PB & Jelly Sourdough Babka by Elaine Boddy
Prep Time 40 min
Cuisine Savoury
Use Within 2 days
Method
In the early evening, roughly mix all the ingredients, except the peanut butter and jam, until you have a rough dough. Cover the bowl with a clean shower cap and leave the bowl on the counter for 2 hours.
After the 2-hour rest, perform a first set of pulls and folds; life and pull small handfuls of dough up and over the bowl, turn the bowl and repeat round and round until the ball comes into a ball. The dough will be stiff initially but will soon become smooth and come into a ball, at that point, stop. Cover the bowl again and leave it on your counter.
After an hour, perform one more set of pulls and folds on the dough covering the dough again afterward. It will be stiff, slightly stretchier and smooth, and will quickly come into a firm ball.
Leave the covered bowl on the counter overnight, typically 8 to 10 hours, at 18 to 20'c.
The next morning, the dough will be doubled in size, with a smooth surface, typical of milk-based doughs. Place the dough, untouched but still covered, in the fridge for at least an hour until you are ready to use it.
When you're ready, sprinkle flour over your kitchen counter and ease the risen dough from the bowl onto the counter. Use your fingertips to start stretching and pushing out the dough until it becomes a 20 x 40cm rectangle with an even thickness all over. This dough will be firm and easy to work with due to the milk in it, you could even use a rolling pin to roll it out, be careful not to make holes in the dough.
Spread the peanut butter all over the dough, then spread a layer of jam over the top. Roll up the dough from one of the shorter edges toward the other to make an even roll of dough. Once rolled, use a dough knife or sharp knife to cut the sausage lengthwise down the middle into two equal pieces. Twist the two pieces together, then lift the whole dough into your pan. Cover the pan with your same shower cap.
All the dough to proof again, letting it grow level with the edge of the pan. This may take 2 to 4 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. This step can also be done in the fridge for a longer, slower second prove for up to 24 hours, and can then be baked directly from the fridge. Once the dough has grown up to level with the edge of the pan, bake it.
When you are ready to bake, decide whether you would like to bake in a preheated oven or from a cold start. If preheating, set the oven to 180'c fan assisted or 200'c non fan.
If you preheated the oven, bake it uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes. If you are using a cold start, place the uncovered pan of dough in the oven, set the temperature as above and set a timer for 50 to 55 minutes.
Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it cool briefly before slicing and tucking in!
Ingredients
Makes 1 loaf
- Equipment:
- A 2-pound (900g) loaf pan (9 x 5 inches), lined with parchment paper
- For the loaf:
- 50g sourdough starter
- 350g reduced-fat milk, cold or at room temp (any type of dairy or plant-based milk works; I also like using oat milk)
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 7g salt, or to taste
- Filling:
- 250g ManiLife Deep Roast Crunchy
- 100g jam of your choice