Seeded Sprouted Spelt Sourdough w/ Walnuts & Figs (AKA Alliteration Sourdough)

Waiting for bread to cool before slicing is an exercise in restraint and one at which I usually fail.  Not this time and it paid off.  So pleased!  A creamy, cool, light interior despite the heavy ingredients of soaked seeds, fruit and nuts.  I went full throttle on heat and was nervous that I'd burned the bread, but I had not. The burnished crust was just perfect for my preference.  My husband is sitting next to me eating a hunk as I type this and he JUST said, "Mmm mmm gooood."  Recipe & pics attached.  Happy baking!

Seeded Sprouted Spelt Sourdough with Walnuts & Figs (2 loaves)

400g KAF bread flour

400g KAF Artisan Bread Flour

200g One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt Flour

250g 50/50 rye/spelt fed and bubbly starter (about 85% hyd)

880g water 85-90 degrees 

22g fine sea salt

2 TBL honey

2 TBL walnut oil

scant 2 TBL diastatic malt powder

200g or more toasted walnut halves

200g or more Black mission figs (soaked; rough chop)

1/2c KAF Harvest Seed blend - soaked for a few hours in hot water; drained if needed

Do soaker of seeds and figs separately; draining if needed before use. Reserve 50g water from fig soaker.

Toast walnuts – 325 for 10-12 minutes and cool completely.  Set aside. Mix 830g of water with honey, all flour, diastatic malt powder. Cover bowl and autolyse somewhere warm (around 78ºF) for 1.5-2 hours. After autolyse, add starter, salt, reserved 50g fig soaker water, walnut oil, & seeds (can add ¼ tsp instant yeast at this point if starter needs oomph). Mix by hand to incorporate ingredients - don’t over mix. Complete 4 stretch & folds spaced out by 30+ minutes (1st S&F after 30 min; store dough someplace warm during rests).  Gently add figs/nuts at second stretch & fold - don’t worry if they are not well dispersed at this point - they will be by the end.  After completing the 4 S&Fs, cover & complete bulk ferment in refrigerator over night (about 7 hours; alternatively let bulk ferment at rest for additional 2-3 hours on counter/warm room).  After bulk ferment, divide dough into 2 masses. Pre-shape into boules, let rest seam down for 20 minutes UNcovered.  After 20 min rest, shape each into batard or boule. Proof in bannetons (lined with linen dusted with rice flour, covered) for 3 hours in fridge and 1 hour on warm countertop while oven preheats. (Or approx. 1.5 hours on countertop or in warm room. If you have chosen the shorter countertop bulk fermentation, consider doing final proof in refrigerator over night/about 7 hours for flavor development).  (Choose whichever fermentation/proofing method meets your schedule needs.)

Preheat oven & cookers for 1 hr. at 500º. Turn out loaves onto parchment rounds. Score. Spritz with water.  45 min. at 500º. After 45 min, reduce oven to 450º, remove cooker lids & bake for an additional 10 min. Watch for scorching figs if any are sitting on the surface of the breads - can loosely cover with foil to prevent scorching, although this may interfere with deep browning of crust. Remove from the oven & cool on wire racks. LET COOL 100% - BEFORE SLICING (difficult, but I swear it’s worth it particularly b/c the walnut oil and soaked seeds/fruit have added to the moist crumb — slicing early will result in gumminess).