crumb bars

Sourdough discard jammy crumb bars

Posted on by Ruth
sourdough discard jammy crumb bars

This recipe was born out of the convergence of portable dessert season and a full jar of sourdough discard in my fridge. Bonus points if I could also use up one of my half-consumed jams and the small stash of roasted hazelnuts leftover from the last round of recipe testing. So I present to you: sourdough discard jammy crumb bars!

These bar cookies come together in a snap, thanks to cold butter and the food processor. I used a high proportion of nuts in the crust for flavor and fat — hazelnuts and almonds because it’s what I had, but I think you could easily swap them out for whatever you have on hand and what would match the flavor of your jam. Since pre-made jams are usually quite sweet, I’ve pulled back on the sugar in the crust. If you prefer something a little more indulgent, you could dust these with powdered sugar or make a quick glaze to drizzle over the top!

You can use whatever jam you have on hand, something a little tart and not too runny is my preference. I also like to add a little squeeze of lemon juice to the jam to brighten it up a touch. If your jam is thick and hard to spread, warm it up in the microwave or a small saucepan to loosen.

The 1/8 sheet pan

I’ve spoken before about my love for small sheet pans, and for this recipe I used the cutest of them all: the 1/8 sheet pan! Since these bars aren’t too thick, the short edges of the pan make removing the bars very easy. Ff you need a little convincing as to why you should invest in 1/8 sheet pans, let me give you just a few ways they are used in our house:

  • Toasting small amounts of nuts or flour
  • Baking a couple of cookies from the freezer stash to satisfy a late-night craving
  • A casual serving plate for BBQ’s (I see them used a lot at burger joints!)
  • They fit in standard toaster ovens so great for single-serving meals too!

The interior dimensions of an 1/8 sheet pan are roughly 9.5″ x 6″, so if you don’t have an one you could use a 9×5 loaf pan for similar results (the bars will just be slightly thicker). Alternatively, you can increase everything by 25-30% and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Note that the bake times may vary depending on the size of pan you use, so rely on visual cues to determine doneness.

Sourdough discard

The starter in this recipe is primarily for flavor, not leavening, so its ok to use discard that’s a little old. I just try to use my discard within a week, before it starts developing a layer of alcohol on top or smelling too acidic. For these bars, use discard straight from the fridge as we want to keep the butter nice and cold.

Want more sourdough discard recipes? I’ve got you covered:

sourdough discard jammy crumb bars
Sourdough Discard Jammy Crumb Bars

Sourdough Discard Jammy Crumb Bars

Yield: 8 large bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A simple bar cookie using sourdough discard and your favorite jam!

Ingredients

  • 40g hazelnut meal (or whole roasted and skinned hazelnuts)
  • 64g almond meal
  • 40g granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 60g all purpose flour
  • 60g spelt flour
  • 68g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 80g 100% sourdough discard, cold
  • 200g jam
  • Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp coarse sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle. Line an 1/8 sheet pan or 9x5 loaf pan with a parchment sling, leaving enough overhang on the long sides for easy removal. Lightly grease the pan and parchment.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the nut meal (or whole nuts), sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine (or if starting with whole nuts, until the nuts are finely ground). Add the flour and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until big chunks of butter are no longer visible and the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cold sourdough discard over the top and pulse until the mixture starts coming together in big clumps.
  3. Transfer about 250g (~60%) of the mixture to the prepared pan (reserve the rest for the topping). Use a small measuring cup or glass to press it into an even layer. Prick the entire surface with a fork.
  4. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack while you prepare the jam filling (no need to let it completely cool).
  5. If your jam is on the sweet side, add a couple teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir to combine. If the jam is difficult to spread, you can warm it briefly in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
  6. Evenly spread the jam over the bottom crust. Scatter the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top, followed by the coarse sugar.
  7. Bake until the top is set and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For easiest slicing, I like to further chill the bars in the fridge for another hour or so.
  8. Slice into desired sizes and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
© Ruth
Category: Bars and Brownies

Berry buckwheat crumb bars

Posted on by Ruth
berry crumb bars

Crumb bars, crumble bars, streusel bars — whatever you call them, I’m a fan. Mostly because they belong to my favorite food category, rustic fruit bressert (that’s breakfast and/or dessert).

COVID lockdown has made it extra challenging this year to keep track of the date, but thankfully the seasons still change. We are in the middle of berry season here in Ontario. And while I wasn’t sure if our annual traditions of strawberry and cherry picking would be possible this year, happily we managed to do both.

My family loves fresh fruit like candy, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to actually make anything with the berries. But I squirreled away just enough to make these delightful berry crumb bars. I had some for breakfast and some for dessert and can confirm they go down equally well for either.

A few notes:
  • As with most fruit desserts, I love adding some wholegrain flour for extra flavor. If you don’t have buckwheat on hand, try rye, einkorn, or spelt! Or just substitute with more all-purpose if you don’t have any whole grains stocked.
  • For the filling, I used a mix of (very ripe) strawberries, cherries, and some miscellaneous frozen berries that I had lurking in the freezer. I fully defrosted the frozen berries and drained off the extra liquid to avoid a soggy crust.
  • Because my fruit was mostly quite ripe and juicy, I didn’t need to add much sweetener. If your fruit isn’t so ripe, adjust the sugar to taste or try mixing with a little jam.
berry crumb bars stacked

Berry buckwheat crumb bars

Makes one 8×8 pan

Ingredients:

For the crumb mixture:
  • 190g (1 1/2 c) all purpose flour
  • 60g (1/2 c) buckwheat flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 50g (1/4 c) granulated sugar
  • 50g (1/4 c) light brown sugar
  • 200g (14 T) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 30g (1/3 c) rolled oats
  • 30g (1/4 c) sliced almonds (or other chopped nuts)
  • 30g (2 Tbsp) turbinado sugar
For the fruit filling:
  • 400g (~2 1/2 c) mixed berries, finely diced (if frozen, thaw and drain before using — see notes above)
  • 13g (1 Tbsp) sugar (or to taste)
  • 12g (1 1/2 Tbsp) cornstarch
  • Pinch of salt
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with two long criss-crossed pieces of parchment, leaving a couple of inches of overhang on all sides. (This will make it easy to remove the bars later.) Lightly grease the parchment.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, salt, and sugars. Pulse to combine. Scatter the cold, cubed butter over the top. Pulse until the mixture forms clumps but is not completely smooth (this took me about 20-25 short pulses).
  3. Transfer about a third (~180g) of the mixture to a separate bowl. Add the oats, almonds, and turbinado sugar and use your fingertips to quickly pinch in, forming a clumpy streusel. Refrigerate until needed.
  4. Transfer the remaining two-thirds (~360g) of the mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers or the bottom of a small glass or measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until just set. Transfer to a wire rack while you prepare the fruit filling (no need to let it cool completely).
  5. To make the filling, stir together the fruit, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Spoon the fruit mixture evenly over the par-baked crust, then sprinkle evenly with the reserved streusel mixture.
  6. Bake until the crumb topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing (for cleanest results, chill for an hour in the refrigerator). Refrigerate leftover bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days; serve cold or at room temperature.