# What should I do with my sourdough cement loaf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793 "2006-05-22T19:10:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/1 "2006-05-22T19:10:34Z")
So I made a pretty disastrous sourdough loaf last week while experimenting with natural leaven. I’ve identified the causes as 1) the dough being too wet and 2) my boyfriend bringing me a bag of whole wheat low-gluten pastry flour rather than bread flour. In any case, I now have a large, dense brick of sourdough bread. The outside is very crunchy and crusty, and the inside is moist. I’m trying to figure out what I should do with it. My thoughts were either savory bread pudding or stuffing. Does anyone have any suggestions/recipes? I have on hand celery, carrots, onions, spinach, a little bit of parsley, fresh sage, fresh oregano, eggs, and butter–but no milk. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/2 "2006-05-22T19:31:50Z")
I’ve been tempted to make sourdough bread, or at least try. Now, I think I’ll wait awhile. 😛 I hope you can do something with your brick, besides toss it in the backyard for the birdies! ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/3 "2006-05-22T19:53:35Z")
Have you tried thin slicing and toasting it, might work. Remember whatever you try that it’s only bread, so don’t risk ruining something just to use up some bread you could have thrown away. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/4 "2006-05-22T20:39:39Z")
Probably would make some tasty French Toast. I’m a sucker for bread pudding myself. Or, you could just shellack the whole thing and keep it for posterity as a door stop. Mom, where’d we get this weird door stop? Quiet that’s your grandmother’s sourdough bread. Grandpa helped. Family heirloom. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/5 "2006-05-22T20:40:13Z")
Stuffing! Do you eat meat and might you have chicken broth or bouillon available? Fry up the celery and onions in butter, toss with cubes of the moist part of the bread, eggs and chicken broth. Bake till it seems yummy. Similar to [this](http://southernfood.about.com/od/stuffingrecipes/r/blcc77.htm). ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/6 "2006-05-22T21:16:47Z")
\*\*Jake, \*\*I would totally encourage you to try making sourdough, and not just because misery loves company. I’ve been having a great time tending to my starter, and it smells really nice. Just make sure you’re using bread flour. My flour didn’t have enough gluten in it to actually allow it to rise. I’ve been reading the [The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812969677/103-9851680-8207868?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155) as my guide, and it’s wonderfully informative–I never knew before what I should be looking for in my dough, or why I was supposed to punch the loaf down, or anything–it was always sheer luck when I succeeded in making a nice loaf of bread. (I was too late in reading through the “Loaf for Learners” section to actually save this batch of bread.) I followed [these directions](http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/2006/05/make_your_own_s.html#more) to make my sourdough starter. \*\*gigi, \*\*thanks for the link! I’m a vegetarian, but I have a batch of homemade vegetable broth in the freezer that should make a fine substitute for chicken broth. **ddgryphon,** I thought of French toast at first, but since this is sourdough, I thought it might not come out well. \*\*Bippy, \*\*the toasting suggestion makes it sort of edible but not really delicious. I don’t like throwing away food if I can help it, so I’d rather risk changing it into a different form of disaster than just tossing out the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/7 "2006-05-22T21:17:40Z")
[The Graduate] One word…dumplings. [/The Graduate] ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/8 "2006-05-22T21:36:50Z")
What shape is it? [Apparently](http://www.squareonepublishers.com/titles_Sourbreadbook.html) sourdough bread bowls are all the rage (who knew?) and a vegetable soup might soften it and the cubes made from the inside right up. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/9 "2006-05-22T22:58:43Z")
[QUOTE=ddgryphon] I’m a sucker for bread pudding myself. [/QUOTE] Mmmm bread pudding. Hopefully with raisins, loads of butter in, and an extremely gooey raspberry sauce so sweet it takes the stainless off a steel saucepan. Eat it for those of us who can’t ever, ever eat it again. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/10 "2006-05-22T23:02:45Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] What shape is it? [Apparently](http://www.squareonepublishers.com/titles_Sourbreadbook.html) sourdough bread bowls are all the rage (who knew?) and a vegetable soup might soften it and the cubes made from the inside right up. [/QUOTE] I think vegetable soup would just soak into the bread and leave very little soup to eat. Cream soups work better in bread bowls. Tomato soup is probably thick enough. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/11 "2006-05-22T23:19:57Z")
How did you make the sour-dough sour? Has it got vinegar added to it, or is it mearly normal dough without any sweetening in it. If it is not noticably sour, then desrt usage should work As for toasting, did you cut it really thin (like 0.25 Inches or less). The thing that can happen is really doughy bread can make good when very thin and toasted with pate or samon and cream cheese or similar. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/12 "2006-05-22T23:30:59Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] How did you make the sour-dough sour? Has it got vinegar added to it, or is it mearly normal dough without any sweetening in it. If it is not noticably sour, then desrt usage should work. [/QUOTE] It’s real sourdough–leavened with a fermented flour-water mixture made sour by wild yeasts from the air. No vinegar added, but it is still more sour than I would like for a dessert. Unfortunately, it’s already the wrong shape for a soup bowl ☹ ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/13 "2006-05-23T01:10:12Z")
I’ve used my soudough experiements successfully as croutons- in big chunky salads and on top of soup (and covered in cheese then broiled…mmm). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/14 "2006-05-23T08:15:45Z")
Naturally, develop that loaf in a piece of cheesecloth with some white grapes and water to hydrate the bread. Turn it into your master sourdough starter. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/15 "2006-05-23T13:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] I’ve used my soudough experiements successfully as croutons- in big chunky salads and on top of soup (and covered in cheese then broiled…mmm). [/QUOTE] Oh, good point…vegetarian French onion soup party! ---
**Author:** ![Tabula\_Rasa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@Tabula\_Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabula_Rasa)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/16 "2006-05-23T14:44:09Z")
**ddgryphon,** I thought of French toast at first, but since this is sourdough, I thought it might not come out well. Sourdough french toast is never a mistake! Add honey, vanilla, and maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice – ooh, or just ginger – to the eggs and milk mixture. If the bread is really dense, you might try a baked french toast recipe, wherein you make a lot of the dunking mixture, lay out the sliced bread in a 9 by 13 pyrex or something comparable, cover it completely with the mixture such that if it were a lighter bread it would be floating, and put the pan in the fridge overnight, allowing the bread to soak up the mixture. In the morning, lightly oil and preheat a big flat pan, ideally pyrex or clay, in the oven and transfer the gooey bread to the hot pan with a spatula. Flip all the bread once during cooking. You’re not risking much more than the original bread and when this works, it works very well – with an internal texture similar to bread pudding. If it doesn’t work, the wildlife or your dog or your neighbor’s dog gets the kind of treat that requires an all day nap to appreciate fully. Tabby ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/17 "2006-05-23T15:07:12Z")
Darn, my last post yesterday got lost… Check out Summer Pudding, it uses bread and mixed berries, so sourness should not be aproblem. Google “Summer Pudding” recipe, most just mention bread without specifying sour or sweet dough. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/18 "2006-05-23T16:55:56Z")
A couple of ideas, depending on the severity of it’s cementiness. Could you shellac it and use it as part of a decorative centerpiece in your kitchen or on your table? I bet it would make a really attractive stepping stone for your garden. Finally, do you live where you have to shovel your curb and could it be used to hold your parking space? It’s hard to ascertain it’s condition from here since we can’t hear what it sounds like when you hit it with a solid object. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/19 "2006-05-23T17:05:54Z")
One of my absolute most favorite recipes is [Brie Cheese in a Sour Dough Bread Bowl](http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=14725) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793/20 "2006-05-23T17:11:42Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] One of my absolute most favorite recipes is [Brie Cheese in a Sour Dough Bread Bowl](http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=14725) [/QUOTE] Insert drool smilie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-my-sourdough-cement-loaf/357793.md?page=2)