'The Sweet Side of Sourdough'

Now that the holidays are upon us, Caroline Schiff, the pastry chef at Brooklyn's Gage & Tollner and woman behind the Instagram account, Pastry Schiff, joins us to discuss her new cookbook, The Sweet Side of Sourdough.   Honey-Glazed Pull-Apart Bread Let’s talk about the pure tactile joy of a pull-apart bread: Layer upon layer of enriched dough, with warm, soft and fluffy insides. This sweet brioche-style loaf is a blast to eat, as you get to peel away the sweet, buttery sheets one by one. The honey glaze adds that perfect amount of sweetness that seeps between each sheet of dough. Its flavors are simple, warm and comforting, and you won’t mind having a loaf of this around to snack on. For a mellow sourdough flavor, it relies on a levain build (see page 17). And with the not-insignificant amount of fat in the dough, it requires a long, slow fermentation and proofing. I recommend building the levain as early in the day as possible, then you can mix the dough in the afternoon or evening and shape and bake the following day. It’s gonna be worth every soft, buttery, warm layer. Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) loaf Dough 1 levain build, doubled in size (page 17) 325 g (21⁄2 cups plus 11⁄2 tbsp) all-purpose flour 114 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 50 g (1⁄4 cup) granulated sugar 2 large whole eggs 1 large egg yolk 24 ml (1 tbsp plus 2 tsp) whole milk, at room temperature 1 tsp kosher salt Filling 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 39 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar Pinch of kosher salt Glaze 30 ml (2 tbsp) honey 30 ml (2 tbsp) whole milk 24 g (3 tbsp) powdered sugar Flaky sea salt, to garnish To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine the levain, flour, soft butter, sugar, whole eggs, egg yolk, milk and salt. Knead on low speed for 25 to 30 minutes, stopping the mixer and scraping it down every 10 minutes or so to make sure everything is getting incorporated, until the dough comes together in a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The long kneading time is necessary for proper gluten development. It’ll start off looking very shaggy and messy, but resist the urge to add additional flour before it magically smooths itself out! Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated very lightly with neutral nonstick cooking spray. Cover and set in a warm spot, letting the dough proof for 4 hours at room temperature. It may not rise much this first proofing; that’s OK! Gently fold the dough over itself, cover and transfer to the fridge to ferment overnight, 12 to 14 hours. Spray a 9 x 4 x 4-inch (23 x 10 x 10-cm) loaf pan with neutral nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Remove the dough from the fridge and gently turn it out onto a floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and gently roll it out into an 8 x 18-inch (20 x 46-cm) rectangle. To make the filling: Spread the soft butter all over the dough in a thin, even layer. Combine the sugar and salt in a small bowl; evenly dust the mixture over the butter. Using a pizza cutter or large knife, cut the rectangle into 24 small squares. I do this by cutting it 3 x 8, first dividing it into three 18-inch (46-cm)-long strips, and then slicing those each into eight even pieces. Stack the pieces of dough, a few at a time, and line them up in the bottom of the prepared pan, so they’re all standing on edge. Once all the dough is stacked in the pan, cover it loosely with a piece of plastic. Place the loaf in a warm spot and proof until the rectangles have increased in size by about a third and appear light and puffy, 3 to 4 hours. Heat the oven to 350F (177C) with a rack in the center. When fully proofed, uncover and transfer the loaf to the oven and bake until it’s a deep golden brown on top, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature in the pan. To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the honey and milk to a boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. After the loaf has cooled slightly but is still warm to the touch, gently remove it from the pan and place on a cutting board or platter. With a pastry brush, gently brush the top of the loaf with about half the honey glaze. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then add a second coat of glaze and garnish with the flaky sea salt. Pull apart and enjoy while still warm.