sourdough – Hangry Hannah

Blue Cheese & Walnut Sourdough Loaf

November 10, 2025bread, Fermentation, Recipes, sourdough1 Comment

I love how customizable sourdough can be! I have been trying out different variations, and this combo may be one of my fall favorites. The walnuts add this wonderful crunch while the blue cheese highlights the tanginess of the sourdough. It makes a wonderful bread for grilled cheese, to dip into soup, and to eat toasted with some butter!

Ingredients

300g Water
175g Active Sourdough Starter
450g Bread Flour
10g Sat
1 Cup of Walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Package of Your fav Blue Cheese, crumbled

Let’s Get Baking

In a large bowl, combine 300g water + 150g active sourdough starter and whisk until fully incorporated.

Then add in 450g of bread flour + 10g of salt. Mix well until there are no dry spots on the dough. The dough should be sticky. Cover with a damp towel and let sit on the counter for an hour.

After the initial hour, uncover the dough and add in most of the chopped walnuts + blue cheese. Be sure to save some of the fillings for the shaping process! Now we begin stretch and folds. Wet your hands and place them underneath the dough, pull the edges of the dough up and fold them on themselves. Repeat on all sides of the dough. Once folded, cover the dough with the towel and repeat the stretches every hour until the loaf has doubled in size – the timing will vary. The dough will feel light, airy, and it will be less sticky when it is ready.

Time to shape! Turn out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Pull out the edges of the dough to create a rectangle. Add in the remaining walnuts + blue cheese. Fold one side halfway into the rectangle and fold the other side over that. Roll the dough away from you, creating a log. Place your hands on the sides of the dough and begin pulling towards yourself to get rid of the seams and create a tighter ball. Prepare a bowl by placing a towel in the bowl and sprinkling flour on the towel. Place the dough ball upside down [or seam side up] into the prepared bowl. Cover with the towel and let it proof for one hour on the counter before moving it into the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 500°F and put your Dutch oven in the oven while it preheats. Place your dough on a piece of parchment paper and score the bread to release the steam. Carefully remove your Dutch oven once the oven has preheated and place your dough inside. Cover with the lid and bake at 500F for 20 minutes. After the initial 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 475°F and bake for another 25 minutes.

Allow to fully cool before cutting into the dough – this is the hardest part! Then enjoy!

What will you serve this bread with?

Made with Love,
Hannah

Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

October 12, 2025Desserts, sourdoughLeave a Comment

October is one of my favorite months. The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling off, and it is time to lean into all things cozy. Cozy for me includes slower moments, spices, candlelit rooms, and being wrapped up in a blanket. I think that this sourdough pumpkin bread from This Jess Cooks adds to the experience of fall. It has the perfect balance of spices, pumpkin flavor, chocolate, and my favorite, a little tang from the sourdough discard. This all comes together quickly and is ideal for sharing!

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin purée
200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
1-2 teaspoons turbinado sugar for topping (I did not have & used regular sugar instead)

Let’s Get Baking

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour + cinnamon + nutmeg + cloves + ginger + baking soda + salt. Set the bowl aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar + brown sugar + pumpkin purée + sourdough discard + vegetable oil + egg.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chunks, keeping at least 2 Tablespoons of chocolate chunks for the topping. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar and the leftover chocolate chunks.

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cool, slice & enjoy!

Made with Love,

Hannah

Dill & Lemon Sourdough Loaf

June 24, 2025bread, Fermentation, Recipes, sourdough1 Comment

I have so much dill in my garden now that I don’t know what to do with it! I usually plant it for my homemade pickles but I wanted to find ways to incorporate it into other dishes. I decided that adding dill to my sourdough loaf would be a perfect start to using up my harvest. All I could think about was making BLTs on homemade bread. I loved how the dill and lemon highlighted the sourness of the bread. This might be my new go-to summer loaf! I used Sourdough by Syd recipe on TikTok – I make the perfect loaf with it every time!

Ingredients

300g Water
175g Active Sourdough Starter
450g Bread Flour [I used bread flour and whole wheat just because I did not have enough bread flour]
10g Sat
1 Bunch of dill, chopped
1 Lemon, zested

Let’s Get Baking

In a large bowl, combine 300g water + 150g active sourdough starter and whisk until fully incorporated.

Then add in 450g of bread flour + 10g of salt. Mix well until there are no dry spots on the dough. The dough should be sticky. Cover with a damp towel and let sit on the counter for an hour.

After the initial hour, uncover the dough and add in the dill + lemon. Now we begin stretch and folds. Wet your hands and place them underneath the dough, pull the edges of the dough up and fold them on themselves. Repeat on all sides of the dough. Once folded, cover the dough with the towel and repeat the stretches every hour until the loaf has doubled in size – the timing will vary. The dough will feel light, airy, and it will be less sticky when it is ready.

Time to shape! On a place your dough on a floured surface. Pull out the edges of the dough to create a rectangle. Fold one side halfway into the rectangle and fold the other side over that. Roll the dough away from you, creating a log. Place your hands on the sides of the dough and begin pulling towards yourself to get rid of the seams and create a tighter ball. Prepare a bowl by placing a towel in the bowl and sprinkling flour on the towel. Place the dough ball upside down [or seam side up] into the prepared bowl. Cover with the towel and let it proof for one hour on the counter before moving it into the fridge overnight.

Allow to fully cool before cutting into the dough – this is the hardest part! Then enjoy!

I would love to hear about all the creations you make with this bread! What are your favorite dill recipes?

Made with Love,

Hannah

Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Loaf

January 30, 2025January 29, 2025Recipes2 Comments

A friend recently requested a blueberry lemon loaf and I was more than happy to oblige as blueberry + lemon is the supreme combo. I have my tried and true recipe, however, I have been wanting to use my sourdough starter in more recipes and I figured this was the perfect opportunity. Shout out to Idie’s Farm for the guidance on how to make this recipe starter-friendly! I went with the long-fermented option because I wanted that tangy sourdough taste.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon

Wet Ingredients

1 Cup Sourdough Discard or active starter
3/4 Cup Light or Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
2 Large Eggs
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Cup Blueberries

Lemon Glaze

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Let’s Get Cooking

Begin the batter 16-18 hours before you plan to bake!

In a large bowl whisk together 2 Cups All Purpose Flour + 1 TSP Baking Powder +1 TSP Baking soda 1/2 TSP Salt + Zest of 1 Lemon.

In another bowl combine 1 Cup Sourdough Discard or active starter + 3/4 Cup Light or Dark Brown Sugar+ 1/2 Cup Melted Butter+ 2 Large Eggs + Juice of 1 Lemon + 1/4 Cup Milk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the batter has just come together. Be aware to not over mix. Fold in the blueberries and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.

Allow to rise for 4-6 hours, I like to put mine in the oven with the light on. Place dough in the fridge for a second rise overnight or for 12 hrs.

The next day; preheat the oven to 350F.

Give the dough a few good stirs and then pour it into the prepared pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool.

Combine the glaze ingredients and pour over the blueberry loaf.

Slice and enjoy!

Made with Love,
Hannah

Sourdough Glazed Donuts

January 20, 2025Recipes, sourdough4 Comments

About 5 years ago when I was still a sourdough newby I attempted to make sourdough donuts. I had failed miserably. Since Brad [my starter] turns 5 this year it is the perfect time to redeem myself. Aberle Home helped guide me to success. Though I don’t have a oil thermometer it would be recommended by me to get one [it’s on my list as well] as ensuring the oil is at the right temperature is the hardest part of these donuts. This is a two day process so make sure you are planning ahead but OMG are they worth it.

Ingredients

Tangzhong (Scald)

180g whole milk
38g unbleached bread flour

Dough

Cooled tangzhong
200g ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration)
375g unbleached bread flour (12.7% protein)
3 Large eggs
38g granulated sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12g kosher salt
100g salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Vanilla Glaze

70g Whole Milk
230g Powdered Sugar
1 TBSP Salted Butter, melted, cooled
1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt

Additional

Vegetable Oil for Frying
Donut Cutter [or create your own at home like I did with a container lid and smaller cookie cutter]
Parchment Paper

Let’s Get Baking

Day One

Feed your starter 6hrs in advance and allow it to peak.

Prepare the tangzhong mixture: whisk together 180g milk + 38g flour in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until it thinkens to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Spread flat on a dinner plate and refridgerate until cool.

In a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook, add the cooled tangzhong + 200g Ripe Starter + 3 Large eggs + 38g granulated sugar + 2 TSP vanilla extract + 375g unbleached bread flour. Mix on low speed for 1 minute until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add in the 12g of salt and knead on low speed for 10 minutes. Add in half the butter cubes and continue needing until the butter is incorporated and no longer visible. Add in the second half of the butter cubes. The dough is done when it cleans itself off the sides of the bowl and clings to the dough hook, this may take 10-15 minutes.

With damp hands form the dough into a smooth ball. Place in a large bowl, cover, and set in a warm plave until it has nearly doubled in size. After the dough has risen, cover tightly, and refridgerate overnight.

Day 2

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper, lightly dust them with flour. Lightly flour your counter and turn out the cold dough. Roll evenly to 1/2-inch thickenness. Use your donut cutter and cut as closely spaced together, placing them on the parchment paper.

Cover the pans with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to proof until the donuts are puffy and soft to the touch.

When the donuts are about ready, fill a heavy bottomed pot with 2 inches of frying oil. Line a cooling rack with paper towels underneath and begin frying when the oil reaches 360F. Fry about 2 donuts at a time, fry about 2 minutes per side or until they are golden brown.

Make the vanilla glaze: combining 230g powdered sugar + 70g whole milk + 1 TBSP melted butter + 1/2 TSP vanilla extract + salt. Mix well until all combined. Once donuts have cooled, dip them in the glaze and place glazed side up on the cooling rack.

Enjoy immediately! Trust me you’re not going to be able to stop.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

May 6, 2024bread, Fermentation, Recipes, sourdough2 Comments

I have been on a sourdough kick recently, I love how versatile it is! You can make pastries, savory snacks, and the best bread ever. I love making the big loaves, but I wanted to try something easier to cut and use for my morning avocado toast. I found this recipe from Stay at Home Sarah and she truly is right on with how easy this sandwich bread is! This recipe makes two loaves which you can easily wrap up and freeze until you’re ready to use!

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Softened Butter
2 1/2 Cups Warm Water
1 1/2 Cups Active Sourdough Starter
2 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP Salt
8 Cups Bread Flour

Let’s Get Baking

Using your stand mixer bowl, add in softened butter + warm water + active sourdough starter + honey + salt + half of the flour. Mix with paddle attachment until all the ingredients are combined. Switch to the dough hook and slowly add in the rest of the flour. Knead on low for about 7-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and glossy.

Place the dough into a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Leave at room temp to proof for 10-12 hours. The dough will be ready when it’s doubled in size.

After your first proof, lightly coat your loaf pans with oil or butter. Divide the dough in half. Working one at a time, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Stretch the sides and press gently on the dough to release any bubbles. using the short sides, fold the dough into thirds. Starting at the short end, roll the dough up into a log, tuck the ends in underneath. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Place into the prepared pans seam side down. Cover with a damp towel and let proof again. This can take up to about 3-6 hours, or until the dough is about 1in from the pan rim. I completed this second proof in the fridge, but you can also leave it out.

To bake, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for about 40 min. Allow to cool on a wire wrack and let rest 1 hour before slicing.

This makes the best bread that can be used with any toppings imaginable! I have been loving it with avocado + chili oil + a runny egg for my breakfast

Made with love,

Hannah

Blueberry & Lemon Sourdough Scones

November 17, 2023November 16, 2023Desserts, Recipes, sourdough5 Comments

I have come to the realization that I do not use my sourdough starter enough! I use it primarily to make bread and failed tremendously once while making donuts. But one failure shouldn’t stop me from branching out! I wanted something relatively easy to whip up for a late breakfast treat so I decided on scones. I found this recipe from Savor the Best which incorporates two of my fav flavors, lemon and blueberry. I highly recommend making these if you’re like me and want to branch out with your sourdough starter.

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour, 270g
1/2 Granulated Sugar, 100g
2 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
1/4 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Cold Butter, 1 stick, grated [I recommend putting in the freezer for 15 min before you need it]
1/2 Cup Sourdough Discard, 120g
3 TBSP Cream or Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Let’s Get Baking

To make your dough, combine the flour + sugar + baking powder + baking soda + salt + lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.

Add the grated butter to the bowl and use your fingers to blend the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse sand.

Add the cream + sourdough discard + egg + vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is moistened, it should look a bit dry and crumbly. Fold the blueberries into the dough using your hands.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and use your hands to push it into two 6-inch round disks. Use a knife to cut each disk into 8 wedges.

Move to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the scones with cream and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer the scones to cool, though it is so difficult to wait!

Enjoy as soon as they are cool enough to eat!

Made with Love,

Hannah

Brad’s Sourdough

March 19, 2022March 18, 2022Fermentation, RecipesLeave a Comment

We all know that I love Brad Leone, my sourdough starter is named after him. I got his new cookbook for Christmas and was excited to see that he shared his sourdough recipe. Brad’s recipe is completely different from Claire Saffitz recipe that I had been using from the New York Times. Brad’s recipe incorporates olive oil which brings out a fatty flavor that I love in the bread. Brad also doesn’t require you to knead the dough for 20 minutes, which my arms appreciate. If you’re making bread at all it’s increcibly important to have a kitchen scale.

Ingredients

You need a total of 1000g of flour, it can be of different types, but Brad notes it also can be 1000g of all the same

700 g Bread Flour
150g Rye Flour [I used whole wheat]
150 Fine Italian Flour/type “00” [ I just used the bread flour again]
750g Filtered, Room Temp Water
15g Fine Salt
30g Extra-Virgin Olive Oil [I had a little fun here and used my herbs de provence oil]
150g Active Starter, fed the night before

Lets Get Cooking

Sift the flours together into a large bowl and mix in the water. You want the flours to autolyze which will help build up the gluten development. Make sure there is no dry flour left in the bowl. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes, you can let it sit for longer.

Once you’re done letting the flours autolyze, add salt + oil + starter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, knead the mixture into a smooth uniform ball. You can knead by gently pulling the dough and folding it over itself, or whatever kneading method works for you. Once you get the dough how you like it, place it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This will begin the fermenting process. Be sure to leave the dough at room temperature.

Here’s the part where you need to watch.

Every 60 minutes during the fermenting process you’re going to have to ‘turn’ the dough. This is done by wetting your hands and pulling up a side of the dough and folding it over itself. Turn 90 degrees and complete these ‘turns’ on all 4 sides. After each turn, cover again and let the dough rest. Depending on how your dough is fermenting you may do 3 turns, you may do 6. Once you’ve noticed that the dough has about doubled in size in the bowl and has a light and airy texture.

Once your fermentation is done it’s time to shape and bake! Flour a surface and let the dough fall out. Cut the dough in half if you are making bread, if you are making pizza dough, cut it into 4 equal pieces. With a bench scraper, slide it under the dough and turn, making it into a ball almost. Have floured bowls ready to place the shaped dough back into it and cover. Flip the dough into the floured bowl so that the bottom of the loaf is facing up. You can refrigerate for a day, which I recommend. Or you can bake that day.

Preheat the oven to 500F and place the dutch oven with the lid on into the oven. Gently flip out the dough onto a floured piece of parchment paper. Cut the top of the dough so it can release steam while baking. Place the dough/parchment into the dutch oven, cover, lower the temp to 460F and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove the lid and then let bake for another 45 minutes.

Let sit for about an hour before cutting into it!

If you’re making pizza with the dough, follow along with my sourdough pizza recipe after making the dough!

Made with Love,

Hannah

Roasted Garlic

January 19, 2022January 18, 2022Recipes6 Comments

My mom got me this ceramic pot specifically for roasting garlic and it is the most perfect thing, not to mention so cute. I am a garlic girl, any recipe that calls for garlic I’m doubling/tripling it. I love the simplicity of roasted garlic, you can use it in pasta recipes, on charcuterie boards, or just on a good piece of bread. This recipe does not require you to have a garlic roaster, you can also just place the bulbs on a baking sheet.

Ingredients

1-2 Bulbs of Garlic, the top cut off
Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt
Thyme or any additional herbs

Let’s Get Cooking

Before using the ceramic roaster, soak it in water for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F

Place the garlic with the top cut off in the roaster. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt. Add in any additional herbs that you would like, I like adding a sprig of thyme.

Roast in the oven for about an hour.

Easy, peasy, that’s about it! Eat the garlic however you’d like!

Made with Love,

Hannah

Cheesy Pull-Apart Sourdough

December 2, 2020December 2, 2020Recipes3 Comments

Me and just about everyone else who has a slight obsession with food jumped on the Sourdough train during quarantine. I have zero regrets about it and Brad [my sourdough starter] is still going strong. Sourdough is so versatile, that’s what makes it so fun. This recipe was inspired from Tik Tok by Morgan Hipworth. For the recipe, I used my homemade sourdough but obviously this can also be done with a store bought loaf.

Ingredients

One Sourdough Loaf [homemade or store bought]
1 Block of Cheese, cut into thin slices, I used Monterey Jack because that is all the store had
4 TBSP Butter, melted
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, finely diced
Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Let’s Get Cooking

Preheat the Oven to 375F.

Using a bread knife, cut down into the top of your bread, going horizontally, and vertically. This makes the pieces to pull out.

Take your cheese slices and tuck them into the bread, making sure each pull out piece has cheese around it.

Melt the butter and add in the chopped garlic + parsley. Brush the sourdough with the butter mixture.

Place into the oven for about 5-10 min to get the bread toasty and all the cheese melty. Keep a close eye on it, depending on your oven it may go quicker.

Take out and share with your friends and family immediately. Trust me it’s dangerous.

Always Hungry,

Hannah