Mixed Fruit Sourdough

Lightly enriched sourdough loaf packed with mixed dried fruit. Good toasted with butter.

Ingredients

Levain (build night before)

• 47g strong white flour
• 47g water (room temperature)
• 9g ripe starter

Main dough

• 359g strong white flour
• 257g water (room temperature)
• 8g salt
• 103g levain (from above)
• 123g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, cranberries, or a mix)

Method

1. Soak the fruit (optional but recommended): cover 123g dried fruit with cold water or tea and leave overnight. Drain and pat dry before use. This prevents the fruit from drawing moisture from the dough.
2. Build the levain the night before: combine 47g flour, 47g water, and 9g ripe starter in a jar. Mix well, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature (20–22°C) for 10–12 hours until doubled and bubbly.
3. Mix the dough: combine 359g flour and 257g water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes (autolyse).
4. Add levain and salt: add 103g levain and 8g salt. Squeeze and fold until fully incorporated.
5. Bulk ferment: cover and ferment at room temperature (24–26°C) for 4–5 hours. Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds in the first 2 hours. After the second set of folds, gently fold in the 123g drained fruit in two additions, being careful not to crush the dough.
6. Pre-shape: turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape into a round, cover, and bench rest 20–30 minutes.
7. Final shape: shape into a tight batard or boule. Place seam-side up in a floured banneton. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–16 hours), or proof at room temperature 2–4 hours.
8. Preheat: place a Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 240°C (220°C fan) for at least 45 minutes.
9. Bake: score the dough and lower carefully into the Dutch oven. Bake covered 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake a further 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown. Watch the crust — the fruit sugar can cause it to colour quickly.
10. Cool: transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before cutting.

Nutrition (whole recipe, approximate)

Notes

The fruit can make the dough sticky — wet hands or a dough scraper help during pre-shaping.

If the loaf colours too fast in the final bake, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Try with Earl Grey tea for soaking the fruit for extra flavour.

Baker’s percentages

• Dough weight: 850g
• Hydration: 75%
• Levain: 25%
• Salt: 2%
• Flour: 100% strong white
• Other: mixed dried fruit 30%

Tags: #recipe #bread #sourdough #vegetarian