Jeera & cheese sourdough loaf, citrus sandwich loaf and chocolate coconut flapjacks

Here I am, listening to this today, enjoying a strangely warm December afternoon while counting the days/hours until we head home (I'm somewhere near Boucherville) and going through my increasingly short Christmas bake list.

Normally, around this time I'd have done the basic stuff like preparing and freezing pasta frolla, tourtière crusts, or cookie doughs, gathering stuff for a cake or two, but not this year. This year, hubby's work took over and gave me a LOT of time to catch up on my readings and chill time :D So, we'll probably end up with the boozy fruit cake (she's missed a feeding!) and a tiny few goodies, if I can manage the time. And there's no time and room in the fridge for turkey now so the he'll have to be happy with just tourtière with bouilli (assuming all the winter veges are available) this year. :D

These few bakes were made just a few days before we left on this trip and I thought I'll post them here as probably the last post for 2021. :) I didn't even get to make Benny's whole wheat sd loaf yet!



This loaf was inspired by Maurizio's Jalapeño-Cheddar Sourdough Bread. Cumin is one of the most common spice I use besides turmeric and garam masala. I really enjoy having jeera in rice or broths or curries and was really curious how cumin would blend with cheese in this loaf.

Jeera / cumin & cheese sourdough
70g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
240g water (I used 30°C)
240g all purpose flour
5g vital wheat gluten
70g atta flour
15g sugar
6g salt
5g coconut oil
80g cheese (I used Havarti)
3g jeera / cumin seeds

Room temp: 20°C
Autolyse 1 hour
Bulk fermentation 5 hours at 20-22°C; stretch & folds x 3, add-ins were laminated in, coil fold x 2.
Preshape, overnight cold retard at 4°C
Score and baked at 230°C for 25 minutes with DO lid on, then 20 minutes without lid.

I made the mistake of preheating the DO in the oven at 250°C instead of 230°C and the DO was just too hot at the start of the bake. Must remember to use several layers of parchment or add a bake sheet beneath that rack! And I absolutely loved the use of cheese with jeera seeds here! :D

And here's the very last piece





The next bake a last minute bake to use up leftover citrus syrup, sd discard (switched the starters to 100% WW) and I subbed the egg for yogurt and skipped the tangzhong. It does stay soft for up to 3 days!

Citrus loaf with yogurt & SD discard
130g milk (30°C)
60g plain yogurt
80g citrus syrup*
140g sourdough discard (100% hydration)
3g mixed citrus zest (orange + lemon)
2g instant yeast
220g all purpose flour
10g vital wheat gluten
100g atta flour
6g salt
30g coconut oil

*Syrup at thread stage - this was leftover from making candied citrus peels. Assumed sugar concentration 80%; 64g.

Brushed with milk and baked at 180°C for 50 minutes. A light brush of butter all over the loaf after removal from the loaf pan.




This last bake, was an attempt at recreating flapjacks with less sugar and butter. I wanted a version that wasn't too buttery or sugary, so a little bit of tapioca starch was added in to aid with binding but these came out crumblier, harder to cut, slightly healthier (HA!) and tasty!
The broken bits were mixed with some chocolate and left to set. Then, used as breakfast cereal. In a way, this was a version of homemade granola!

Chocolate, walnut and coconut flapjacks
60g unsalted butter
60g coconut oil
60g maple syrup
40g brown sugar
250g rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
10g tapioca starch
20g unsweetened desiccated coconut
30g toasted walnuts, chopped

Chocolate topping
100g dark chocolate, chopped
20g unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1/8 tsp light olive oil
Optional topping: coconut, walnuts

Make the flapjacks
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a quarter sheet or 20cm/8" square pan with butter and line the base with parchment paper with overhands on 2 sides.

In a large saucepan, heat butter, maple syrup and brown sugar over low heat. Stir until all the butter has melted, then remove from heat. Do not allow this mixture to boil. Let it cool slightly for about 3 to 5 minutes.

To the butter mixture, add rolled oats, salt, tapioca starch, coconut and walnuts. Fold in the mixture until everything is evenly coated in the warm syrup.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and flatten with the back of a spatula or base of a glass (lightly oiled).
Bake at 180°C for 15 to 19 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden brown. For crispier/firmer bars, bake until 20-22 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the flapjack cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then lift it out with the parchment overhang onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely. With a sharp knife, slice the flapjack into bars or squares, or proceed with chocolate topping, then slice after the chocolate has set.
There will be bits falling off here and there. Keep those bits to mix with chocolate!

I tried cutting with a bench scraper instead of a "sharp knife" at first.


Make the chocolate glaze
Melt chopped dark chocolate, butter and salt over a bain marie, stirring constantly. Once all the chocolate has melted, stir in oil until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Options to add chocolate glaze to the flapjacks: dip flapjacks in it or drizzle the chocolate on using a fork or a resealable/piping bag. Another method: pour glaze all over cooled flapjack, let it set, then slice.

Lay each glazed bar on parchment or silicone mat. Optional topping: add coconut or chopped nuts over the chocolate as it sets.

Chill the bars for about 30 to 60 minutes to set and firm up the chocolate layer.

Until next time or next year, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)

- Christi