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π New starter discard clafoutis, and baking guide!
Published about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
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New starter discard clafoutis, and baking guide!
Last week, I was in a panic.
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A massive windstorm blew through Albuquerque. During the storm, I ran outside and attempted to collect as many fallen peaches from my tree as possible.
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You tend to obsess just a bit when you love peaches like I do. I mean, you see them growing for months, just waiting for the perfect moment to pick those juicy spheres.
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Thankfully, only a few fell, and my tree is still almost overflowing.
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Even more thankfully, this week's recipes are for a new stone fruit starter discard clafoutis and my trusty, go-to galette crust.
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Perfect outlets for ripe peaches, cherries, plums, or nectarines.
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Now, some might argue that a perfectly ripe peachβperhaps the summer's greatest bountyβwould be wasted in such creations. Nature made it just as it should be enjoyed.
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To that, I'd say you should try either of these with your peaches, then email me back and see if we didn't just one-up nature π
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On to the recipes (and a new baking guide)!
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In this week's newsletter:
Recipes: Discard clafoutis, fruit galette
Guide: How to score and bake sourdough
Baking Help: How do you "season" a proofing basket?
Sourdough Links: Winner of the best baguette, a seriously good Substack, and a repeat sourdough winner at the state fair
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π Sourdough discard clafoutis
Sourdough starter discard clafoutis with cherries.
Rebecca's latest recipe treat is this one bowl, no-flour-needed clafoutis. That sentence pretty much describes it all, except that it tastes darn good.
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A clafoutis has almost a pudding-like texture and yet is so very lightβit's perfect for summer eating. Her recipe calls for a bit of almond extract (optional) and I think this went so well with the overall flavor profileβit really heightens the flavor of the fruit.
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This easy recipe is wonderful for entertaining guests. They'll swear it took much more effort to make something so delicious!
Another "outlet" for any fresh fruit you might have in season is my go-to pie and galette dough. It'll take any fruit you throw at it.
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My peach tree is just bursting with fruit almost ready to pick. You can believe I will have a clafoutis and this galette on rotation here for the rest of summer.
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Oh, and double the crust recipe and freeze one. Your future self will thank me π
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π¬ Member Discussion of the Week
Hello! I'm unsure if I can respond to this, but I have a question I haven't seen you cover yet. (I apologize if I've missed it.) How do I "season" my banneton? I feel like I'm using too much flour, and it still seems to grab ahold of my dough. Thanks for your time, and keep killing it! I love your book and appreciate the emails!
I very lightly mist the interior of the new basket (assuming it has a liner or it's cane) with a spritz of water. Then, dust on white flour. Let it dry for a few minutes. Next, tip it over the trash can and tap out any excess flour. This should leave a very thin layer of flour in there.
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Next time you use the basket, dust in more white flour (you won't need a lot, but it depends on how "wet" the dough is).
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Always ensure your baskets are dry after you use them; don't stack them and trap moisture (until they're 100% dry).
I recently expanded upon my guide to shaping bread dough. Now, it includes almost every bread shape I make here in my kitchenβincluding the pan loaves listed earlier!
π What I'm Reading and Watching
How This Parisian Won the Olympics of Bread-Making. (YouTube) It's no joke to win best of anything with bread in Paris, let alone for your baguette! (LINK)β
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Nickel & Dine. (Substack) Check out Rebecca Firkser's (the same one who contributed the clafoutis recipe to this newsletter!) Substack for a collection of seriously awesome recipes to stretch your budget. I love her recent tomato soup and how to do an Italian vacation without leaving your house. (LINK)β β
How to Win a Zillion Blue Ribbons? Ask the State Fair All-Stars. (NYT) Should out to Han, a fellow member of The Baker's Corner, for his multiple award wins for sourdough (and thank you for mentioning me and The Perfect Loaf!). (LINK)β
Want to make bakery-quality sourdough bread from home? Subscribe for the best sourdough guides and recipes to take your bread from ordinary to incredible.
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