Recipe: Bellbird Wholewheat Sourdough
WITH WHIPPED LEMON RICOTTA, ASPARAGUS, MINT & CONFIT GARLIC
Sophie Petersen Food Editor | @sophie.b.petersen
Did you hear? Bellbird Baked Goods has a new Organic Wholewheat Sourdough loaf lining the batons, steaming up the ovens and adorning the shelves.
Made with 100 per cent organic wholewheat flour, stone-milled and naturally fermented, this loaf boasts a deep, nutty flavour, a good crust, a soft crumb, and a really lovely chew.
The flour travels just an hour and a half up the road from Milmore Downs in North Canterbury. And while the talented Bellbird bakers use this flour across their sourdough range, this loaf really lets the grain take centre stage.
SERVES 4
For the confit garlic
2 whole bulbs of garlic
Neutral oil, enough to submerge
For the whipped lemon ricotta
250g ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
1 tbsp honey
Generous pinch of flaky sea salt
For the toast
4 thick slices of bread
8 cloves of confit garlic
10 asparagus spears
A handful of fresh mint leaves, finely threaded
A small bunch of chives, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
A handful of hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 120°C. Separate the garlic bulbs into cloves, leaving the skins on, and place them in a small ovenproof dish. Cover completely with neutral oil and cook for 1–1½ hours, or until the cloves are soft and golden. Allow to cool slightly. Reserve the fragrant oil for dressing and finishing.
Place the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, honey, and salt in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, light, and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus lengthways into delicate ribbons. Place in a bowl with the mint, chives, lemon juice, a generous drizzle of garlic-infused oil, and cracked black pepper. Toss gently to coat.
Cut four generous slices of sourdough and toast until deeply golden and crisp around the edges.
Spread the confit garlic cloves across each slice, gently crushing them into the surface so their sweet, mellow flavour seeps into the crumb. Spoon or pipe over a generous layer of whipped lemon ricotta, then pile high with the dressed asparagus ribbons. Finish with toasted hazelnuts, an extra drizzle of garlic-infused oil, fresh mint, cracked black pepper, and flaky sea salt.