The past few months have been big ones for Taylor Swift fans. On August 12, the pop star announced her new album, The Life of a Showgirl (which drops tomorrow), and two weeks later, she shared the sweet news that she and Travis Kelce were engaged. Since then, fans have been searching for Easter eggs ahead of the album release, speculating about wedding venues and maybe considering entering their sourdough era.Swifties will know that Taylor is an enthusiastic baker (her cookies and cinnamon rolls have both caused significant buzz), but on the August 13 episode of the Kelce brothers' New Heights podcast, Swift mentioned her "sourdough obsession," and that detail was all the encouragement folks needed to wake up those sourdough starters and fire up their ovens.But in true Taylor fashion, her sourdough journey is anything but basic. On the podcast, she mentioned her experiments with flavored sourdough breads, including cinnamon swirl (yum), blueberry lemon (ok) and...Funfetti (wait, what?).That last one, which Swift said was inspired by Jason Kelce's rainbow-loving daughters, started a confetti chain reaction, which included bakers whipping up loaves of sprinkle-studded bread and the one and only Funfetti getting in on the action, with some fun social media posts and a lightning fast turnaround on a real-life product that promised to make home bakers' rainbow bread dreams come true: Funfetti sourdough bread mix.On September 24 at 12 p.m. Eastern time, Pillsbury had 1,500 boxes ready for pre-order. Fans hopped on the $9.99 baking kit, selling it out in 39 minutes. Parade was lucky enough to snag one of those boxes, and I put the mix to the test in my home kitchen to see if it was a smash hit. Here's what happened.Related: I Channeled My Inner Taylor Swift and Made Funfetti Sourdough—Here’s How it Went
What Is the Funfetti Sourdough Bread Mix?
This clever kit is a streamlined way to make a loaf of sourdough bread at home. But before I get into what's inside the box, let's take a moment for the packaging. I'm not a Swiftie or a Funfetti superfan (though my 11-year-old kiddo is), but even I was charmed by the box. It's fun and festive and Poppin' Fresh (AKA the Pillsbury Doughboy) proudly gesturing to the sliced loaf of sprinkle-studded bread couldn't be cuter. I also noted the orange sparkly drop shadow on the word "sourdough" on the box as a nod to the color scheme of the new album. Well played, Pillsbury.Inside, you'll find a bag of bread mix with Funfetti sprinkles and a packet of yeast. That's it! The yeast packet is what's tasked with the heavy lifting here. The product, made by yeast company Red Star, is called Instant Sourdough and promises "the flavor of an authentic sourdough culture—with the convenience of yeast." How does it do that? With a combo of instant yeast, dried sourdough culture and dough enhancers to help "strengthen the dough and keep it fresher longer."
That sounded good in theory, but I was skeptical that a packet could replace the time, energy and effort that goes into a true sourdough starter. In a nutshell, to make a starter, you ferment a mixture of water and flour in a loosely covered container for a few days until it's bubbly, then use that to make your bread. (There's also a precise process of "feeding" and discarding some of the starter to help it thrive. If you want to give it a try, we have a more detailed explanation of how to do it.)Related: I Tried Taylor Swift’s Favorite Cocktail and Now It’s Mine, Too
Instructions for Funfetti Sourdough Bread Mix
As you might imagine from a boxed mix, the process is super easy. Here's how it comes together.
1. Dump and mix
Mix the flour mixture and the yeast packed in a large bowl, then stir in one cup of warm water. The box doesn't say how warm, but typically water somewhere around 110° to 115° should do the trick. You want it to be hot to the touch but not scalding. Mix until you have a "single dough ball." When I mixed mine I found that I needed a little more water (probably another tablespoon) to help it come together.?? SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Parade Eats newsletter. ??
2. Knead and shape
Once you have your dough ball, it's time to knead. The box instructs you to "fold dough over toward you; press down and away with heels of hands." You'll want to add a little flour to your counter or large cutting board before you start kneading to keep the dough from sticking. If it gets sticky during the kneading process, add a little more flour. You'll knead the dough until it's relaxed and pretty smooth. This will probably take five to seven minutes, which is going to seem like a long time, but press on (pun intended). The kneading process helps build the gluten to give your bread structure.When you're finished kneading, shape the dough into a round ball. The box doesn't say how to do this, but I like to drag the dough ball toward me a few times, letting the friction of the counter or cutting board pull the surface of the dough smooth and help shape the loaf.
3. Rest and rise
That wee lump is the bread rising. And yes, I intentionally used an orange towel for this task.Transfer your shaped loaf onto a greased baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with flour (to keep it from sticking to the towel) and let it rest for an hour in a warm spot or until it's increased to one and a half times its original size. This is another moment that gave me pause, because I'm used to two rises for sourdough: a bulk ferment, and then a final rise. The sourdough recipe on Parade, for example, calls for a two-to-eight-hour bulk ferment, followed by a one-to-two-hour rise, which actually sounds pretty speedy.
4. Slash and bake
Once the dough has risen, make an X-shaped slash with a sharp knife in the top of the loaf. This will give the bread a place to expand as it rises and bakes in the oven. You have the option of covering the dough with foil (not letting the dough touch the foil) or baking it in a Dutch oven, which is the route I chose. Bake the bread at 425° for 20 minutes, then uncover it and bake until it's dark brown and firm to the touch, which should take 15 to 20 minutes longer, depending on your oven. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve!Related: Taylor Swift's Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole
My Honest Thoughts About the Funfetti Sourdough Bread Mix
Courtesy Nina Elder
Despite my many hesitations going into and through this process, I was still rooting for this loaf. When I pulled the bread out of the oven, I was hopeful. It didn't look perfect, but it was nicely browned, and it had risen significantly. The little sprinkles dotting the outside of the loaf definitely added a layer of fun.
I let the bread cool completely, then I cut a few slices and my Funfetti-loving kiddo and I excitedly dug in. I'm sorry to say that it was super disappointing. The crumb (the structure inside the bread) was tight and dense and dry. With sourdough, you're looking for those big bubbles and pockets and some nice squishy spring.
As the loaf baked, it smelled pretty good, which was a good sign. But when we bit into a piece, we found it a little sweet and somewhat sour, but I also got a very artificial flavor that tasted like Play-Doh smells. I also noticed a bitter aftertaste that I didn't care for. Neither my son, my husband, nor I could finish a piece, which was a real bummer.
I love the idea of a streamlined sourdough kit that would help make bread baking more accessible to home cooks, but I think the concept needs more work. It's also possible that sourdough is one of those things that can't be rushed. As I told my Parade co-worker, maybe no starter is a non-starter. (Who doesn't love a baking pun?!?)
At the end of the day, maybe sourdough bread is something you can only create if you slow down, trust the process and build in some time to develop flavor, texture and nuance. And in this rush-rush world filled with instant gratification, maybe that's really what we all need more of. Something tells me Taylor would agree.
How to Get Your Own Funfetti Sourdough Bread Mix
If you're curious to try this kit for yourself and missed the first product drop, Pillsbury just announced that another 1,003 boxes of the bread mix will go on sale for $9.99 each starting at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, October 3 (aka Life of a Showgirl day). To snag yours, go to Funfetti.com.
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