Let’s Try Something Fun – Kimchi And Apple Sourdough

I know, I know. Kimchi and apple sourdough bread isn’t a common sourdough flavor and it may even sound bizarre but hey let’s have some fun with sourdough. This kimchi and apple sourdough is an inspiration from my boss. He’s obsessed with kimchi (he’s a french!). One day he had the idea of making kimchi pizza with sliced apple. At first, all my colleagues and I were unsure about it. However, it came out surprisingly tasty and well-balanced. Today I’m going to share my experiment with kimchi and apple sourdough bread.

---

kimchi and apple sourdough recipe

weight	ingredient	baker’s percentage
400g	baker’s flour (12.5% protein)	100%
260g	water	65%
120g	starter	30%
6g	salt	1.5%
20g	kimchi juice	5%
100g (after cooked, 80g)	kimchi	25% (after cooked, 20%)
48g	diced apple	12%
total 930g

workflow

Day 1
7:00	Mix flour and all water until a dough forms. Cover with a tea towel and leave aside for 30 minutes (autolyse)
	Slightly chop and cook kimchi in a frying pan to get rid of excess water. Leave it aside to cool down. Dice apple.
7:30	Add the active starter to the dough and continue mixing. Gradually add kimchi juice to the dough and add salt. Mix until gluten develops. (windowpane test)
7:50	Lamination: Spread the dough on a lightly oiled bench, and spread out kimchi and apple. (check this post for how to add inclusions with illustrations at the bottom “NOTES section”)
8:00	Bulk ferment starts. Perform coil fold *2 at 30-minute intervals.
19:00	Pre-shape: 465g *2
19:40	Final shape. 15 minutes of bench rest.
20:05	cold prrofing in the fridge.
Day 2
14:00	Pre-heat oven and cast iron bread pan.
14:45	Scoring. Bake at 250 degrees for 25 minutes lid on. 230 degrees for 20-23 minutes lid off.

Notes

* Overall taste is mild. It didn’t come out as spicy as I expected. Can barely taste kimchi. I’ll try not to cook kimchi but just drain off the extra juice from it. Or I’ll incorporate some gochujang (Korean red chili paste) to enhance the flavor.

* I like the colour that kimchi brings to the dough. I believe the vibrant color in gochujang will make the bread even more delicious-looking

* I enjoy the sweetness of the apple and it also contributes to the texture. I might try doubling the amount next time.

* 2 coil folds only due to the strong structure (and also lower hydration) of the dough.

* The final bread is baked beautifully with all the blisters around. Maybe the bacteria in kimchi juice boost the fermentation process. (Lactic acid bacteria can be found in fermented food such as kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles and of course sourdough!)

At the end

I’m happy I tried making bread with kimchi and apple. This is fun. Try something new and learn something new along the way. This is just the first trial of this kimchi apple bread. I’ll give it another go soon and see how far I can reach. Stay tuned people!