Cranberry Sourdough Bread

5 from 2 votes

This beautiful whole grain bread features whole grain hard white wheat, tart dried cranberries, and delicate orange flavors to give you a festive loaf of artisan bread perfect for any holiday occasion.

Prep Time8

Cook Time45

Total Time8 45

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 181kcal

Author: Holly Lee

Cost: $8

Equipment

1 Mixing Bowl
1 wooden spoon or rubber spatula
1 Citrus Zester
1 Baking Scale
1 Bench Scraper optional, but recommended
1 Banneton or other proofing basket
1 Baking Vessel such as clay/stone baker, dutch oven, etc
1 Spray Bottle with water

Ingredients

2 medium Oranges for zesting
1/2 cup dried cranberries
500 grams Whole Grain Hard White Wheat Flour freshly milled, or use a bagged White Whole Wheat, such as King Arthur's
240 grams orange juice 1 cup
160 grams Water 2/3 cup
100 grams Sourdough Starter healthy & active
12 grams Salt

Instructions

Take your 2 oranges and zest them until you get around 1 packed tablespoon of orange zest. Set aside.
2 medium Oranges
Take your 1/2 cup dried cranberries and cover them with warm water to partially rehydrate. Set aside and move on to the next step.
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Weigh your flour and place in a large mixing bowl. I use freshly milled hard white wheat, but bagged white whole wheat works, too.
500 grams Whole Grain Hard White Wheat Flour
Add the orange juice, water, and sourdough starter. Mix with wooden spoon until no dry bits of flour remain. Let rest for 30 minutes.
240 grams orange juice, 160 grams Water, 100 grams Sourdough Starter
Using wet hands, press dimples into your dough. Sprinkle the salt and orange zest on top. Lightly hand knead or use stretches and folds to work these evenly into the dough. Cover and rest dough for 15-20 minutes.
12 grams Salt, 2 medium Oranges
Drain your dried cranberries well. Add them on top of the dough. Stretch the dough from one side gently as far as you can, then fold it over the top of the cranberries. Rotate your bowl of dough slightly and again grab the side of the dough, gently pull & stretch, and fold it over top. Repeat 2-3 more times or until the dough it too tight to continue. Cover dough & let rest 15-20 minutes.
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Perform 2-3 more sets of stretches and folds: Every 15 to 20 minutes, do another set of stretches and folds as described in the prior step. The dough might feel a bit stiff, but that is okay. Do as many sets as needed until the dough is smooth, supple, and the dried cranberries look evenly distributed.
If not already, place your dough into a clean, straight sided container so you can keep an eye on it during the bulk fermentation. Cover the dough and let rise about 50%. I recommend tracking your bulk fermentation based on percentage rise, not time. There are too many variables that affect time.
After the dough has risen about 50%, pour the dough out and lightly shape into a ball using stretches & folds. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. This is the pre-shape.
After the pre-shape, turn the dough over so the smooth side of the dough is facing down. Lightly flatten the dough with your hands, then trifold the dough as if folding a letter to go into an envelope. Starting at the bottom of the dough, begin to roll it up like a burrito.
After rolling the loaf, pinch the ends closed. Place the loaf in a proofing basket or banneton smooth side down. Cover the dough and let proof until it's puffy. You will know the proof is done if you lightly poke the dough and the indent springs back most of the way.
About halfway through the proof, place a lidded baking vessel (such as a Dutch oven, roasting pan with lid, or other covered baker) in the oven and pre-heat to 450°F for up to one hour. All ovens vary--Adjust this time up or down depending on fast and strong your oven heats up.
When ready to bake, place a piece of parchment paper over your dough, then supporting the middle of the loaf with your hand, gently tip the basket over and remove the proofing basket. Gently score your loaf down the middle about a quarter-inch with a bread lame or sharp knife.
Remove the preheated dutch oven or bread baker from the oven. Carefully remove the lid and gently lift the cranberry sourdough loaf via the edges of the parchment paper and place it inside. Replace the lid quickly, then put it back into the oven. Bake at 450°F for 30 minutes. After 30 min, lower the oven temp to 425°F, remove the lid, and bake the bread for 15 more minutes.
When the bread is done, take it out and test the interior temperature with a thermometer. You want the interior temp of sourdough to be at least 205°F to 209°F. Cool completely before slicing for best results.

Video

Notes

You can feed your starter ahead of time and allow it to become active and bubbly if you wish. However, I make many of my breads, including this one, with unfed starter with wonderful results. If using unfed starter, ensure it is still healthy. In the fridge, you should still see bubbles of activity in the jar. If the starter is flat and/or has a layer of liquid (hooch) on top, it is not healthy enough to use in this recipe. Feed the starter a time or two, then proceed when it shows a good rise and many bubbles.

Bread should be eaten with 3 to 5 days for best taste and texture. I recommend slicing and freezing anything you don't think you will be able to eat promptly. Heat a slice from the freezer in the toaster any time you'd like one!

Nutrition