Serves 10
70 min
Sweet Sourdough
Recipe GLPRca849a453247f3
A rich and lightly sweet enriched sourdough dough made with active starter, eggs, milk, and butter. This versatile base dough can be shaped into loaves, rolls, cinnamon swirls, or buns. The long fermentation develops complex flavor while the butter creates a tender, soft crumb.
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Ingredients
200 g active sourdough starter
3 eggs, beaten
125 ml whole milk
500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
60 g golden caster sugar or light brown sugar
100 g unsalted butter, softened
1 heaped tsp salt
Directions
Check that your sourdough starter is active and bubbly, with a pleasant fermented aroma. If needed, feed it and allow it to rise again. To test readiness, drop a small spoonful into warm water—if it floats, it is fully active. Add the starter, most of the beaten egg (reserve a little for glazing if desired), the salt, milk, flour, and sugar to a large bowl. Mix by hand until a rough, shaggy dough forms, ensuring all dry flour is incorporated. Alternatively, use a tabletop mixer with a dough hook on low speed. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a clean work surface. Knead by hand for 15–20 minutes, or use a mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 5–8 minutes, until the dough becomes springy and glossy. Gradually work the softened butter into the dough—this will take about 5 minutes. The dough may initially appear rough, but continue folding and massaging it until smooth and glossy. Form the dough into a ball, return it to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 2–3 hours until roughly doubled in size.
For loaf tins: Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly, and divide in half. Shape each portion into a round, rest for 10 minutes, then form into an oblong to fit a 900g loaf tin. Place each in a tin, cover, and let rise for 2–3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator until doubled. For a plaited loaf: refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm it, then divide into three equal pieces. Roll each into a strand of equal length, plait them together neatly, place on a lined baking tray, cover, and allow to rise for 2–3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6). Brush the top of each loaf with the reserved beaten egg. Bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden brown. Allow the loaves to cool slightly in their tins, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
