The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Red Miso Furikake Sourdough

Benito's picture
Benito

Red Miso Furikake Sourdough

This is my first attempt with this formula I’ve put together for a Japanese inspired sourdough using red miso paste and furikake.  Furikake for those unfamiliar with it is a seasoning blend that can vary that Japanese often use to top their steamed rice.  This particular one has nori flakes, bonito and sesame seeds as the primary ingredient.  I’ve based this on Kristen’s basic sourdough recipe.

 

Total Dough Weight 900 g

 

Total Flour 494 g 

 

Bread Flour 80%

 

Whole Wheat 20%

 

Total Water 377.5 g 76.5% hydration

 

Bread flour 352 g

 

Whole Wheat 97 g

 

Water 320 g

 

Levain 115 g

 

Miso paste 21 g 4.3% (My red miso paste is almost 1 g sodium per 20 g miso) add miso with salt during final mix.

 

Salt 9 g 1.8%

 

Furikake 3 tbsp added during lamination 

 

Levain build 

 

Whole wheat flour 50 g

 

Water 50 g

 

Starter 25 g

 

Fermentation at 78ºF

 

1.    Liquid Levain   (0:00) --- I build mine at around 1:2:2 and let it sit at about 80°F until it more than triples in volume and “peaks”. For my starter, this takes approximately 5-6 hours.

 

Flour for my starter feeds is composed of a mix of 10% rye, 90% bread flour

 

2.    Autolyse  (+3:00) --- This is a pre-soak of the flour and water. If concerned about the hydration hold back some of the water. You can add it back later, if necessary. Leave the autolyse for anywhere from 2-4 hours (I prefer 3 hours) while the levain finishes fermenting.

 

3.    Add Levain  (+6:00)  --- Spread on top of dough and work in using your hands. This is a good time to evaluate the feel (hydration) of the dough.

 

4.    Add Salt and Miso (+6:30)  --- Place salt and miso on top of dough and work in with hands. Dough will start to strengthen.  200 French Folds.

 

5.    Light Fold   (+7:00) --- With dough on a slightly wet bench do a Letter Fold from both ways. NOTE: If baking more than one loaf, divide the dough before folding.

 

6.    Lamination  (+7:30) --- Place dough on wet counter and spread out into a large rectangle. Sprinkle on Furikake.  Do a Letter Fold both ways.

 

7.    Coil Fold   (+8:15) --- Do a 4 way Stretch and Fold (Coil Fold) inside the BF container.

 

8.    Coil Fold   (+9:00) --- Do a 4 way Stretch and Fold (Coil Fold) inside the BF container.

 

9.    Coil Fold   (+9:15) --- Do a 4 way Stretch and Fold (Coil Fold) inside the BF container.

 

10. End of BF - Shaping   (~11:30) --- The duration of the BF is a judgement call. Shoot for 50-60% rise (assuming my fridge temp is set very low). Warmer fridge (above 39F) means your dough will continue to rise... so in this case, bulk to more like 40%. Shape

 

11. Retard Overnight & Bake   --- Score cold and bake in a pre-heated 500F oven for 20 minutes with steam

 

12. Vent Oven 20 minutes into the bake --- Vent oven and bake for 20 or more minutes at 450F.

 

I ended up doing 4 coil folds in order to get a good windowpane.  I’m not sure if the miso interferes with gluten development or not.  When I bake this again I will see if that happens again.

Comments

Benito's picture
Benito

I made a second loaf from this dough and since I only have two bannetons one batard and one boule this one was done as a boule.  The oven spring was quite as good as the batard, I perhaps needed to shape a bit tighter.  I hadn’t done a boule in over a year so I was a bit out of practice.  Also I didn’t bake this in the dutch oven, instead is used my silvia towel and cast iron skillet for steaming.  Overall I’m pretty happy with this.  The miso paste really makes the crust brown quickly.

Benito's picture
Benito

I can’t say that I’m disappointed in any way with how this batard baked up.  Waiting for a 60% rise in the aliquot jar and a further 30 minute bench rest while in the banneton has resulted in a crumb that I am super pleased with.  I’d say that I’ve been under proofing somewhat with my previous bakes with 50% aliquot jar rise.  I don’t think I’ve had a crumb like this in some time.

If you like the flavour of miso soup, you will like this as well, just no soup or tofu!  There is a ton of umami from the miso and the bonito yet neither flavours are overpowering.  Nice tang from the sourdough.  

This loaf was brought to a friends house and they kindly allowed me to slice it open for a photo and for lunch.  I’ll post photos from the boule after it is sliced. I’m not sure it will be quite as good since my shaping wasn’t as good with the boule.

Edo Bread's picture
Edo Bread

How did it taste? You explain some flavors, but was it good? Something you would think "Oh, would love a slice!"?

Did you alter your formula to account for the salt in the miso?

Benito's picture
Benito

It was delicious, my friends really liked it as well.  I will definitely be making this again, I might consider adding black sesame seeds to it as well. 

I thought I included in my formula above, but maybe I didn’t, that I looked at the sodium in the miso and calculated how many grams it would be contributing and then reduced the salt to account for it.  My calculations certainly worked because the saltiness was just right.

Breadifornia's picture
Breadifornia

What beautiful dark coloring! Sounds like a fascinating set of flavors too.  Bravo! 

Benito's picture
Benito

Thanks so much, its flavours are still good after the slices were frozen and toasted too.  The dark coloring was more than I was shooting for, I think the miso enhanced the caramelization of the crust.

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Beautiful bread!  I am a big fan of miso and furikake, both have incredible deep flavour, your bread must taste delicious; and the crumb, really nice!  It looks like the deep dark crust is quite crisp and light too, must add a lovely rich flavour to the bread?  Very nice bake Benny!

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Cedarmoutain.  I’m a big fan of miso and furikake too.  Yes the bread was delicious and the crust was super crisp and tasted.  You should try baking this, so much umami.

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

I will definitely add it to my 'to bake' list... I started a batch of miso last August with the intention of leaving it to mature for one year, it's almost time to open the crock pot!

Benito's picture
Benito

Wow, you are fermenting your own miso, colour me super impressed.  Have you been making miso for very long?  I wish I lived in a big house, I think I’d be making miso, kombucha, etc....

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

You don't need a big space to make miso, a kitchen counter to do the prep work and a small container you can set aside for a year is all that's required. My miso container is a small ceramic jar, occupies about 8 inches of shelf space. The process is pretty easy, straightforward, just have to have the patience to let it ferment for 6-12 months!  If you're interested I would be happy to tell you how I make miso. And kombucha, brewing only requires a small amount of space in a warm spot in your home too.  I think you might like a hojicha kombucha with a little bit of fireweed honey; again, easy to do and I would be happy to send you a scoby so you can make some if you like.  All the good organisms, the bacteria and yeasts that make up our gut biome, ferment our foods...they are our friends, unlike the rogue virus that is making life so difficult right now!  

Benito's picture
Benito

I’d love to know how you make the miso.  I use a ton of it, I love to make miso marinades and salad dressings.

Benny

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

 I have already somewhat hijacked your post so I will send you a pm or if you prefer I can send the information by email?

Benito's picture
Benito

No worries about hijacking, you’re not hijacking and I don’t mind either way, miso is certainly part of this thread.  I’ve sent you a PM.

Benny

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Just wow! And that crumb! So nice! I love miso but somehow can’t picture it in bread. Was the flavour prominent or did the other favoriting come through  more?

Benito's picture
Benito

Hi Danni, in the amounts that I used the flavours are definitely there but don’t knock you out.  I was bringing it over to a friend’s place and one of them doens’t like fish that much.  So although you can tell that the miso and the furikake are in there, they aren’t too strong that they are overpowering.  I know it is probably an unusual idea, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out, both in flavour and with the bake overall.  It is the first really original bread idea I’ve had.

Benny

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Sorry, this was a duplicate message...deleted

gavinc's picture
gavinc

This is inspiring. I would not have thought to add these types of flavours to sourdough bread. I need to develop the courage to experiment like you are. Love the volume and crumb you achieved.

Great work.

Cheers,

Gavin.

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Gavin.  I wanted to try something different and I do love miso which I use in a lot of different foods and love Japanese flavours.  So I finally got around to doing a sourdough with miso and Furikake.  I wasn’t sure if the Miso would affect the gluten or the rate of fermentation, if it did, it wasn’t obvious to me.

Benny

Tortoise Blue's picture
Tortoise Blue

I'm digging the use of miso. Haven't tried that yet in a bread (maybe my next bake...). Your loaf must have some sweet umami going on in the background. I use miso every day in cooked veggies after discovering it going down the miso soup path. Unfortunately, I'm unable to digest bonito flakes and sesame seeds but can tolerate the miso paste. To get some umami, I do use rehydrated wakame in some of my bakes. I'll let you know what I come up with using some miso. Thanks for the inspiration!

Benito's picture
Benito

Thanks, I'm glad that my bread has inspired you.  I too love miso, it is unfortunate that you cannot digest bonito or sesame seeds as I love both.  I might increase the miso when I try this again to bring that out even more and would suggest you do that if you are baking this without the Furikake.  The umami in this bread is lovely and something I haven't experienced with sourdough before.  I'd be interested to hear what you come up with and what your take on it is Tortoise Blue.

Benny

Sjadad's picture
Sjadad

You are a master! Another gorgeous loaf, a true inspiration. 
Thank you for sharing!

Benito's picture
Benito

LOL certainly not a master, but I am happy with how these loaves turned out both in outward appearances and flavour.

Hotbake's picture
Hotbake

And about the sesame.....how about a full on sesame loaf salted with miso? Or green onions? I love miso soup and your loaf looks delicious!

Benito's picture
Benito

Thanks so much.  I realize that some people might not like the bonito component in the flavours in this bread.  I was thinking that when I bake another one I would do a Miso, black and white sesame sourdough, maybe with a different Furikake that I just picked up today that doesn’t have any bonito.  I also like your idea of the scallions, that could also be a good addition.  Would you add finely chopped scallions right to the dough?  I’m not sure if they would need a quick sauté in toasted sesame seed oil first?

Benny

Hotbake's picture
Hotbake

Is furikake like the kind of soup base for dipping noodles? I love bonito flakes and soup base with that flavor so much I put those in scrambled eggs for breakfast?

I put raw green onion in bread dough all the time it doesn't affect the dough. I don't remember the science behind it but It's regular onion that I think has to be cooked or the bread gets too sour.

Benito's picture
Benito

Furikake typically has sesame seeds, nori and then there are variations and the one I had also included bonito.  Typically it is used on steamed rice to enhance and flavour it by sprinkling it on top.  I bought mine at the local Korean grocer and it is early tasty if you like the flavours of miso soup you’ll like furikake.

Elsie_iu's picture
Elsie_iu

This sounds really tasty, Benny! Furikake was all the rage in HK around a decade ago. My mom and aunts used to buy it for my cousins and me. We liked to top plain steamed rice with a large spoonful of furikake. It was so additive that we went through a bottle in a matter of days. 

I'm curious if you encountered any issue with red miso in the dough. Some times ago I tried my hand at bread with salt-alternatives, such as miso and shio koji. The crumb of my red miso bread turned out denser than usual. It seemed that the microbes or their fermentation products had an adverse impact on dough fermentation. Your bread has a nicely open crumb as always, so I assume you didn't face this problem? 

Benito's picture
Benito

Elsie, I was expecting the miso’s microbes to affect the bulk fermentation of the dough for this bread, but in fact if they had an impact it wasn’t “clinically significant” so I didn’t notice it.  It was very tasty, I bought a new Furikake because my bottle is now empty and the new doens’t have the bonito in it so eventually I will try making this again.

Cedarmountain got me interested in making my own miso so today I was able to pick up 500 g of koji rice.  So I’m going to start reading up on making miso, but he also mentioned to me that Tartine Book 3 has a recipe in it for koji rice porridge sourdough bread, that totally interests me so that is now on my list of breads to make.

Thank you for looking at and commenting on my bread.

mil0's picture
mil0

Hi Benito,

I came across your post a while back and added this to by 'to do' list. I ran out of salt this week so made up the remainder using doenjang, a korean soybean paste. I put some black sesame seeds on top as well, which I was happy with.

First of all - thanks for the post! It encouraged me to experiment, and saved me having to rush out to get more salt.

Second, I have a couple of questions having read this and your yellow miso blog posts.

a) did you ever get to a sweet spot for how much miso to add (white / red / brown)

b) did you mix the miso with water first to homogenise, or did you just chuck it all in together? (I used 50ml for the doenjang and salt)

c) I used around 7% doenjang to bring the salt to 2% overall, the flavour was not pronounced - is miso stronger tasting than doenjang? (NB, doenjang is 10% salt!)

d) did your furikake have salt in it? I think many do, so I will factor that in if so

e) I watched your incorporation video for the furikake - my dough rarely behaves that well! Are there any other incorporation methods you'd recommend?

I'm going to try a few variations of this in the coming weeks which is exciting. I will also try gochujang. This was my first sourdough and I have only been baking for a few months so I probably should have kept it simple!

Sorry for such a long message

 

Benito's picture
Benito

Hi Milo, this was my first or one of my first times baking with miso and got me hooked.  I think my most recent one Here is my best so far.  In the updated formula I greatly increased the miso to 10%.  At 10% of red miso, the miso was much more assertive in a good way and the crumb and crust was very flavorful.  The only negative I think was when it was toasted, there was a bit of a burnt flavor that I was fine with but that made me think that reducing the miso a touch might be beneficial, so maybe 8% or so.

I dissolve the miso in the water at the time of mixing, that way it is well distributed in the dough.

Unfortunately I’m not familiar with doenjang, so you’ll need to do a taste test to compare yourself if you want to use it instead of miso.

My furikake had negligible amounts of salt and sugar in it so I did adjust for either.

I prefer adding inclusions during lamination because I can make sure they are well distributed during lamination.  You can also add them during either the first or second fold.

I hope that is helpful to you.

Benny

mil0's picture
mil0

Very helpful, thanks! I'll let you know how it goes, picked up red miso yesterday.

You may find gochujang interesting to test with if you haven't already - fermented chilli and soybean with less salt content.

Benito's picture
Benito

I'm not super fond of very hot spicy things so that is why I haven't really tried gochujang yet.  For those who love spicy things, they do seem to love gochujang quite a lot.

Benny