studio notes // spring
I’m back in my fermentation fixation. In the past few weeks I’ve made a sourdough starter, beet + cabbage sauerkraut, and finished multiple(!) batches of kombucha. I like fermenting because while there is no doubt a science to it, it also asks a lot of your intuition + senses. I frankly could not care less about measuring pH or whatever - I’m not discounting how important this knowledge is, but people have been fermenting as a method of food preservation for a long time without quantifiable scientific fact.
Using our senses when creating asks me to be present. What is the fine line between lacto-fermentation pungency and something being straight up bad? I would probably have more consistent results if I used some (any) quantifiable measures, but I’m not interested in making my homebrew kombucha a consistent product. It’s something that lives alongside me. Sometimes I plan for a brew day, buying fruit or whatever other flavourings in advance, but other times I realize that I really just have to get it done today and I throw together whatever I have lying around. It pretty much always tastes good to me, and I think there’s a benefit to honestly just chilling out a little bit about our hobbies. The shareholders aren’t going to get mad at you if this batch of kombucha is more vinegary than the last. It’s fine.
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I’ve also been making a lot of sourdough whole wheat snickerdoodles, which I’ve adapted from this recipe. They're cakey and wholesome-tasting. I think they’re really good dipped into coffee or black tea and I bet they would taste great with some toasted walnuts in them.
Here’s my version:
whole wheat sourdough snickerdoodle cookies
ingredients
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup butter, softened*
1 cup sourdough starter
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg**
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
steps
Preheat oven to 350F
Cream butter + sugar
Add sourdough starter + egg
Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl + add to wet mixture.
Roll dough into balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar.
Evenly space dough balls on a parchment lined pan. Press down slightly on dough balls to form a nice lil cookie. I don’t find these spread much, but do give them a bit of space on the pan. You can sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top if you desire 🪄
Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how big your cookies are, or until the bottom is golden brown.
*Maybe it’s bougie of me, but I strongly recommend getting some nice ingredients for this. I like this stone milled whole wheat flour and this cultured sea salt butter when I make cookies. It really does make a difference in flavour. Don’t @ me about using salted butter in my baked goods, it’s fine, I just go easy when adding salt back in.
**This is totally a guess, I rarely if ever actually measure my spices and I’m usually happy with how things turn out. Again, we’re being breezy here.
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I still haven’t used my sourdough starter for anything other than adding to baked goods. I don’t quite yet feel ready for the multi-step, multi-day process that is sourdough baking. But adding a little bit of starter to cookies + quickbreads adds a special something that I find very appealing. I also like the idea that when I’m ready, I have an active + alive starter just waiting to be used. Can someone be my sourdough coach?