Home Canned Pie Filling and Sourdough Discard Clafoutis
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What started as a toss-whatever-I-got-cause-I-need-something-sweet turned into one of the most delightful desserts using up some sourdough discard, canning pie fillings I had stocked on my pantry shelf, and some fresh milled flour. I’m really not sure this is a traditional clafoutis recipe, but I do know that I don’t care. I took a random recipe I’ve had for a billion years that was called and “clafoutis” and edited it to use sourdough discard, fresh milled whole grains, and canned pie filling instead of fresh or frozen fruit. AND IT WORKED. Bake it up, let it cool a little bit, then serve with some vanilla ice cream. This is the perfect way to use a quart of your very favorite home canned pie filling or mix and match 2 different pints for a very satisfying and easy dessert.
I really enjoy simple desserts that use up things I have in my canning storage. And if it uses up sourdough starter discard, too, well I’m in love! You can edit this recipe and use fresh or frozen fruit mixed with a half cup of sugar or less instead of canned pie fillings, and it will work perfectly fine. You could also mix up all the batter ingredients and allow it to ferment for a 8-12 hours at room temperature before baking, especially if you’re using raw milk like me. It would give it a more distinctive sourdough sour flavor and make it more digestible and properly prepared for you guts to really use up the nutrients and digest it.
What on God’s Green Earth is a Clafoutis?!
I’m really not some amazing culinary expert like Julia Child. I fake it til I make it and I’m sure you already know that. But I do kinda know what a clafoutis is, mmkaayy?? It’s a batter poured over fresh fruit and baked to create a crustless tart. Traditionally, it is made with unpitted black cherries (I have no idea why we would want to leave the pits in here because who wants to pick out pits while eating dessert… but who am I?) with a simple batter poured over top, baked in a buttered dish, and then cooled and topped with powdered sugar. I guess if we wanted to be really picky on wording, it could also be a considered a flaugnarde because I used stone fruit today instead of the traditional cherries. I think these words are delightful to try and pronounce.
Why Use Soft White Wheat Berries?
Soft white wheat berries have a lower protein content than hard varieties. Protein content directly affects the flour’s ability to create gluten. This is why you see high protein “bread flours” that contain higher protein than an all-purpose flour you find at the grocery store. I choose to use soft white wheat berries for baking applications like this because I’m really not looking for gluten formation. I’m looking to throw a batter together and bake it and leavening with baking powder or baking soda, a soft variety is my choice.
Anything with yeast needs the gluten and the higher protein. This was such a hard learning curve for me to wrap my brain around when I first started with fresh milled flour! I have found that you can absolutely use a hard wheat variety in baking recipes that don’t use yeast as a leavening agent, but it just really doesn’t turn out as great. Early on in my learning, I randomly decided to bake a sourdough chocolate cake with all hard red wheat and see what happens. Lordy was that an interesting cake that we did eat but the chickens got to enjoy, too. Had i used a soft wheat variety, the cake would have been much more fluffy and tender. Live and learn.
Where Do I Buy Wheat Berries?
I am fortunate enough to have an Amish bulk food that sells wheat berries from a farm in Amish Country almost right down the road. This has made it extremely easy and economical for me to stock up and purchase wheat berries in bulk. I buy organic hard white, hard red, spelt, soft white, einkorn, and kamut from them. They allow me to order what I want when I need it and they toss it on their order to be shipped in with their store stock and set it aside for me. Making relationships and being friendly with small businesses and families can get you some perks, sometimes. Don’t be afraid to ask! I do know there’s other places online to purchase and pick-up, but without having worked with them myself, I will not give out a recommendation.
How Do I Store Wheat Berries?
When I bring a stock of wheat berries home, I put the bags directly into my deep freezers or on the front porch if the outside is a freezer. I usually try and stock up on wheat berries when the air hurts my face outside because of this. My freezer space is prime real estate, so when I can use God’s outdoor freezer, that makes it a bunch easier. I place the bags inside totes and leave them on my covered porch for a few days. Then I bring them inside for a day or two to warm up, and repeat this. Do the same if you’re using a deep freezer. This helps prevent the bugs from hatching in storage.
If you’re not keen on freezing or don’t have the room to do so, storing in air tight containers in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers will achieve the same things. Removing the oxygen means it’s not conducive to life.
How Do I Substitute Fresh Milled Soft Wheat in Recipes?
Recipes calling for all-purpose flour can absolutely be changed to accommodate fresh milled wheat. If the recipe uses baking soda or baking powder as the leavening agent, you can use a soft wheat variety. Start with a 1:1 substitution, but I normally have to increase the amount of fresh milled wheat by 2-4 tablespoons per cup of all-purpose flour the recipe calls for. This is the exact opposite of hard wheat, which usually has me reducing the amount of flour. I add in equal amounts, mix it in, then rest the batter for 20-30 minutes to allow the fresh milled wheat to rehydrate.
After that rest period, if my batter still doesn’t look right, I will add the extra amount until it does, starting with 2 tablespoons per cup of all-purpose flour and increase to 4 tablespoons. Err on the side of less is more, because you can always add but you can’t take away. Once I know what a recipe will need, I can write down the exact measurement and not have to guess again. Always allow the batter to rest with fresh milled wheat so the wheat rehydrates. I’ve found it helps the baked goods to be less grainy after baking.
Equipment I Think You Need:
- large mixing bowl
- small bowl
- spatula
- whisk or dough whisk
- 8×8-inch or similarly sized baking dish or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- fresh milled soft white wheat flour
- raw, unrefined sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- butter
- goat milk
- sourdough discard
- vanilla extract
- lemon extract or fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest
Let’s get to baking.
Step 1: Prep for baking
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
While the oven heats, place 4 Tablespoons of butter into baking dish of your choice and place into oven to melt as it preheats. If you would like to ferment the batter, skip this step until you are ready to bake it.
Step 2: Mill you Wheat Berries
Measure out 1/3 cup of soft white wheat berries and run them through your grain mill on the pastry setting/fine setting. I normally mill a little extra since this is a discard recipe so I have some flour for feeding of sourdough starter after I use it.
Step 3: Mix dry ingredients
To a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup freshly milled soft white wheat flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
Step 4: Mix wet ingredients
To a small bowl, add 1/2 cup fresh goat milk (or milk of choice, but goat milk is the best. I’ll die on that hill.), 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp lemon extract OR the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Whisk this until smooth.
Step 5: Mix the batter
To the flour mixture, pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth. You can optionally choose to cover and ferment the batter at room temperature for 8-12 hours; this is solely up to you and your preferences.
Remove your baking pan with melted butter from the oven, assuring butter has completely melted, and pour the batter into the pan. This is not a thick batter. Dollop 1 quart or 2 pints of pie filling over the top in even scoops. I chose to mix and match peach and blueberry pie filling, so i alternated the dollops on top.
Step 6: Baking
Return pan to oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes; bake time relies entirely on the size of dish and type of pan you use. Your clafoutis is done when the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Keep an eye on it!
Happy Baking!
Equipment
- small bowl
- 8×8-inch or similarly sized baking dish or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup fresh milled soft white wheat flour I mill about 1/3 cup to get this
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup goat milk
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard active or unfed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract or juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 quart home canned pie filling or 2 pints to mix fruits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To baking dish, add 4 tbsp of butter and place baking dish in oven to melt butter while it preheats.
- Mill your soft white wheat flour.
- To a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- To a small bowl, add goat milk, sourdough discard, and extracts. Whisk to combine.
- To the flour mixture, add the wet ingredients and whisk until batter is smooth and incorporated.
- Remove baking dish from oven once butter is melted, and pour in batter. Over top of the batter, spoon pie filling into even dollops. If using 2 pints of different fruit pie fillings, alternate dollops.
- Return pan to oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and top is golden brown. The baking time varies for baking vessel and for oven, so keep and eye on it!
Notes
Equipment
- small bowl
- 8×8-inch or similarly sized baking dish or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup fresh milled soft white wheat flour I mill about 1/3 cup to get this
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup goat milk
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard active or unfed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract or juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 quart home canned pie filling or 2 pints to mix fruits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To baking dish, add 4 tbsp of butter and place baking dish in oven to melt butter while it preheats.
- Mill your soft white wheat flour.
- To a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- To a small bowl, add goat milk, sourdough discard, and extracts. Whisk to combine.
- To the flour mixture, add the wet ingredients and whisk until batter is smooth and incorporated.
- Remove baking dish from oven once butter is melted, and pour in batter. Over top of the batter, spoon pie filling into even dollops. If using 2 pints of different fruit pie fillings, alternate dollops.
- Return pan to oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and top is golden brown. The baking time varies for baking vessel and for oven, so keep and eye on it!
