Thai Sweet & Spicy Tomato Corn Sourdough + Taiwanese-Inspired Pretzel-Bagels

Charred corn is one of the foods that I look forward to the most as summer approaches. I am craving corn fritters and Thai sweet chili sauce goes perfectly with them, why not combine the two in this sourdough?

Thai Sweet & Spicy Tomato Corn Sourdough

Dough flour:

150g      50%       Freshly mille whole spelt flour

90g        30%       Freshly milled sprouted spelt flour

60g        20%       Masa Harina

For scalded masa dough:

60g       20%       Masa Harina from dough flour

90g       30%       Hot water

For leaven:

7g          2.3%       Starter

34g      11.3%       Bran sifted out from dough flour except Masa Harina

34g      11.3%       Water

For dough:

206g     68.7%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven and Masa Harina

100g     33.3%       Water

74g       24.7%       Whey

75g          25%       Leaven

9g              3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g           1.7%       Salt

Add-ins:

60g       20%       Charred corn

30g       10%       Rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes

15g        5%       Thai sweet chili sauce

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243.5g    80.2%       Whole grain

301.5g    99.3%       Total hydration (masa dough has a hydration of 150%)

Mix together the hot water and Masa Harina and hot water. Set aside until needed.

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 34g for leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 4 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt, leaven, and soaked bran, autolyse for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and the scalded masa dough and ferment for 30 minutes. Fold in the add-ins then ferment for 3.5 hours longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 11 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Remove the dough from the fridge to warm up at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 15 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

The crumb I got is pretty open this time. It is very moist with a slight chew at the same time. Also, the yellowish crumb is quite appealing admittedly…

It has pronounced corn flavour and sweetness from the masa harina, corn and sprouted spelt. The sourness of sun-dried tomatoes and hotness of sweet chili sauce balanced the flavour profile. 

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Pork floss is additive on its own but I am always on the challenge of eating it in creative ways other than just by the spoonful… That’s why I looked for inspiration from Taiwanese and baked these.

Taiwanese-Inspired Pretzel-Bagels

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

160g      80%       Whole white wheat flour

40g        20%       Whole Einkorn flour

For leaven:

10g        5%       Starter

20g      10%       Bran sifted out from dough flour

20g      10%       Water

For dough:

180g        90%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

107g     53.5%       Whey

60g          30%       Cooked purple rice (black glutinous rice) 20g uncooked

50g          25%       Leaven

4g              2%       Vital wheat gluten

2g              1%       Salt

For water bath:

60g       30%        Baked baking soda

-g             -%        Water

For fillings:

60g       30%       Pork floss

20g       10%       Finely chopped scallions

10g         5%       Mayo (I used 1/2 calories Kewpie mayo)

For toppings:

10g         5%       White sesame seeds

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205g      100%       Whole grain (excluding the purple rice)

132g     64.4%       Total hydration

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 20g for leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 4 hours. Mix together the scallions and mayo.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients and let rest for 30 minutes. Ferment for 4 hours longer. Retard the dough for 10 hours.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Let the dough warm up at room temperature for an hour. Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle and spread the scallion mayo mixture over the middle. Sprinkle on the pork floss. Roll and seal the dough, pressing firmly to prevent the fillings from leaking out. Pitch the two ends together. Let proof for 1 hour 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (around 1 L). Bring the water back to a simmer and dissolve the baked baking powder into it. Boil the dough for 30 seconds per side. Place on an oiled parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle the sesame over its surface.

Spritz the bagels heavily with water and bake the bagels for 15 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

The dough was very stiff but I resisted the urge to pour in more water successfully. It paid off as the bagel-pretzels are very chewy and easy to shape. Baked baking soda did a decent job in producing the pretzel flavour yet nothing beats lye still…

I love the combination of these bagels. The einkorn gave some sweetness and the purple rice added an interesting texture. Scallions and pork floss are meant to be together! Don’t skip the mayo since it’s not only for flavour but moisture as well.

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Wednesday’s dinner

The photo doesn’t do this plate of Korean cold glass noodles justice!