Waste not, want not…
I had quite a bit of pickling liquid left over from our last batch of cucumber pickles, and I was loathe to just throw it out (after all, it was good white wine vinegar and brown sugar).
Thankfully, Dan Lepard dislikes wasting things as much as I do. In The Handmade Loaf, he offers a selection of recipes for reusing leftovers in various loaves. Dan has breads which use the whey from cheese making, excess cooked rice, the glass of wine left in the bottle, and best of all on this occasion, leftover pickling liquid.
Dan’s original recipe isn’t really for a sweet pickling solution like the one we used, but I decided to try the loaf anyway. Here’s the formula I used:
- 200g dark organic rye flour
- 300g white bakers/bread flour
- 350g pickling liquid (strained)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10g dried yeast
The resultant bread is a sweet, tangy, very dense rye loaf, reminiscent in flavour of the pumpernickel rounds my mum used to serve hors d’œuvres on when I was a child. It was delicious with butter and, not surprisingly, our cucumber pickles. Pete also thought it would be excellent with cream cheese.
I had it toasted for breakfast with Linda’s recipe for button squash egg-in-the-nest. The pickle bread made very tasty but unusual dipping soldiers!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
All I can say is YUM.
How exciting to have success with that recipe! Once upon a time I tried making it with the juice from a jar of Krakus polish pickled gherkins :(
I think it all depends on the liquid used and how salty it is, I suspect the one I used was too salty and more or less pickled the yeast!
I’ve seen recipes for this type of thing before, but just can’t seem to wrap my head around how they might taste.
Wow! A wonderful looking bread and can only imagine the flavours. All looks delcious! x
That bread looks scumptious. I love your never-let-anything-go-to-waste thinking!
Ah, the wonderful world of leftovers – true test of a real food artist. Nicely done.
I agree with Pete. I think cream cheese or ricotta would be perfect with your loaf. Together with pickled cucumbers – good wholesome food for the soul.
Celia,
What a clever idea! I agree its such a waste not to use the excess pickling liquid.
A great combination with the egg in the squash breakfast!!
http://www.thecitycook.com/cooking/articles/fab/000074
What about bread made with VERJUS! I’ve been thinking about how to use it since I bought a bottle. Verjus can be made from unripe grapes as they get thinned out on the vines. Its a real waste not product.
Deb, thank you! :)
Jo, I can imagine it might have been quite salty with unsweetened pickle juice! Amanda, using the bread and butter pickle liquid really did make it quite a sweet, interesting loaf.
Yvette, Claire, thank you! We’re not great at stopping everything from being wasted, but it’s so nice when we’re able to at least save some of it! :)
Doc, O King of Leftovers, thank you! :)
Mariana, I’m thinking it would make a nice afternoon tea – cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches!
Di, your button squash have been simply divine, thank you!
Frances, love verjus, but it can sure get expensive sometimes!
What a great idea! I hate throwing away good product that coud be saved. I’m extra glad it tastes so nice too.
My vote is for cream cheese. Great idea!
Maz.
*grinning* This recipe has caught my eye many times. Well done Celia for giving it a go. I was brought up on tangy, dense ryes so it does sound like it would hit the spot. Great pictures! :)
Oh yum I’ve never even heard of that before but what a terrific idea! I love the button squash too. Am going to do that with my giants too!
Becca, thank you – it is very yummy! I’m wondering if I couldn’t have reused the pickle solution for future preserves – a la Chinese master stock?
Maz, cream cheese (Philly) is what Pete had in mind too! :)
Chris, I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of the other leftover recipes in the book. The cooked rice one always appeals to me, but I’m yet to give it a go!
You are incredible!! Bread from pickle water!! I am very jealous that this was your breakfast and I had boring oats.
This bread looks so good! And sweet pickle juice is perfect with cream cheese and cucumbers- great idea.
I’m wondering if you could have used the leftover liquid to pickle hard boiled eggs, as well. I always save what I have leftover from pickled quince and pears- the spices are so good on pickled grapes.
What a brilliant idea. There’s something so satisfying about making something using leftovers that would otherwise by thrown away. I love the look of the crust on this!
I would have never thought to use the leftovers in this way. Amazing what you can do!
What a gorgeous crust! Yum, I’m so with you about the waste not want not. Always wanted to use buttermilk/ excess water from making yogurt to make bread, and this gives me just the excuse to ensure that I actually do so.
A great loaf Celia! Do try the left over rice loaf – it is great, and makes me want to make extra every time! I have brown basmati, but I guess any rice will do!
Anna, don’t be jealous, your morning tea was pain au chocolat.. :)
Heidi, I once made pickled quail’s eggs, and they were absolutely delicious! Have never thought to try with regular eggs, and it’s not like we don’t have a lot of them!
Helen, thank you, you’re absolutely right! :)
Susan, thank you – I wonder if the pickling solution could also be used in salad dressings?
Soy, I have a post scheduled for later this week which hopefully you’ll love – it’s for making bread with whey! :)
Chocveg, that’s really good to know, thank you! I always have leftover rice, so I’ll definitely give it a go now that I know it works! :)
How clever! I hate throwing things out too if they’re perfectly good :) I meant to ask, have you ever tried making your own vinegar?
No no no, don’t suggest things like that! :) No, have never tried, will await your blog post on how to do it..hahaha
Amazing! It’s never dawned on me to make bread from the leftover pickling liquid.
Am looking forward to the whey bread post–often have lots of whey left over from cheese-making. I usually use it to water the tomatoes, (It’s supposed to be good for the vegetables.) but bread sounds very, very interesting!
Hi Celia,
That is lovely looking bread, and then that dish you showed with the egg and the cheese etc., Looked like some noursihing breakfast type pizza – wow (and with your eggs too….)
Loved the post about around the sourdough scrolls – do you make that dough relatively stiff? I’ll have to try something similiar (maybe cheese and spinach).
Thankyou and Cheers,
Craig
You really can’t go past the creations we come up with leftovers huh, very impressive. I must have missed your egg in a nest post., what an awesome idea – I reluctantly came in from the farm with a couple of squashes & way too many zucchinis…, this little idea looks great.
Manuela, hope you like the recipe, I’ve just put it up. You reminded me of something else – my grandmother always cooked rice the Chinese way – multiple rinses and then the absorption method. She always saved the starchy water from rinsing the rice for her plants, and they always great sooo well!
Craig, thank you! The SD scrolls are usually a wet dough, but they would really work better with a lower hydration – much easier to handle that way! I usually make a giant batch of SD on the weekend, and then divide it up to make scrolls, rolls and loaves.
Anna, not my egg in the nest recipe darling, that was Linda’s, but it is indeed a great idea! It seems to be the season for squash and zucchinis!