Milk and Pear Sourdough Rings

Milk and Pear Sourdough Rings

At first I was thinking about making bagels or pretzels. Combining  cold ingredients (listed below) and  kneading such a stiff dough took a lot of energy and time.

The dough:

250 g whole wheat sourdough starter (100% hydration)

760 g organic fat free milk

25 g salt

733 g whole wheat flour

So I was kneading, kneading and kneading until I felt I couldn’t make it any better. I covered  the bowl with  the dough and I put it in the refrigerator. It was about 10 PM . Next day, about 6: 45 I removed the dough from the refrigerator and left it at room temperature for about 2 hours. In the meantime I cored 1 medium ripe Bosc  pear and chopped it coarsely. I  placed it  in  the blender and pureed until smooth.

Then  I mixed in

152 g fresh pear puree

through the dough. I was stretching and folding the dough for a few times (it was still not easy) and then I let the dough rest for 1 hour.  i decided not to make any bagels ( I was afraid that they would be too dense and my husband wouldn’t like to eat them) , so I gave the dough a few stretches & folds and let them  ferment at room temperature from 10 AM to 4 PM.  After that time the dough was perfectly fermented, soft and easy to shape.

I put the dough on the lightly floured work surface and flattened the dough (13×18 inch) with my hands. I cut the dough into thick strips,  then I halved each strip and shaped them into rings.

I preheated the oven to 500F and I baked rings on the baking stone for 15 minutes.  They tasted great when fresh (according to my husband who tasted them when they were still warm), good when toasted or reheated in a microwave for 15 seconds ( I prefer them refreshed this way) . I think the addition of milk improves flavor of breads.

Submitted to Yeastspotting and