Sourdough experiment for the week using a super seasonal ingredient: Strawberry Milleswirlie. Why Milleswirlie? Well, Millefiori is derived from “a thousand flowers” in Italian, so here we have a thousand swirls … Mille-swirlies! And the strawberries are just because it is strawberry season and I got them at the weekly farmer’s market yesterday and they were just begging to be made into something delicious. It’s as if strawberry shortcake and cinnamon rolls got together and had a love child. Dessert for breakfast, no regrets!
Ingredients
for the dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (160 grams) ripe sourdough starter
1 1/4 cup milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
for the filling
If you choose to make your own from fresh strawberries:
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut to slices
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 packet plain gelatin, bloomed in 1 tablespoon of water
OR
2 cups strawberry jam
1 packet plain gelatin, bloomed in 1 tablespoon of water
for baking and decorating
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk for egg wash
powdered sugar for decorating (optional)
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle. Heat milk and butter, combine with your sourdough starter, and pour into the well. Add egg and mix until fully combined. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
In the meantime, make the filling. If you are making your own strawberry filling, combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Essentially here you are making your own jam. Smush the berries against the side othe pot so they break up some. Let simmer for a good 20 minutes until the jam is thick and syrupy but be careful not to let it burn. Add the gelatin mixture and let come to a boil one more time, then let cool completely. If you are thickening jam, also let simmer for a good 10 minutes (It starts out thicker and doesn’t need as much condensing) until the jam is thick and syrupy but be careful not to let it burn. Add the gelatin mixture and let come to a boil one more time, then let cool completely.
Once the dough has risen, turn out from the bowl and divide in half. Roll first half out on a lightly floured surface to a 8 x 14 inch rectangle. It should be very thin. Brush with the jam filling. Roll up into a log from the short side — there should be a lot of swirls here — so at the end, you have an 8 inch log. Pinch together and set aside, seam side down so it won’t unroll. Repeat with second half of the dough. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices, about 2 inches thick and space the slices out on the prepared baking pan, approximately 1 inch apart. Ideally, you will have 8 to 12 swirls. Cover loosely with a clean dishtowel and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Using a pastry brush, brush each swirl with the egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes. If they are getting dark, cover with a piece of foil for the last few minutes. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar (optional). Best if eaten warmish.
