Monday, May 25, 2020

The Battle of the Breads - "Easy" Sourdough vs "Simple Crusty Bread"


Y'all, I am the basic bitch of Quarantine. If there is a stuck-inside-foodie-trend, I am ON IT. So far I've made that fancy coffee, endless cookies and breads, and even HOMEMADE BUTTER!

I'm feeling pretty accomplished.

But we all know the most popular trend going right now is SOURDOUGH BREAD. Why is sourdough so popular? Well, if you've been to the grocery store lately you may have noticed that yeast is one of those coveted, hard-to-find items. Sourdough requires no yeast, you literally grow your own in a jar!

I've never been much of a baker, so my go-to easy bread has always been this recipe, which I actually re-posted from my old blog since I thought people could benefit from a no-fail bread.

Two popular recipes I've seen floating around have been this Simple Crusty Bread from the New York Times, and the ONLY "Easy" Sourdough recipe I've EVER found called Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread from An Oregon Cottage. My first time attempting sourdough was that recipe and it was PERFECT. Both of these recipes are great, so I thought I'd compare the two, so y'all know what you're getting into!

Simple Crusty Bread

Is it truly easy?: Yes! It's a bit time consuming, but most of that time is simply waiting for the dough to rise. Everything comes together rather quickly and requires NO kneading. Simply mix the ingredients, let rise, shape, and bake! It even gives you the option to save some dough in the fridge for a future recipe.

Ingredients and equipment: Requires yeast, which is hard to come by right now, but other than a bowl, spoon, and oven, you truly don't need much else!

Crust: Wonderful! A bit floury, but that's probably moreso my fault than the recipe's. It crackled and cracked perfectly.

Crumb: A soft interior with a light crumb. I was really impressed with how it came out!

Taste: This is the one place it didn't thrill me. It tasted like NOTHING. I mean, bread is supposed to just be a vehicle for other things, but it really had no flavor at all.

Tips: While the recipe says to use a pizza stone, I used the Dutch oven method and it came out wonderfully--heat the Dutch oven (covered) in your oven for 20-40 minutes, then place the dough inside and bake, covered, for the first 20 minutes. Take the cover off for the remainder of the bake.

Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread
(I use this recipe for the starter)

Is it truly easy?: A bit more hands-on than the no-knead, but if you use a dough hook you really don't need to knead it at all. It takes more rising time, and during the rise you need to fold in the corners of the dough and turn it over. But it is pretty simple!

Ingredients and Equipment: No yeast! You will need a starter, but using the link above you should be able to grow one in a week or so. Takes some planning ahead but it's worth it! You'll also need a Dutch oven, or a covered baking dish, to bake this bread.

Crust: Softer than the no-knead but the moisture in the Dutch oven probably contributed. Still tasty!

Crumb: Denser than I would like, but not too bad. Still some good holes and fermentation.
Taste: SO GOOD! The slight sour taste that is typical of a sourdough really stands out. This is a bread I could really just eat plain with butter. It's also a bit more sturdy, so would work great for sandwiches.

OVERALL: I liked the crust on the "Easy Crusty Bread" better, but the FLAVOR of the sourdough just can't be beat.

What bread recipes have you baked while in quarantine? What should I try next?