I’m SO excited by this discovery that I’m sharing it with you before the loaves have even cooled down!
Last night, I was reading about the Azerbaijani dessert Shekebura, which uses specialised tweezers to pinch a design into the pastry before baking. I thought it might translate to sourdough, so this morning I made up a batch of our cooking class dough and gave it a go.
After proving and shaping the loaves in bannetons, I made one long slash down the side (to control the rise and ensure that the loaves didn’t burst), then set to work with my fish tweezers…
I actually squealed with excitement when I took the lids off the pots! The finished loaves have beautifully patterned crusts…
I’ve found that dusting with fine semolina prior to baking enhances the pattern – you’d probably get an even more pronounced effect with a coating of flour prior to baking…
I’m wondering now if I can emboss more detailed patterns or possibly even words onto the surface…
Have a go! It’s definitely something worth experimenting with! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 