Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread

Sometimes you hit on a recipe that strikes just the right chords. Over the last few months of my sourdough starter/bread endeavor, I’ve read countless baking blogs, and bought my fair share of bread cookbooks to help in my ‘education’. One of these reference books has been an absolute standout; not only in technique and troubleshooting, but also in guiding the creation of one of my favorite bread recipes to date. My recipe for Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread is outrageously delicious!

The inspiration…

The Tartine Bread cookbook, by Chad Robertson (of Tartine Bakery fame), is an essential baking cookbook for anyone interested in bread making. It is perfect for the beginner bread baker, or anyone looking to brush up on their sourdough bread skills. The in-depth instructions and clear directional photographs are very helpful, and I highly recommend adding this text to your kitchen shelf. Recipes include basic sourdough boules, shaped baguettes, and more complex pastries such as sourdough croissants & brioche. Robertson not only explains how to make these delicious recipes, but why these techniques work.

Building on a beautiful sourdough bread recipe…

I decided to put my own spin with this Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread, on one of the recipes for basic country sourdough. Years ago, in one of the top-notch restaurants in Boston, I had tasted a rustic-style bread studded with pockets of sweet dried fruit and a chewy crust. It was so perfect that, even now, I can still imagine the taste – especially with a pat of fresh whipped butter spread lusciously on top! That was my mission: I was going to try to make a version of that bread!

Using flavors from my heritage…

In my recipe, mixed dried fruit such as dried apricots, golden raisins, dried cherries and dates are chopped and soaked in strong back tea (a harkening back to my Eastern European roots). The now softened fruit is added to a tried & true sourdough bread dough, along with a giant handful of slivered almonds. Even though an overnight rest in the fridge (to enhance the sourdough flavor) does make it a two day project, the generous loaves that this recipe yields are completely worth it. Chewy, crusty, and with the lovely tang of fresh sourdough, this Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread is perfect for breakfast, as a gourmet French toast, or even toasted up in bits as a sweet/savory crouton.

Making sourdough in grams vs cups…

You will notice that I have written this recipe (as well as my other sourdough recipes) in grams vs cups. I have found that rather that ‘eyeballing’ my ingredients, it gives far more consistent results if I precisely measure everything using a small digital kitchen scale. These handy tools can be found cheaply on Amazon, or at your local cookware store. I’m also a huge fan of using a baking steel (a heavy block of iron at the bottom of the stove) to help even out your oven temperature during baking. I prefer using Le Creuset dutch ovens for baking this dried fruit sourdough bread. I always get fabulously chewy crusts, and great even baking, when using these essentials.

Are you looking for more sourdough recipes?

I didn’t stop at this delicious sourdough fruit and nut bread! I’ve also created several other yummy sourdough recipes, using your homemade sourdough starter! Apple Chai Sourdough Scones are sweet & fragrant, my recipe for Apricot Galette with a sourdough infused crust is fabulous for big parties, and my jam filled tender Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are a perfect holiday treat! Sourdough starter is a versatile ingredient with a flavor that creates such a terrific back note, yo both sweet & savory recipes!

Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread

yields 2 loaves
adapted from the Tartine Bread cookbook, by Chad Robertson

*Please note that this is a two day recipe. Read all the way through. This is not a quick baking project! 
For the Bread Dough

200 grams of foamy sourdough starter
700 grams plus 50 grams (reserved) of warm spring water
900 grams of unbleached bread flour
100 grams of whole wheat flour
20 grams of fine sea salt
rice flour (optional)

For the Dried Fruit & Nut Mixture

128 grams of dried golden raisins
128 grams of dried mixed fruit (dried apricots, dried cherries, and dried dates are our favorite)
128 grams of slivered almonds
96 grams of brewed strong black tea

Making the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the 700 grams of warm spring water and foamy starter. Mix gently with your fingertips to dissolve slightly.

Add the portioned bread flour and whole wheat flour to your starter/water bowl as well. Using your hands and a dough scraper, bring the mixture together until the flour is fully incorporated, and you have a nice basic dough. Scrape any remaining dough from your hands and the sides of the bowl into the bowl itself.

Let rest, covered with a tea towel, for 30-40 minutes. This is the first resting period where the proteins and starches in the flour will have time to absorb all of the water for a pliable dough.

After resting, uncover, add the salt, and the remaining 50 grams of warm spring water to the dough. Gently fold the dough over itself to mix the water in. You can also squeeze the dough through your fingers. It may break apart as you do this, but don’t worry – just keep mixing!

Once the water is fully mixed into the dough, gently fold the sides of the dough onto itself three or four times, to introduce some air into the mix.

Gently transfer the dough into a lager bowl (or what I like to use, a medium-sized, clear, Rubbermaid container). Cover once more with a tea towel, and place on a warm countertop in the kitchen. This is the beginning of the ‘bulk fermentation’ stage.

Let the dough bulk for 30 minutes.

During this first period, chop your dried fruit, and soak for 20 minutes in (room-temperature) strong black tea in a medium sized bowl. Then, drain the fruit by dumping it into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Measure out your silvered almonds, and reserve both the fruit and nuts. Discard the tea (or drink it – it’s sweet!)

Now back to the dough…. after the 30 minutes are up, add the drained dried fruit mix and nuts to the dough. Grabbing one side of the dough, pull it up, and fold to the other side, allowing some air to be folding in. Repeat three to four times, folding both the dough and the fruit mix. Cover once again, and let rest 30 Minutes.

Repeat the folding process for a total of SIX (6) 30 minute periods, or about three hours of bulk fermentation/rise. The dough should be pillowy and soft by the end. The sides should pull easily away from the container and there should be a 20-30% increase in volume. If you think you need a bit more time, allow 1-2 more 30 minute rests and folds.

Next, we will shape and rest (the dough). Using a dough scraper, scrape the dough onto an unfloured work space. Lightly flour the surface of the dough, then, using the bench scraper, divide into two roughly equal pieces.

Flip each portion of dough over, so the floured side is now resting on the counter or board. Then, gently (but firmly), fold the edges of the dough onto itself, so the floured side is the outer surface of the dough ball. *see photo*. This side will be the outer crust of each loaf.

Lightly flour your hands and, with hands on each side of the round (you can use a bench scraper in one hand if you prefer), gently move the round to you, while pushing the opposite hand under the dough slightly, and rotating. You want to use your hands to shape the dough into a circle with a tight ‘skin” on top. I find about 4 or 5 turns around do the trick. Tension is key to a sturdy crust.

Repeat with the second portion of dough.

(If the surface of the dough rips during the rounding, let the dough relax for ten minutes and start again.)

Let both rounds rest on the counter or board and cover with a towel to prevent drafts. Let the bread dough bench rest for another 30 minutes.

While the rounds are bench resting, the dough will relax and spread sightly. The edges will appear rounded, but should not look like they are dripping off the board. If it looks like it’s spreading too much, the bulk ferment has not yet been for long enough. No worries though, simply round the dough again, and let rest again for 30 more minutes.

If all looks good, we will now go to the final shaping and the overnight rest:

Lightly flour the tops of each loaf and, using the scraper, flip the whole thing over so that the board side is now facing up, and the floured surface is facing down.

Grabbing the edge closest to you (on the bottom of the board), firmly stretch & fold over to the upper edge (top of the board side) and press the edge down. Next, grab the right edge of the dough and firmly stretch & fold over the center, towards the left side of the dough. Again, press firmly down with your fingertips. Grab the lefthand side of the dough and stretch & fold to the righthand side. Finally, take the portion the dough near the top of the board, and stretch towards the bottom side, closest to you. Flip the whole thing over, so the board side is now facing up. All of the seams should now be tucked under the bundle. The air that was introduced here will allow more rise, and create more tension within the bread for a sturdy loaf.

You’re now going to repeat the rounding shaping by cupping your hands on either side of the loaf and gently turning & pulling towards you at the same time. This will create additional tension & stretch the surface to hold the seams together.

Repeat the whole process with the second loaf. Trust me, its not as difficult as it sounds!

Take two medium sized bowls, and spread two clean dish towels into them. I usually just use a bit of bread flour, but Robertson recommends making a mix of 50/50 rice flour to whole wheat flour, to sprinkle liberally on the dish towels. The flour will help stop the bread dough from sticking to the dish towels during the overnight rest.

Using the bench scraper, gently lift the dough rounds and flip over (what was the top is now facing down) into the prepared bowls. Same with the second loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (and I like to fold the edges of the dish towels over the top of the bowls).

I prefer to let my bread rest overnight in the fridge before baking. This allows the sourdough to ferment a bit more and let the flavors blend. 8-12 hours is plenty of fridge rest.

If you really don’t have the time or patience to do an overnight rest, you can also allow the bread dough to rise in a warm room (about 75-80F) for 3-4 hours before baking. The shorter rise time will mean less fermentation, and much more mild sourdough flavors.

After your preferred rise time, preheat your oven to a whopping 475F (*important to note, I diverge with the book recommended 500 degree oven temperature here, because I don’t think my oven can handle it. They’ve come out just fine with this temp). You are going to preheat your dutch oven (including the lid), in the oven at the same time. This takes about an hour in my kitchen.

While the oven is preheating, I like to cut a generous square of parchment paper for each loaf. Once your pot & oven are at temperature, set a heatproof trivet on the counter, and very carefully retrieve your pot. It will be screaming hot!

Gently turn out one of the loaves onto the parchment and then – taking the sides of the parchment with oven mitts on – lower into the pot. Watch out for those forearms – the pot is at 475 degrees!

Using a sharp paring knife or bread slasher, slash at least three vents into the bread. I like to do three horizontal slits, about 1/2 inch deep, for my breads. But, you can get creative! Check out google for ideas!

The slashes are made to allow steam to vent and also to let the bread expand to its full height while baking. If the slashes aren’t deep or numerous enough, the bread can break open, or even worse, not rise at all. This can lead to what I call a ‘hockey puck” style bread; super dense, and not particularly tasty.

Replace the lid, and carefully return to you hot oven.

Reduce the oven temperature to 450F. Bake for 30 minutes covered. After the first baking period, you will then bake uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes. Finally, crack the oven door open without touching the temperature, and bake a further 10 minutes.

*The first 30 minutes is to get the bread to its fullest ‘oven spring’, or height, while also steaming it a bit in the covered pot. This helps create a ‘skin’ on the bread that is pale and a little shiny. For the second 30 minutes of baking uncovered, we are creating a bubbly brown crust. It seems a little odd, but you want to take your crust just past golden to well baked. You know all of those dreamy loaves in professional bakeries? This is what they’re doing! The final 10 minutes of baking with the door ajar is to let the accumulated steam out and to dry the outside of the loaf a bit. Keep an eye on our bread for this last step.

After all the baking, retrieve your pot and carefully take your bread out of the pot. It should be beautifully golden brown, with small crackly bubbles, and a great ‘ears’ where you made the slashes. If you gently tap the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow. As the bread cools, it will snap & pop.

Repeat the baking process again with the second loaf, by placing the pot back into the oven and raising the temperature back up to 475F, and repeating the steps above. (Be sure to reduce the temperature to 450F when you place the pot back into the oven!).

Let both loaves cool completely on a wire rack. I know… I know…but really, don’t crack that beauty open yet, otherwise it will be mushy. Believe it or not, it’s not done baking at this point. The glutens need to calm down and the steam needs to cool.Wait it out!

Once cooled, enjoy with salted butter, jam, your favorite soft cheese, or as a great grilled cheese sandwich. It seems like a lot of work…and it is, but the smell and satisfaction of making your own gourmet bread is something that can’t be bought in any grocery store!

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Dried Fruit & Nut Sourdough Bread

In my recipe, mixed dried fruit such as dried apricots, golden raisins, & dried cherries are chopped and soaked in strong back tea (a harkening back to my Eastern European roots). Tangy and a little sweet, this Dried Fruit & Nut Bread is delicious smothered in soft salted butter or toasted & topped with a soft goat cheese!

Prep Time4 hours hrs

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time5 hours hrs

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 2 loaves

Author: Jessie-Sierra

Cost: $4

Equipment

• 1 cooking scale measure
• 2 large bowls resting
• 2 tea towels cover
• 1 dough scraper scrape
• 1 dutch oven pot bake

Ingredients

*Please note that this is a two day recipe. Read all the way through. This is not a quick baking project!

For the Bread Dough

• 200 grams of foamy sourdough starter
• 700 grams plus 50 grams reserved of warm spring water
• 900 grams of unbleached bread flour
• 100 grams of whole wheat flour
• 20 grams of fine sea salt
• rice flour optional

For the Dried Fruit & Nut Mixture

• 128 grams of dried golden raisins
• 128 grams of dried mixed fruit dried apricots, dried cherries, and dried dates are our favorite
• 128 grams of slivered almonds
• 96 grams of brewed strong black tea
• Making the Dough
• In a large mixing bowl combine the 700 grams of warm spring water and foamy starter. Mix gently with your fingertips to dissolve slightly.

Instructions

Making the Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the 700 grams of warm spring water and foamy starter. Mix gently with your fingertips to dissolve slightly.
• Add the portioned bread flour and whole wheat flour to your starter/water bowl as well. Using your hands and a dough scraper, bring the mixture together until the flour is fully incorporated, and you have a nice basic dough. Scrape any remaining dough from your hands and the sides of the bowl into the bowl itself.
• Let rest, covered with a tea towel, for 30-40 minutes. This is the first resting period where the proteins and starches in the flour will have time to absorb all of the water for a pliable dough.
• After resting, uncover, add the salt, and the remaining 50 grams of warm spring water to the dough. Gently fold the dough over itself to mix the water in. You can also squeeze the dough through your fingers. It may break apart as you do this, but don’t worry – just keep mixing!
• Once the water is fully mixed into the dough, gently fold the sides of the dough onto itself three or four times, to introduce some air into the mix.
• Gently transfer the dough into a lager bowl (or what I like to use, a medium-sized, clear, Rubbermaid container). Cover once more with a tea towel, and place on a warm countertop in the kitchen. This is the beginning of the ‘bulk fermentation’ stage.
• Let the dough bulk for 30 minutes.
• During this first period, chop your dried fruit, and soak for 20 minutes in (room-temperature) strong black tea in a medium sized bowl. Then, drain the fruit by dumping it into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Measure out your silvered almonds, and reserve both the fruit and nuts. Discard the tea.
• After the 30 minutes are up, add the drained dried fruit mix and nuts to the dough. Grabbing one side of the dough, pull it up, and fold to the other side, allowing some air to be folding in. Repeat three to four times, folding both the dough and the fruit mix. Cover once again, and let rest 30 Minutes.
• Repeat the folding process for a total of SIX (6) 30 minute periods, or about three hours of bulk fermentation/rise. The dough should be pillowy and soft by the end. The sides should pull easily away from the container and there should be a 20-30% increase in volume. If you think you need a bit more time, allow 1-2 more 30 minute rests and folds.
• Next, we will shape and rest (the dough). Using a dough scraper, scrape the dough onto an unfloured work space. Lightly flour the surface of the dough, then, using the bench scraper, divide into two roughly equal pieces.
• Flip each portion of dough over, so the floured side is now resting on the counter or board. Then, gently (but firmly), fold the edges of the dough onto itself, so the floured side is the outer surface of the dough ball. *see photo*. This side will be the outer crust of each loaf.
• Lightly flour your hands and, with hands on each side of the round (you can use a bench scraper in one hand if you prefer), gently move the round to you, while pushing the opposite hand under the dough slightly, and rotating. You want to use your hands to shape the dough into a circle with a tight ‘skin” on top. I find about 4 or 5 turns around do the trick. Tension is key to a sturdy crust.
• Repeat with the second portion of dough.
• (If the surface of the dough rips during the rounding, let the dough relax for ten minutes and start again.)
• Let both rounds rest on the counter or board and cover with a towel to prevent drafts. Let the bread dough bench rest for another 30 minutes.
• While the rounds are bench resting, the dough will relax and spread sightly. The edges will appear rounded, but should not look like they are dripping off the board. If it looks like it’s spreading too much, the bulk ferment has not yet been for long enough. No worries though, simply round the dough again, and let rest again for 30 more minutes.
• If all looks good, we will now go to the final shaping and the overnight rest:
• Lightly flour the tops of each loaf and, using the scraper, flip the whole thing over so that the board side is now facing up, and the floured surface is facing down.
• Grabbing the edge closest to you (on the bottom of the board), firmly stretch & fold over to the upper edge (top of the board side) and press the edge down. Next, grab the right edge of the dough and firmly stretch & fold over the center, towards the left side of the dough. Again, press firmly down with your fingertips. Grab the lefthand side of the dough and stretch & fold to the righthand side. Finally, take the portion the dough near the top of the board, and stretch towards the bottom side, closest to you. Flip the whole thing over, so the board side is now facing up. All of the seams should now be tucked under the bundle. The air that was introduced here will allow more rise, and create more tension within the bread for a sturdy loaf.
• You’re now going to repeat the rounding shaping by cupping your hands on either side of the loaf and gently turning & pulling towards you at the same time. This will create additional tension & stretch the surface to hold the seams together.
• Repeat the whole process with the second loaf.
• Take two medium sized bowls, and spread two clean dish towels into them. Mix of 50/50 rice flour to whole wheat flour, to sprinkle liberally on the dish towels. I use bread flour often as well.
• Using the bench scraper, gently lift the dough rounds and flip over (what was the top is now facing down) into the prepared bowls. Same with the second loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (and I like to fold the edges of the dish towels over the top of the bowls).
• Let the bread rest overnight in the fridge before baking. 8-12 hours is plenty of fridge rest.
• After your preferred rise time, preheat your oven to a whopping 475F (*important to note, I diverge with the book recommended 500 degree oven temperature here, because I don't think my oven can handle it). You are going to preheat your dutch oven (including the lid), in the oven at the same time. This takes about an hour.
• While the oven is preheating, cut a generous square of parchment paper for each loaf. Once your pot & oven are at temperature, set a heatproof trivet on the counter, and very carefully retrieve your pot.
• Gently turn out one of the loaves onto the parchment and then – taking the sides of the parchment with oven mitts on – lower into the pot.
• Using a sharp paring knife or bread slasher, slash at least three vents into the bread. I like to do three horizontal slits, about 1/2 inch deep.
• Replace the lid, and carefully return to you hot oven.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 450F. Bake for 30 minutes covered. After the first baking period, you will then bake uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes. Finally, crack the oven door open without touching the temperature, and bake a further 10 minutes.
• After all the baking, retrieve your pot and carefully take your bread out of the pot. It should be golden brown, with small crackly bubbles. If you gently tap the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow. As the bread cools, it will snap & pop.
• Repeat the baking process again with the second loaf, by placing the pot back into the oven and raising the temperature back up to 475F, and repeating the steps above. (Be sure to reduce the temperature to 450F when you place the pot back into the oven!).
• Let both loaves cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

• It’s important to note, that even though this isn’t a quick recipe, it’s well worth it!
• Other dried fruits that work well in this recipe are rehydrated raisins, figs, and dates. 
• Strong black tea works the best for this recipe!