Poolish sponge is a type of French starter made from the same amount, in weight, of flour and water with a very small amount of yeast, and left to ripe for a long time. This allows bread to develop its characteristic flavours and texture.
You can make the poolish anywhere between 8 and 16 hours before you start mixing the final dough. Poolish should be a wet mixture, very much like a thick pancake batter and when the surface is covered in tiny bubbles, it’s ready to use. Bread made with preferment also tends to keep better, compared to bread made from straight dough.

Spelt and Oatmeal Bread Stars

adapted from Ploetzblog

Poolish Sponge	Dough
150 g Wholegrain spelt, ground 150 g Water, lukewarm 1 g Fresh yeast	170 g Water, lukewarm 315 g Bread flour 75 g Oatmeal 9 g Fresh yeast 9 g Sea salt 10 g Liquid malt extract Poppy and flax seeds for coating

1. Combine all the poolish ingredients in the mixing bowl and leave it, covered, at room temperature for 10-12 hours. If you want to use dry yeast, then 0.4 grams, about 1/8 teaspoon, would be enough.
2. Add in the rest of ingredients and stir at slow speed for 6 minutes, then increase the speed and continue to mix for 8 more minutes until it comes together and pulls away from sides of bowl.
3. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the dough a few times and shape into a round. Cover and rest for 40 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 10-12 portions and shape each into a round. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, gently flatten a dough ball. Cut 3 times on the center all the way to the bottom in a crisscross style, leaving about 2-cm edges intact. Now turn each triangle outside to create a 6-point star.
6. Dip the star into water, then coat with a mix of seeds. Place them in baking trays lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof 90 minutes.
7. Place a roasting tray at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 240C/460F. Place the bread stars on the upper rack of the hot oven. Pour a cup of boiling water into the roasting tray. Bake for 20 minutes until they are nicely golden brown.

Crisp crust with a moist and soft interior, this is an interesting and a perfect spring bread recipe, especially with asparagus season in full swing. This Baton is based on a bread recipe from daheim und unterwegs.

Starter	Dough
175 g Bread flour 3 g Salt 3 g Fresh yeast 115 ml Water, at room temperature	200 g Green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces 188 ml Water, at room temperature 325 g Bread flour 50 g Sesame seeds, lightly roasted 10 g Sugar 7 g Salt 12 g Fresh yeast

1. In a mixing bowl, stir all the starter ingredients until you get a rough dough ball. Cover with a plastic film and leave it at the room temperature for an hour. Transfer the starter, still covered, to the fridge and leave it for 15-24 hours.
2. Trim, rinse and dry the green asparagus. Cut them into 2cm pieces. Dissolve the starter with water in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add in bread flour, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir at low speed for 3 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gently knead green asparagus pieces into the dough until evenly distributed.
3. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into two portions. Shape each into a round. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Shape each dough into a baton on a floured work surface and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and allow them to rise for 45 minutes.
5. Place a roasting pan at the bottom shelf and preheat the oven to 230C450F. Just before putting the bread into the hot oven, slash the tops in an asterisk with a sharp knife or with a floured scissor snip 1/2-inch-deep V into top of each roll.
6. Place the bread in the oven and throw a handful of ice cubes into the roasting pan. Close the oven door and bake for 35-40 minutes until nicely golden brown and crusty. Remove the bread and allow them to cool on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting.

I am sending this to the "Bake Your Own Bread-April" at Girlichef.

Recipe Source:
1. Vermont Sauerteigbrot from Petras Brotkasten
2. Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes
This is my submission to HBinFive at BigBlackDogs.

Fluid Starter	Dough
30 g Sourdough starter ©angiesrecipes 190 g Water 150 g Spelt #630 flour	368 g Active sourdough starter from above 480 g Water 750 g Spelt #630 flour ©angiesrecipes 100 g Rye #1150 flour ©angiesrecipes 19 g Salt

1. Combine the ingredients of fluid starter in a large mixing bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aisde for 12-16 hours at room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the fluid starter, water and spelt flour, and rye flour on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Scatter in the salt and continue mixing on low speed until the dough reaches a medium level of gluten development. This should only take about 3 or 4 minutes.
   
2. Transfer the dough to an oiled container. Ferment at room temperature for 2.5 hours, with folds at 50 and 100 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Divide it into two portions. Preshape the dough pieces into balls. Sprinkle the balls lightly with flour, cover loosely with plastic, and let rest for 15 minutes.
   
   
3. Shape them into batards or boules and place seam-side-up in a floured proofing baskets. Proof the dough, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 2.5 hours. Alternatively, the loaves can be proofed for about 100 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerated for 2 – 16 hours and baked directly out of the refrigerator.
   
4. An hour before baking, start preheating the oven together with baking stone and a roasting pan on the bottom of the oven to 220C/450F. Turn out the loaves onto a baking shovel or the back of a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina. Slash the loaves as your like.
   
5. Once the oven reaches the temperatures, place in the bread dough and fill the heated roasting pan with 1/2-inch of hot water. Immediately close the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Vermont Spelt Sourdough

Sponge	Dough
80 g Wild Grape Sourdough Starter 110 g Water, lukewarm 110 g All-purpose flour	All the sponge above 190 g Water, lukewarm 470 g All-purpose flour 60 g Rye flour 12 g Salt

1. Combine the sponge ingredients and allow the mixture to rest for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature until it�s fully activated. Combine all of the dough ingredients, but salt, and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, till they are well-blended. Allow the mixture rest for 30 minutes, allowing the flour to absorb the water. Add in salt and knead the dough till it's firm and elastic.
2. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap for 50 minutes in a warm place. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly-floured surface, gently pat down flat and fold like an envelope, all four sides being brought over the center of the dough. Return the dough into the bowl, cover and let ferment for another 50 minutes. Pat down, fold and round up. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment until about doubled. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions and shape each into a sandwich loaf, namely demi baguette. Proof the demi baguettes, covered, in the folds of a linen or baking paper. Dust them with flour, cover, then refrigerate overnight. Next morning, remove the loaves from the fridge, and let them sit, still covered, for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Place a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven and start preheating to 250C/500F. Use tiles or stones on the oven rack. Slash with a razor knife across top of loaves and slide the loaves onto the heated baking stone. Pour a cup of very hot water into the water pan. Close the door and bake for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200CT/400F and continue baking the loaves until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool them on a rack.

I like to thank Anncoo@Anncoo's Hoobby, Elin@Elinluv Tidbits Corner, and Arlette@Phoenician Gourmet sharing their awards with me!
Sourdough Demi Baguette

Filling	Dough
350 g Minced meat 1/2 tbsp Maggi sauce 1/2 tbsp Dark soya sauce 1/2 tsp Chicken bouillon 1/3 tsp White pepper powder 1 tsp Sugar 80 g Water 10 g Scallion 10 g Ginger 180 g Cabbage 50 g Carrot 1/2 tbsp Sesame oil	185 g Milk at 40C/104F 2 tsp Honey 70 g Buckwheat flour 230 g German #550 flour (all purpose flour) 4 g Instant dry yeast 80 g Old dough 1 g Baking soda

1. Thinly slice the cabbages and carrots, sprinkle some salt over and set aside briefly. Use your hand to squeeze out the excess liquid from the vegetables. Set aside. Mix 80 grams of water, 10 grams each of ginger and scallion thoroughly in a blender. Season the minced meat with maggie, dark soya sauce, chicken bouillon, white pepper powder and sugar. Add ginger-scallion mixture into the meat and stir in a clockwise direction until thick and stiff. Add in drained cabbages and carrots, and finally drizzle in the sesame oil. Stir all until thoroughly combined.
2. In a mixing bowl, place in milk and honey, then add the buckwheat, wheat flour, and yeast. Mix on low speed until a dough forms a ball. Add in old dough and stir until combined. Increase the speed and continue beating until the dough ball becomes smooth. Cover it with plastic film and rest for 20 minutes at warm spot. Shape the dough into a long roll and divide into 35 grams portions. Flatten each portioned dough with the bottom of your palm. Roll the dough out forming a disk of with the edges thinner than the center.
3. Hold a wrapper with some filling in the middle with your left hand, fold the edges of the wrapper together in a pleated fashion with the right hand. Pinch edges together to seal and enclose the filling. Cut out squares of baking paper and place on the buns. Allow them to rest for about 30 minutes. Steam over boiling water for 10-15 minutes on medium-high fire. Turn off the heat and transfer the buns onto the serving plate after one minute.

Leavened bread is bread that has risen, puffed with gasses that creates a cellular network of pockets throughout the dough. These gasses are produced by fermentation, a process whereby an organism, in this case one of the Saccharomyces strain of fungi we know as "yeast", releases carbon dioxides as it assimilates and uses the sugars present in the dough. Bacteria can also ferment sugars, and are often present together with yeast when fermentation occurs.

Yeast might be found on the surfaces of grains such as wheat, or on the skin of fruits rich in sugars, or in a spoonful of an already fermenting mixture. When these are mixed with fresh water and flour, the yeasts will slowly multiple and ferment. Some bacteria will give the leaven its distinctive sour aroma and taste - as with the bacterium Lactobacillus Sanfrancisco, which has been isolated by scientists, and to which the remarkable bright flavour of the San Francisco sourdough is attributed.

Adapted from Dan Lepard: The Handmade Loaf (Mitchell Beazley Food)

#Day 1:

• 50 g Water at 20C/68F
• 20 g Dark rye flour (I used Diamant #1150angiesrecipes)
  
• 2 tsp Organic raisinsangiesrecipes
  
• 2 tsp Plain yoghurt, low fatangiesrecipes
  

Mix all the ingredients in a 500 ml jar or similar container. Cover and leave at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.

#Day 2:

• 50 g Water at 20C/68F
  
• 20 g Rye flour (I used German Diamant #1150 Dark Rye
  angiesrecipes)
  

When you open the jar, you'll see that there is a glossy, watery film on the surface, with silt at the bottom of the jar as some separation has occurred. If you smell the contents you may perceive a hint of fermentation. Add the water to the jar and then stir in the flour. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.

#Day 3:

• 100 g Water at 20C/68F
  
• 50 g Rye flour (I used Bio #997 Light Ryeangiesrecipes)
  

When you open the jar, you'll notice tiny bubbles like those that form on the inside of a Champagne glass on the surface. These show that the fermentation, caused by the yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli), is well under way. Add the water to the jar, stir well to combine, then add flour and stir again. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.

#Day 4:

• 100 g Water at 20C/68F
  
• 110 g Rye flour (I used Organic #997 Light Rye
  angiesrecipes)
  

Replace the rye flour with 125 grams of strong white flour if you need a white leaven.

By this time the froth of fermentation should be beginning, though the hint of acidity in the aroma is rather vague. Discard three-quarters of the mixture. Add the water and stir well. Remove the raisins by pouring the mixture through a strainer (I kept the raisins), then put the liquid back to the jar. Add the flour and stir again. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.

#Day 5:

• 100 g Water at 20C/68F
  
• 110 g Rye flour (I used Bio #997 Light Rye
  angiesrecipes)
  

Replace the rye flour with 125 grams of strong white flour if you need a white leaven.

The fermentation should be clearly evident, and the aroma starting to become acid. Discard three-quarters of the mixture. Mix in the water, and then stir in the flour. You should have a thick paste now. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.

#Day 6 Onwards:

The mixture is bubbling and fully activated. Each day as you remove some leaven for baking, replacing it with an equivalent amount of flour and water, the aroma of the leaven will become stronger and more sharply acidic.

To keep the starter activate, alive and healthy, you will have to feed them with flour and water after discarding three-quarters of the mixture. (or using them to bake bread). Dan Lepard suggests to keep the refreshment slightly heavier on flour than water, as this slows the fermentation and stops the leaven rising and falling too quickly. It's a good idea to continue feeding and refreshing it for at least one more week before you start making bread with it.

300 g Sourdough starter 240 ml Lukewarm water 4 cup All-purpose flour 10 g Salt

1. Place the starter, water and flour in a mixing bowl. Stir for a minute at low speed. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Add salt in and knead for about 7 minutes to form a firm but slightly sticky dough.
2. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let proof for 45 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly-floured surface, gently pat down flat and fold like an envelope, all four sides being brought over the center of the dough.
3. Return the dough into the bowl, cover and let ferment for another 45 minutes. Pat down, fold and round up. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment for 35 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each into a baguette by stretching each dough into a rectangles, then folding the bottom and top thirds to the center, pinching the seam together and allowing them to rest for 10 minutes. Fold the dough over lengthwise and press the ends together. Roll each dough back and forth to elongate it to the desired length and taper the ends.
4. Use perforated baguette pans if available, otherwise place the shaped dough either in the floured folds of a large linen, or a baking sheet dusted with flour. Cover and let rise until slightly under proofed, about 35 minutes. Place a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven and start preheating to 250C/500F.
5. Use tiles or stones on the oven rack. Using a razor knife, make 2-3 shallow slashes across top of loaves and slide the loaves onto the heated baking stone. Pour a cup of very hot water into the water pan. Close the door and bake for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200CT/400F and continue baking the loaves until golden, about 22-25 minutes. Cool them on a rack.

Poolish or pouliche was a term created by the French in the 1700s-1800s after the way the Polish made their bread with a "starter". Starters, do make a differences. If you are, like I, a fan of European-styled bread, then use a starter in bread-baking to create that wonderful crumb, crust, aroma, and flavours. Either a complex sourdough starter, or a simple poolish, the complexity of the bread flavour will be enhanced.
I prefer to use weight to volume as weight gives me a rather precise measurement of all the ingredients. During the holiday season, there are lots of inexpensive digital scales or even digital spoon available in supermarket.

Poolish	酵头
100 g All-purpose flour 100 g Water at room temperature Pinch of active dry yeast	100克 面粉 100克 温水 1小撮 活性干酵母
Dough	面团
230 g Water at room temperature 400 g All-purpose flour 6 g Active dry yeast 11 g Salt	230克 温水 400克 面粉 6克 活性干酵母 11克 食盐

1. Mix ingredients for the poolish starter with a spoon in a non-reactive bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for at least 36 hours.
   将法式酵头的材料混合放到一个不会起化学反应的容器里。混合后盖上保鲜膜室温存放36小时。
2. Combine together water, yeast, flour and poolish and let stand for 20 minutes until the water is fully absorbed into the flour. Add the salt and knead at the low speed to disperse the salt all over the dough. Increase the speed and mix until a smooth dough forms.
   水，酵母，面粉和酵头混合后静置20分钟，让面粉充分吸收水份。加入食盐低速搅拌至盐均匀分布到面团。提速将其搅打成均匀光滑的面团。
3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Proof the dough for about 40 minutes. Remove the dough and place on a lightly-floured board. Pat it down flat and fold four sides over the center to shape it again into a ball. Return the dough into the bowl, cover and let rise another 40 minutes. Repeat the folding and let rise until doubled in size.
   容器抹上少许油脂，放入面团盖上保鲜膜。醒40分钟左右，然后将面团放到洒了少许面粉的台面上。用手将其轻轻拍扁，四边往中间翻入揉成球状。再放回容器内，盖好后松弛40分钟。取出后再将面团拍扁，四边往中心收成球状。放入容器醒发至大约双倍大。
4. Divide dough into three equal parts. Do not knead the dough if you want a airy loaf. Shape each dough into a baguette by stretching each dough into a rectangles, then folding the bottom and top thirds lengthwise to the center, pinching the seam together and allowing them to rest for 10 minutes. Fold the dough over lengthwise and press the ends together. Roll each dough back and forth to elongate it to the desired length and taper the ends.
   面团分成三等份。如果你喜欢带有不规则洞状组织的面包，那么切割时尽量避免过多的揉搓面团。每份面团各自扯拉成长方块，面团纵长两端各折入1/3，捏紧收口。在桌面上来回揉搓成两头稍细的长棍状。
5. Use perforated baguette pans if available, otherwise place the shaped dough either in the floured folds of a large linen, or a baking sheet dusted with flour. Cover and let rise until slightly under proofed, about 35 minutes. Place a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven and start preheating to 250C/500F. Use tiles or stones on the oven rack. Gently slide the loaves onto the heated baking stone. Pour a cup of very hot water into the water pan. Close the door and bake for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200CT/400F and continue baking the loaves until golden, about 22-25 minutes. Cool them on a rack.
   长棍放到专用的带孔法棍烤盘，抑或用大帆布巾或烤纸洒上面粉，放入整好的长棍面包，每条长棍间要留出间距，然后捏起间距成栏。长棍醒八分，大约35分钟。烤箱底部放入一个浅盘，预热烤箱和石板至250C/500F。长棍放在石板上，往烤箱底部的浅盘冲入一杯开水，立即关上烤箱的门烘焙12 分钟后将烤箱温度调至200C/400F，继续烘焙面包至金黄，大约22-25分钟。置于架上晾凉。

One of the best things I find about Germany is her widest variety of bread. All sorts of forms, shapes, styles and tastes. Most German bread varieties are Mischbrote/mixed bread and two thirds contains rye flour. Rye flour is rather dark and usually blended with wheat to make a hardy rye bread loaf, which frequently baked with a wild yeast rather than commercial yeast. Rye is high in carbohydrates and provides small quantities of protein, potassium, and B vitamins. So it's very nutritious, healthy and delicious!
A very hot stone or brick oven is a necessity to bake the artisan bread.
The knife/razor blades I have bought from the supermarket is not the lamé, with which those professional French bakers use to slash the loaves before putting them into the hot oven, but with its snap-off blade, is perfect for the job.

30 g Old dough 290 g Bio Rye flour #997 100 g Bio German #550 flour 190 ml Water, warm 5 g Active dry yeast 2 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Salt

30克 老面 290克 有机黑麦粉 #997 100克 有机#550粉 190毫升 温水 5克 干酵母 2小勺 砂糖 1小勺 食盐

1. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir it with a fork until foamy and set aside for 10 minutes. Add in rye and all-purpose flour. Stir at the low speed for about 1 minute. Tear off the old dough into smaller pieces and drop them in the bowl. increase the speed, stir and knead until the dough has become soft and elastic. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 35 minutes. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead in the salt until well-dispersed. Form the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise for 35 minutes.
   温水放入搅拌盆，洒入酵母和砂糖。用叉子拌化后静置10分钟。加入黑麦粉和中筋粉。低速搅拌约1分钟。老面撕小块加入搅拌盆，提速搅拌揉搓至面团柔软有弹性。放到一个抹了少许油脂的大盆里，盖上保鲜膜醒35分钟。取出面团放在洒了少许面粉的台面上，加入食盐慢慢揉匀。面团揉圆后放回盆里，盖上保鲜膜醒发35分钟。
   
2. Flatten the dough by pressing the air out, fold and round up into a ball. Cover and proof until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Prepare a large baking tray lined with a parchment paper. Dust the paper with some rye flour. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each small dough and shape each into an oval. Place them on the prepared tray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled.
   面团拍扁排出气体，将面团四折，揉圆后放回大盆，醒发45分钟至双倍大。准备一个大烤盘，铺上烤纸，洒些黑麦粉。将醒好的面团分割成12小块。每块面团拍扁排气揉成椭圆状。放入备好的烤盘，盖上餐布醒发至双倍大。
   
3. Place a shallow pan at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 210C/425F. Brush the tops of rolls with a little water. Slash the top with a razor blade. 5 minutes before baking the bread, pour one cup of hot water into the shallow pan. Close the door of the oven and let boil for 5 minutes to create steam. Bake the bread for 18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on the rack.
   烤箱底部放入一个浅盘，预热至210C/425F。在面团表面刷上少许水后，用刮胡刀片划痕。面包送入烤箱5分钟前，打开烤箱，往浅盘内倒入一杯热水，关闭烤箱门，让热水沸腾5分钟以产生蒸汽。面团入炉烘焙18分钟直到金黄。取出置于架上晾凉。

Inspiration: Dan Lepard (the handmade loaf), and Baker's Manual

Sourdough breads take advantage of the unique tangy flavors produced by “wild” yeast and bacteria. Once you get to understand your own sourdough starter, the results would just get better and better....hmmm...that chewy, tangy, crusty....sourdough bread.

1 cup Sourdough starter 300 g German #550 flour 500 g German #405 flour+extra flour for kneading 400 ml Lukewarm water 18 g Salt

1. Put the starter, bread flour, half of AP flour, and one cup of water into a large bowl of mixer attached with dough hook. Mix well and let proof 2 hours at room temperature in a covered plastic container. Then transfer it into the refrigerator to ferment overnight.
2. Next morning you take the dough out and return it to the mixer. Add in salt, remaining water and flour, one fourth at a time, until you have a smooth dough ball. Put the dough in a large bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap and a damp cloth to follow. Let rise in a warm place for 3 hours until doubled in volume.
3. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into three or four pieces. Shape each into a ball and let the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes. Form each of dough ball into an oval and place them on the prepared tray lined with a linen cloth or baking paper dusted with flour. Sprinkle the loaves with flour and cover them loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let rise for 45-60 minutes.
   
4. Place a small pan for water on the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat the oven with baking stone. (I placed a layer of bricks at the bottom of my old oven. It works very well. If you need bake more bread, just place one more layer of bricks on a baking tray. ) to 220C/425F. Make a couple of slashes on the top of each dough. Five minutes before baking, pour 1 cup of hot water in the pan to form steam and provide a moist environment for the bread. Place the dough on a baking tray, brush with some water and bake for about 35-40 minutes on the middle shelf of the hot oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

110克 老面 angiesrecipes 200毫升 温水 400克 中筋粉 1克 干酵母 1/3小勺 食盐 1大勺 沙拉油 1/2小勺 小苏打 另备手粉

110 g Old dough angiesrecipes 200 ml Warm water 400 g All-purpose flour 1 g Active dry yeast 1/3 tsp Salt 1 tbsp Salad oil 1/2 tsp Baking soda Some extra flour for kneading

1. 面粉混合干酵母放入容器，老面掰小块和食盐，沙拉油以及水加入后拌成团，盖上保鲜膜，静置发面3-4小时。取出放到洒了面粉的案台上。排除气体，均匀洒入小苏打揉搓成长条状，匀分成12-14块小面团。
   Combine AP flour and yeast in a mixing bowl. Mix in old dough in smaller pieces, salt and oil. Knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover with a plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for about 3-4 hours. Place the dough on a floured board and evenly sprinkle the baking soda over. Knead and shape the dough into a loaf. Divide the loaf into 12-14 pieces.
   
2. 小面块上洒上面粉，用手掌将其稍按扁，一手将面块边缘折起，另一手配合向内按下。重复这个步骤直到边缘缩小，底部稍圆，用右手虎口将边缘捏紧，放到案板上。依法擀捏其余面块。盖上保鲜膜，醒发直到双倍大后，重复面团的揉捏。
   Dust each small dough with some flour and lightly press them flat. Fold the side of the dough up with left hand, meanwhile press the upper edge down with your right hand. Repeat this step until you get the shorter edge and slightly round bottom. Pinch them together between the thumb and the index finger of your right hand. Place them on the board and let rise covered until doubled. Repeat the step of folding and pressing.
   
3. 放入蒸笼，盖上保鲜膜，进行蒸制前的最后醒发，约25分钟。注意面团在这个擀制过程中都要用面粉，每个面块大约需要再揉入15克左右的干面粉。这样蒸好的馒头，组织带有层次且很均匀。最后醒发时间不要过长，否则馒头过于膨胀蓬松，少了北方馒头的那份筋道。去掉保鲜膜，盖上蒸盖，中火蒸约20分钟。
   Place the dough balls in a steamer and process the final proof for about 25 minutes. Use the flour during the whole shaping process. Each small dough needs about 15 extra grams of flour to finish the kneading. So that the texture of the steamed buns would appear thick and with clear layers. To obtain a chewy-textured bun, long proofing time at the final stage should always be avoided. Take away the plastic wrap and steam for 20 minutes over medium heat with a lid covered.

Batter	Streusel
100 g Granulated sugar 100 g Shortening 1 Egg 130 g Sourdough starter 180 g All-purpose flour 1/2 tsp Baking powder 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 cup Milk	2 tbsp All-purpose flour 100 g Chopped nuts 2 tsp Cinnamon 110 g Brown sugar 2 tbsp Butter, melted 1 can Preserved cranberries

1. Combine all the ingredients except preserved cranberries, for the streusel in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Grease and flour a 8-inch bundt pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream together sugar, shortening and egg. Mix in sourdough starter.
3. Alternatively add in milk and flour mixture. Mix well. Spread half of the batter in prepared pan. Top with half of preserved cranberries, then half of the streusel mixture. Repeat with the remaining. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.