I’ve been meaning to make this Monkey Bread for a whole long time, and a wet and yucky Thursday seemed to be a decent opportunity. They are perfect. They are addictive and I might just fall into a sugar coma later. It’s like a cake-sized cinnamon roll.
At the end of this recipe is also a quick note if you want to make a yeasted, not sourdough version, and a “store bought option” if you are really short on time.
This week’s edition of sourdough:Heritage Grains Red Fife Sourdough Bread. I’ve been playing around with not only different grains (spelt, einkorn, buckwheat, etc), but with different varieties of wheat. During their height of the pandemic, when it seemed like even flour was hard to come by, smaller mills started to become more common. This Red Fife flour (a heritage grain that used to be the most common in Canada a century ago, because the wheat itself is pretty hearty) come from Maine Grains, (https://mainegrains.com/). While the flour itself didn’t much color, when I baked it up, I did notice a more reddish tint. Or maybe I *want* to see that so I am seeing it. The flavor is a little more hearty and flavorful than a standard wheat flour. I like it!
This is dinner: an “Italian BLT with added Mozzarella”. It’s a labor of love thing …. I baked the Sourdough Basil Pesto Focaccia, after making the pesto. I grew the basil to make the pesto. I also grew the tomatoes and the lettuce in the BLT. I didn’t make the mozzarella and I didn’t cure the prosciutto, but nevertheless, 2/3 of the ingredients were grown or made by me so that’s worth the labor. And it was a delicious sandwich.
Wowza! Alice in Wondoughland (the sourdough starter with a quirky name) was definitely on steroids this morning when I made the dough for this Sourdough Cinnamon Babka. The rise was fantastic, the proof was solid and then when I went to bake it up, it almost overflowed the pan yet again. Overall another successful attempt at turning a yeasted recipe into a sourdough. Very pleased.
