Polish Sourdough Low-Sugar Toast

Flavor: Mild; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Polish Sourdough Low-Sugar Toast

Prepare the main dough ingredients and Polish sourdough starter; Polish sourdough needs to be prepared in advance, and the old dough should also be prepared and frozen, ready to be used by cutting into small pieces; This recipe has a low sugar content, which can be adjusted according to taste, with sugar content increased to 50g if desired.

Let’s start from the end: Prepare the Polish sourdough several hours in advance, mix 50g high-gluten flour, 0.5g dry yeast, and 50g cold water into a dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it ferment at room temperature until it doubles or triples in size; The surface should have visible large bubbles and a pleasant fermentation aroma; If you don’t have time to make bread on the same day, the Polish sourdough can be left to ferment at room temperature for half an hour before moving it to the refrigerator for cold fermentation. It is ready to use when it has expanded to about 3 times its original size.

The old dough is a well-kneaded bread dough that can be saved from the previous batch or intentionally kneaded and then frozen for later use, adding a portion to the main dough when needed; Its purpose is to enhance the flavor of the bread; Because the frozen dough is large and hard, I used a sharp knife to cut a few slices, totaling 50g, and the unused dough was returned to the refrigerator for freezing.

In addition to butter, all main dough ingredients and Polish sourdough starter, as well as the old dough, are mixed in the kneading bucket; Now, if the weather is hot and the room temperature cannot be maintained around 25 degrees without air conditioning, it is recommended to refrigerate the kneading bucket and all main dough ingredients for several hours to reduce the heat generated during kneading and slow down the yeast fermentation rate.

First, mix the ingredients at low speed for 1 minute until a dough forms, then switch to medium speed and knead for about 5 minutes; The performance of each machine varies, so adjust the speed and time according to the characteristics of the mixer used; When the dough can be stretched into a thin film, add the butter; The water amount can be reserved by 20g as the flour’s water absorption rate and environmental humidity vary, so decide whether to add more water based on the dough’s condition.

First, at low speed, mix the butter completely into the dough for 2 minutes, then switch to medium speed and beat for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft, with visible gluten patterns on the surface; Pinch a piece of dough, and it should stretch into a transparent, elastic film on your hand.

Remove the dough from the kneading bucket, shape it into a ball in your hand, place it in a deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it ferment until it doubles in size; Dip your finger in flour and poke a hole in the top of the dough, it should not collapse or shrink back.

Place the dough on the work surface, gently pat to deflate, weigh and divide into 3 equal portions, knead each portion into a round shape, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10-20 minutes, depending on room temperature; Lightly press the dough with your finger, and if the indentation does not bounce back, it is ready for the next step.

Flatten the dough, roll it into a rectangular sheet, and roll it up from top to bottom; Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes, checking if it has relaxed enough using the same method as before.

Roll the relaxed dough with the smooth side up into a strip about 35cm long, then flip it so the smooth side is against the work surface, and adjust the state of the dough sheet.

Roll it up from top to bottom, not too loose or too tight, just roll it down smoothly.

Place each rolled dough in a 450g toast box; Let it proof for the second time in a warm and humid place, I use a proofing box at 33 degrees and 80% humidity, for about 45 minutes.

When the dough rises to 8/10 full in the box, brush the surface with beaten egg; Preheat the oven to 180/200 degrees Celsius with both top and bottom heat.

Place the proofed dough in the preheated oven on the middle rack, bake at 180/200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes; I used a low-sugar toast box, so the baking time is shorter. If using a regular one, adjust the time to 30-35 minutes, and adjust based on the actual temperature of your oven.

After baking, gently shake the mold a few times, remove the toast from the mold, let it cool to hand warm, then store in a bag. It can be torn by hand or sliced.

Polish Sourdough Low-Sugar Toast, uniquely flavored, soft and stringy!