112gramsbubbly sourdough starterrecently fed, not too sour
⅓cupmaple syrup
¼cuplard
2ozdark beer or water
300gramshigh-gluten bread flour
For the final dough
8ounces/ 1 cup sheeppork, chicken or beef blood
244gramskernzarye, or buckwheat
2teaspoonskosher salt
2teaspoonspowdered ginger
1Tablespoonground dried bergamot /wild oregano or dried marjoram
1Tablespoontoasted ground fennel seed
½teaspooninstant yeast
Instructions
The night before baking, combine the preferment ingredients, mix, cover, and allow to ferment overnight.
The next day, mix the preferment with the final dough ingredients except the salt and yeast and allow to autolyse (rest) covered at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Knead the salt and yeast into the dough, cover and allow to double in size.
From here the dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days, or frozen.
To cook, portion the dough into 2 ounce balls, then cover with a towel and proof in a warm place until puffed, and an indent in the dough doesn't spring back immediately, about 45 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Bake the buns at 300 for 20 minutes, or until cooked through, then cool and allow to dry at room room temperature or preferably in a dehydrator until completely dessicated and dried. Store the dried buns in a cool dark place, I used a 2 gallon mason jar.
Re-hydrating and serving
To make four servings, take a paring knife, and put the tip into the top of two of the blood rolls, tap down on the knife handle like a chisel to break the rolls in two, then warm 4 cups of seasoned meat stock until hot, but not boiling.
Add the bread chunks and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
When the bread is fully hydrated, warm it back up to your liking.
Here's my Halloween suggestion: put a ½ cup of mashed winter squash in each bowl, then spoon a hunk of bread over the squash, garnish with some of the juice, and scatter over some sautéed black trumpet mushrooms before serving.
Notes
I tweaked things to suit my tastes. Instead of purely commercial yeast, this dough is a hybrid using sourdough starter for character, and a little conventional yeast for extra lift and worry-free baking.
The dough is traditionally made with rye. In the place of rye, I used Kernza, a perennial grain being developed by the land institute. You could substitute another gluten-lite, or gluten free grain in the place of any of these, but for the buns to have some good depth, I would use a heavy-strong tasting flour: buckwheat, acorn, rye, or wild rice flour would all be good.
I adjusted down the spices, as it's obviously supposed to be a spiced bread. This recipe gives a less-aggressive, spicy bun, and more of a subtle dumpling flavor when heated in broth.
The blood was increased to the max I felt the dough would allow. If the buns are made without using sourdough starter, you could sneak in another ¼ cup of blood in place of the water.