour, salt and water. The biggest fear (we humans are so controlled by fear) is that when adding these ingredients, especially just the salt, to a ripe starter or discard, that the dough bubbles are all popped in the stirring and a dense bread is the end result. What about additions like crab, chives, snipped herbs, croutons (altus) and real bacon bits?
I have noticed that when nuking freshly mixed flour and water, it is best to let the flour hydrate before heating. Flours like einkorn & spelt need time to soften or result in a sandy mouth feel. That wouldn't apply to heating sourdough starter/discard as the flour is long hydrated, but when adding a little fresh flour to a wet starter, my advice is to wait a half hour before baking.
I love the simplicity of zapping discards to recover the food. Thank you so much for posting.
I wonder if we need a special section on microwave baking.
Mini O,
I so appreciate your thoughtful reply and agree 100% with what you wrote.
Indeed, what I do smacks of the recently trendy mug muffins and the very idea seems to take a stab at the seriousness of artisan baking. Yet it is practical and my daughter’s favorite way to eat sourdough.
Your ideas of add-ins are intriguing. Altus--brilliant! That would serve dual purposes, contributing depth of flavor and preventing waste. Another simple option is to toast slices of the microwave bread to get some crunch and, well, toasted flavor.
I haven't found much difference in stirring or not. It's true that stirring in salt releases most of the large bubbles, though many tiny bubbles remain. It's unclear to what extent these contribute, but I believe the--can we still call them alveoli?--"open" crumb here is formed by expanding steam bubbles constrained by congealing starch and that the work of the starter culture in this case is over, contributing flavor and improving texture of the finished product. Sometimes after salting a starter that hasn't gone too far, I've left it an hour or so to bubble up again before microwaving, but I haven't seen a dramatic difference in the end results.
Another way that I’ve found this useful is as a sort of sourdough test run. The first time that I made fresh-milled flour and sprouted wheat mash for my sweet yeasted bread, I inoculated samples of each alongside the control store-bought whole wheat flour in just the same way as feeding them to starters. Microwaving them after an overnight room temp fermentation, I was able to taste each as sourdough to learn what flavors each brought, without committing to a whole bake of 100% fresh-milled or sprouted. As a sourdough novice, I plan to similarly preview the fermented flavor profiles of the spelt, kamut, rye, etc. that I recently bought.
Now this may belabor the point (idaveindy gave me license), but here’s another example with a caveat. I wanted to find out my preferred salt level in the range of 2-2.5% that I’d seen in different formulas. I knew the hydration of my starter and calculated accordingly for a series of microwave breads in 0.05% increments. I have an inexpensive digital scale which weighs to 0.1 g and allows me to be fairly accurate (search Amazon for “aws scale” if interested). I found that this works well for consistency in salting the microwave breads, but that a subsequent baked loaf tasted saltier than microwaved starter (at the same salt percentage as the dough); I believe the baked bread loses more water and the salt is therefore more concentrated in the baked bread than in the microwave bread. Oops, process matters.
Today's overnight 100% unbleached all-purpose flour starter:
APF.jpg
variable salt, salt is calculated by flour weight.
I find 2% salt as a max for most recipes. I tend to use less, 1.8% but that is my preference.
Thank you for the guidance. Yes, I use baker’s percentages, not percent of solution like we would in the lab.
I’ve seen 2% fairly often, up to 2.5% such as from Alexandra Cooks. In my last sourdough bake I used 2.2% and it seemed too salty. In microwaved starters I’ve liked 2.25-2.35% salt, and as I recall it was the same for Alexandra’s excellent focaccia. I think salt accentuates the tang. I’ll try 2% in my next SD bake. Thanks again!
is something I like at
https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/microwave-mug-pizza/
--
Sometimes i finish cooking thicker flatbread in the microwave, if the pan frying gets the outside done before the inside.
Its also cheap insurance to make sure the quick-cooked item is fully sterilized internally. Hand-forming a single pita usually makes it uneven, which then cooks unevenly.
I do the same thing when my french toast is browned enough on both sides but the crust perimeter is wet (griddle too hot?) and I'm not sure if all of the egg inside was cooked. A quick zap of the stack gives me peace of mind.
Mmm...pizza! Thanks for sharing.
However I do know a handy tip when cooking in a microwave. Instead of placing the food in the centre of the plate for more even cooking the edge of the plate is better.
Because if the nature of how a microwave cooks the plate spins for a more even distribution. If the food is in the centre it just spins on its own axis. If placed on the outer edge it moves much more for improved cooking.
Thank you, Abe. When reheating leftovers I always scoot my food away from the center and into a doughnut shape for more even heating, I suppose accomplishing the same thing, but I like your tip.
My hunch is that this isn't an issue so much with microwave bread because there is a great deal of steam inside, with steam being an efficient heat conductor. Especially because the scale is small--not sure how well a large bowlful would cook in the microwave. Next time I'll place my bowl off-axis and see what happens!