Maybe it’s in my genes. I’ve always had a weak spot for food cooked with anything related to coconuts. And I’ve been meaning to bake with coconut. So, instead of using water, I used coconut milk and to balance the heady, sweet aroma of coconut milk, I added some coarsely chopped, fresh coriander stalks. My favourite Tartine method, needs me around during the first 3 hours and that works on days that are free and I have often felt the need for another method that gives me more time to do more – and that’s how this method evolved. Mix. Knead. Leave it to ferment for 3 hours. Shape. Leave it to proof for 2 hours. Bake! A lot more time in between to do other stuff.From some background reading that I did earlier, I figured that the coconut flavour tends to ‘evaporate’ after the bread is baked. So I used some thick coconut milk along with some coconut oil to ensure that the coconut flavour stays. So here it is – Fresh Coriander and Coconut Milk Sourdough Bread. This one was steam baked on terracotta tiles using a San Francisco culture. The coconut oil that I used in the dough ensured a crisp, soft crust and the fresh coriander stalks leant a crunch to the other-wise soft crumb. The bread smells like heaven on a plate. I did say that I had a weak spot for Coconut an?

Ingredients:

230 ml Coconut Milk (I dissolved 70 gms of coconut milk powder in 230 ml of water)
70 gms of young levain (I use 25 gms of the starter with 100 gms of water and 100 gms of flour)
45 ml (1 1/2 tablespoon) of Coconut Oil
350 gm of Flour (50 gms of Atta (Whole Wheat Flour) plus 300 gms of Maida (APF)
1 teaspoon of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Salt
Handful of Coriander stalks chopped about an inch long

Method If you look at some of the earlier posts, you’ll find links to YouTube videos for almost all of the steps listed below.

1) Mix all the ingredients except the coriander stalks and knead till the dough is smooth, silky and tacky.
2) Coat lightly with oil and transfer to a bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it ferment for about 3 hours.
3) Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and gently stretch the dough to flatten the dough. Now sprinkle the chopped coriander stalks onto the surface of the dough to cover it completely. Keep about an inch of the edges free of the stalks.
4) Shape the dough into a tight ball and transfer into a colander / banneton. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
5) 45 minutes before baking time, pre-heat oven with terracotta tiles to 250C.
6) After removing the proofed dough from the fridge, transfer to parchment paper, dust with flour and score.
7) Using a peel transfer the parchment paper to the oven and spray the sides of the oven walls with water and shut the oven door. Continue spraying the walls of the oven every 5 minutes for up till 20 minutes. Turn the bread 180 degrees inside the oven – to ensure even heating. Continue baking for another 20 minutes or so – till the crust is a dark brown. Check for doneness by tapping the bottom of the bread – for the hollow sound. Alternately, use a probe thermometer to check if the internal temperature is around 95 – 97C.
8) Remove and transfer to a wire rack for cooling. Wait for at least an hour before slicing.

Here are some more pictures.