Sourdough bread sticks & strombolis

Servings

Two 12-16-inch stromboli

Prep Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Baking Time

18 minutes

400g bread flour (3 cups)
200g whole grain turkey red wheat flour (~1 1/3 cups)*
400g water (1 2/3 cups)
90g sourdough starter (1/3 – 1/2 cup)
14g olive oil (1 Tbsp)
10g salt (2 tsp)
*The beef stromboli dough had 200g home-milled whole grain hard white wheat berries.

1 9 oz bag of fresh spinach or 16-ounce bag of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained in a colander
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 – 1 cup shredded or chopped mozzarella
1/2 cup grated or shaved pecorino romano or parmesan
10-15 slices of pepperoni, salami, chorizo

1 lb ground beef (90% lean if possible)*
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 Tbsp chopped sweet pickled jalapenos OR 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper**
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp salt (less if you use pickled jalapenos and cheese, more if you skip the cheese and/or use bell peppers)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
*If you use a higher fat content ground beef, you may want to saute it alone first and then drain off some of the fat to toss out or to use in place of some of the olive oil.
**My mom’s beef empanada filling, which this is inspired by, also has raisins and green olives. So delicious!

Prepare this after you mix your dough or at least an hour before the end of the dough’s bulk fermentation, so it has time to cool down. You can also prepare the filling and refrigerate it for several days.
In a large frying pan, saute the onion, garlic, salt and spices first, then add the ground beef or spinach or broccoli.
Transfer the cooked filling to a bowl, cover, and set aside or refrigerate.
Do NOT saute the fresh basil, cheese(s), or salami, as these will be spread on the dough without pre-cooking.

In a medium bowl, mix all the dough ingredients together until incorporated. Turn out onto a floured counter and knead just long enough to develop a ball, adding enough flour so that hand-kneading is possible.
Lightly oil your bowl, return the dough to the bowl and cover.
Let ferment 6-10 hours at room temperature, or longer if you put the dough in the refrigerator. The dough of the beef version was at room temperature for a few hours and then 48 hours in the refrigerator. The dough will be about doubled by the end of the bulk fermentation (see gallery).

At the end of the bulk fermentation, begin preheating your oven to 450F with a pizza stone, baking steel, or baking sheet inside. I baked the veggie strombolis on a stone and the beef strombolis on a baking sheet to confirm both work fine.
Scrape the dough onto your counter and divide it in two pieces weighing ~550g each. Shape the dough into two balls.
Let the dough rest for 10-20 minutes while you prepare two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper ~12″x14″, a bowl with egg wash, and bowls with your fillings.
Take one of the dough balls, flour it on both sides, and roll/stretch it into an approx 10″ x 12″ rectangle that is about 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick. Transfer the rolled out dough to your floured parchment paper. Repeat with the second dough ball.
Divide the fillings between the two doughs, spreading the fillings down the center of each. Leave about 1/3 of the dough empty on both sides.
With a pair of scissors or a sharp knife, cut one-inch strips of dough, perpendicular to the line of filling, on both sides of the filling (see photo gallery).
Fold the cut pieces of the dough inward at a 45-degree angle, making sure to alternate left and right sides. Fold the ends of the tube upward and seal the dough.
Wash the top of the stromboli with a beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds if you want to.
Cut back one side of the parchment of one of the strombolis, so you can fit both on your pizza stone without overlap of parchment and stromboli.

With a pizza peel or an upside down baking sheet, transfer your strombolis (still on their parchment paper) to the preheated stone/steel/sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes. Rotate the strombolis about 10 minutes in if you notice varied browning.
Remove from oven and let cool on a rack about 15 minutes before cutting. Serving at room temperature is good also. The beef version can be more juicy so be careful of hot oil when transferring to the rack.

When cool, wrap and refrigerate to prevent spoiling, particularly of the meat-containing versions.
You can reheat the stromboli in the oven at 350’F for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your leftovers.