SOURDOUGH AND STRAWBERRY TRIFLE

While your average trifle uses a sponge, an extraordinary and delicious alternative is sourdough bread. Functioning like a sponge, cubes of our Country Sourdough have the capacity to soak up a delicious strawberry syrup and offer a contrast in texture and complex flavour next to a vanilla bean custard, fresh strawberries macerated with some honey, and pillowy whipped fresh cream. Think of this trifle like a grown up version of a classic, not sacrificing anything in terms of richness and flavour.

Active Time: 55 mins

Total Time: 1 hour, 55 mins

Equipment: 1 deep pot, 1 large mixing bowl, mixer, 4-litre trifle dish

YOU’LL NEED:

Strawberry Soaked Sourdough

1 ¾ cup (350 g) caster sugar

1 ¼ cup (325 g) lemon juice

750 g frozen strawberries

Pinch salt

2 Grizzly Country Sourdough loaves, crusts removed and cut into 3-cm cubes

Vanilla Bean Custard

1 litre milk

8 egg yolks 

6 Tbsp (90g) caster sugar

2 Tbsp (20g) corn flour

Pinch salt

½ tsp. Vanilla bean paste 

Macerated Strawberries

3 punnets (750 g) fresh strawberries

¼ cup (90 g) honey

Whipped Cream

1 cup (240 g) cream

3 Tbsp. (24 g) icing sugar 

METHOD:

Make Strawberry Soaked Sourdough

Combine frozen strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a deep pot. Place over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally until strawberries are totally broken down and liquid becomes a thickened syrup with glossy bubbles slowly popping on the surface, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Place bread cubes in large mixing bowl and pour syrup over the bread, using a large spoon to stir and coat all the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Make Vanilla Bean Custard 

In a clean deep pot, warm milk until steaming but not boiling. In a bowl, whisk together sugar and cornflour until there are no lumps of cornflour in the bowl. Add egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Pour half of milk into egg mixture and whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Return mixture to saucepan with remaining milk and place over medium heat, whisking constantly and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking, until thickened to the consistency of custard, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir to combine. Place in a heatproof container, place plastic wrap against the surface of custard, and refrigerate until cool. 

Make Macerated Strawberries

With a knife, remove stems of strawberries and cut each strawberry into quarters. Add to a bowl with honey and stir to coat the berries. Set aside.  

Make Whipped Cream

Using a whisk attachment on a mixer, whip together cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 

Assemble

Place one-third of the soaked bread cubes in the base of the trifle dish. Pour one-third of the custard over this layer and add one-fourth of the macerated strawberries on top of the custard. Repeat layering two more times, using all of the bread and custard and saving one quarter of the strawberries for garnishing. Top trifle with the whipped cream, mounding it in the centre with a large spoon. Garnish with remaining strawberries.