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Sourdough fruit loaf consistently fails to rise

kierent's picture
kierent

Sourdough fruit loaf consistently fails to rise

Hi all

I've been baking sourdough for a few years now and have a consistent starter that works well with every loaf of plain white soudrough. I have also made many great fruit loafs but recently I have had issues with the rise. I'll use the starter one day to make excellent white loafs, then the next day put on my fruit loaf and get nothing. Last week I got an OK rise, but today again, nothing. I've done acid dumps and make sure the culture is nice and active so I'm fairly convinced there must be something else going on. Perhaps one of my ingredients is killing the culture?

My first step is to make the starter. I take 30g active 100% hydration starter and add 200g baker's flour and water. This sits for 10-12 hours until it's doubled and bubbling. 

My ingredients for the loaf are: 

Starter above (430g)
800g white baker's flour
320g all up of sultanas, dates and dried apricots, chopped and soaked in black tea
60g coconut sugar
15g cinnamon
2g nutmeg
10g salt
10g olive oil
480g total liquid (around 180g tea from the fruit soak and 300g water)
Half macadamias or whole almonds covering the base of the bread tins

My method is basically:
-Drain the tea off the soaking fruits and use this liquid plus the water.
-Everything except the fruit is mixed in a stand mixer with bread hook
-After about 5-6min it has the consistency of my usual sourdough. Turn it onto a floured bench and stretch into a rectangle
-Spread the fruit evenly then fold thirds over itself, stretch and repeat 3 times to distribute the fruit
-Cut in half and put into 2 bread tins to rise. 

Usually within 8 hours (at room temp of 20c or 68f) they'd be risen nicely but again this morning they've not risen even a bit. 

Any suggestions? Maybe my fruit has sulfites that are killing it? Cinnamon? Nutmeg? 
Thanks in advance

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Try wihout the tea water in the liquids.  Rinse the fruit in a strainer before and after soaking.  Cinnamon and nutmeg can be added later with the fruit after the bulk rise. If he tea flavour is desired, make it fresh.  

If there is still a rising problem more than likely the high sugar content is hindering yeast.  Additional yeast may be needed.  Give the rinsing and cinn/fruit folding a chance first.

kierent's picture
kierent

Thanks so much for the reply. I was wondering the same thing on the way to work today after posting. If the tea is rinsing the sulfites out of the fruit then it'd be easy to get rid of that by not using it. I'm not after the tea flavour particularly, it was just that I didn't want to lose the sweetness of the fruit from the liquids but if it's stopping the rise then it's no good. 

I'll give that a go for my next batch then if that doesn't work I'll try adding the spices later too, 

Thanks again

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Bake and have fun!  :)

ifs201's picture
ifs201

Maybe I'm crazy here, but you are using a very large levain percentage. 430g levain for 800g flour and then an 8 hour bulk ferment. For 800g flour I'd only use 160g levain and would expect less than 8 hour bulk ferment at 68f. Is it possible the dough did rise and then collapsed by the time you checked it in the morning?

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Cinnamon and nutmeg are antibacterial.  Use the TFL  search box to find workarounds.