German Easter bread using sourdough starter
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Loading... - Sadiki Omar
- 30 Jun 2022
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The first year I lived overseas, in Germany, I was devastated to discover that they did not have hot cross buns at Easter time.
But then I found they had something even better: Osterbrot. Translated directly: Easter bread — which is in essence, a giant hot cross bun.
It is sweet, but not too sweet, and is ideally enjoyed while still a tiny bit warm, with coffees.
Traditionally, Easter bread is made with yeast, but I love to make it with sourdough starter because of the extra softness and flavour complexity it gives.
You mix it, leave it a while, add the fruit, leave it a while longer, and eventually leave it in the fridge for even longer. All this time is what allows such a special flavour to develop.
Tips:
- Make the dough the day or evening before you want to serve it. Here's how the prep time will break down, there's 30 minutes to prepare the dough, five to eight hours of proofing time (depending on the weather, see point below), and then five to 24 (or up to 48 hours) rest time in the fridge.
- Dough development time: The inclusion of milk and butter in this loaf means that the dough develops more slowly than a regular loaf of sourdough. On a warm day (eg. 24 degrees Celsius and over) around five hours total at room temperature will be just right for your dough to develop, before you put it into the fridge. On a cooler day (eg. around 19-22C) you can leave the dough out for longer (eg. six to eight hours) before putting it into the fridge. When the dough is ready it will be puffier, have more air bubbles and generally be a lot smoother than it was when you originally mixed it.
- Baking if you can't turn your oven fan off: Some ovens don't allow you to turn the fan off. If this is the case in your oven, you can bake your loaf in a deep oven tray, with another identical tray on top to create a kind of lid. This lid will help to keep the steam in, and stop the outside of your loaf from cooking too quickly. You can remove the oven tray lid after 25 minutes baking time.
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Don't have a sourdough starter? Learn how to make one at home.
