Pandan Sourdough Bread

I like to mix it up with my sourdough flavors, and living in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region has introduced me to so many cuisines (as well as my travels). One of my favorite flavor profiles comes from Southeast Asia: pandan. This is a leaf that, once processed, produces a vanilla, coconut, and slightly nutty flavor. Adding pandan to your sourdough will give it a hint of flavor and a fun, green color. Give it a try!

This uses my base recipe for sourdough bread, but contains all the instructions for a loaf of bread from scratch.

Yields 1 loaf/boule.

INGREDIENTS

• 260 grams ripe sourdough starter
• 600 grams Bread Flour | King Arthur Baking Company (this one has 12.7% protein, higher than typical brands, which makes for a perfectly chewy bread)
• 425 grams distilled/bottled water (to prevent the starter from dying as city water typically contains chlorine)
• 24 grams kosher salt
• 36 grams (1.3 ounces) pandan leaf powder
• 1 tablespoon pandan extract
• 1 tablespoon diastatic malt powder (optional, makes for a higher rise as it gives more of the starter to feed on)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using a large mixing bowl and a kitchen scale, weigh out 260 grams of your ripe sourdough starter. Add 600 grams bread flour, 420 grams distilled/bottled water, 36 grams pandan leaf powder, 1 tablespoon pandan extract, 24 grams kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of malt powder (if using). Mix with a wooden spoon until mostly combined, then mix up with your hand until well combined. Fold the dough over itself, turning 90 degrees each time, four times.
2. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with cling wrap.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees for 1 minute, then turn off. We’re creating a proofing environment for the dough. (You may use the proofing drawer if you have one, but I do not and have not tested it.) Turn on the oven light for residual heat.
4. Place your dough in the oven for 1 hour. After the hour has passed, remove the dough and fold it 8 times over itself, turning 90 degrees for each fold. Repeat this process (1 hour rest times plus folding) 2 more times for a total of 3 hours resting and folding.
5. Place the dough in the bowl covered with cling wrap in the refrigerator and let sit overnight, or up to 48 hours. This allows the dough to develop a deeper flavor and improves texture.
6. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes. While you wait, spray the bottom of an enameled cast iron dutch oven with Pam cooking spray and coat with cornmeal or semolina flour. Alternatively, you may use a round of parchment paper in the bottom, but I prefer the other method for a crunchier brown base on my loaf.
7. Sprinkle the top of the dough with whole wheat flour (this makes it easier to handle and will show a design when you score it). Pick up the ball of dough, form it into a ball, then place in it in the prepared dutch oven, seam side down. Place the Dutch oven in the oven with lid on and light on for 2.5-3 hours. This allows the dough to come to room temperature and proof a little more for better rise.
8. Once the rest time is complete, remove the dutch oven from the oven and score the top with a bread lame or very sharp knife. Place the dutch oven back in the oven with the lid on.
9. With the dough in the oven, turn on the oven to 450 degrees (no preheating) and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the lid then bake for another 20 minutes. (Keeping the lid on for the first 35 minutes essentially creates a steam oven for a higher rise.)
10. Once the last 20 minutes has passed, remove the dutch oven from the oven and immediately place the bread on wire rack* and let rest/cool for at least 2 hours. Resist the urge to slice into it as it still cooks as it cools. Cutting into it too soon would yield a moist, dense bread, releasing the heat.
11. If left uncut for 12-18 hours, I typically leave the bread out uncovered for that duration as it allows the bread to maintain the crunchy exterior texture. Once cut into, store in an airtight container or wrap in cling wrap for up to 5 days.**

*NOTE: This is by no means a “professional” way to remove the bread from the dutch oven, but my trick is to lift the loaf with a bread knife with one hand, and remove with a set of long tongs with the other. You may also remove the loaf wearing oven minutes to prevent burning yourself.