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San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Sour Cherries

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Sour Cherries

San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dried Sour Cherries

March 12, 2013

On March 3, 2013, I blogged about the San Francisco-style bread with Walnuts and Figs I had baked. More recently, SallyBR tried that formula, substituting dates for the figs and found it to be very good. Today, I baked another version this time substituting dried sour cherries for the figs. The formula was otherwise the same. The procedures were different only in my treatment of the levain which was adapted to my scheduling needs.

 

Total Dough Ingredients

Bakers' %

Wt (g)

AP flour

76

416

WW Flour

8

46

Bread flour

14

78

Medium rye flour

0.7

4

Water

69

378

Salt

2

11

Stiff starter

12

66

Walnuts

18

98

Dried sour cherries

18

98

Total

217.7

1195

  

Stiff levain

Bakers' %

Wt (g)

Bread flour

95

78

Medium rye flour

5

4

Water

50

41

Stiff starter

80

66

Total

230

189

  1. Dissolve the starter in the water. Add the flour and mix thoroughly until the flour has been completely incorporated and moistened.

  2. Ferment at room temperature for 6 hours.

  3. Refrigerate overnight.

 

Final dough

Wt (g)

AP flour

416

WW Flour

46

Water (80ºF)

337

Salt

11

Stiff levain

189

Walnuts

98

Dried sour cherries

98

Total

1195

 

Method

  1. In a stand mixer, mix the flour and water at low speed until it forms a shaggy mass.

  2. Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes

  3. Coarsely chop or break apart the walnut pieces and toast them for 8 minutes in a 300ºF oven. Allow to cool.

  4. Add the salt and levain to the autolyse, and mix at low speed for 1-2 minutes, then increase the speed to medium (Speed 2 on a KitchenAid) and mix for 5 minutes. Add flour and water as needed. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl but not the bottom.

  5. Add the walnuts and the cherries to the dough and mix at low speed until well-distributed in the dough. (About 2 minutes)

  6. Transfer to a lightly floured board, do a stretch and fold, and form a ball.

  7. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.

  8. Ferment at 76º F for 2 1/2 to 3 hours with a stretch and fold at 50 and 100 minutes.

  9. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.

  10. Pre-shape as rounds and rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

  11. Shape as boules or bâtards and place in bannetons. Place bannetons in plastic bags.

  12. Proof at room temperature (68-70º F) for 1-2 hours.

  13. Cold retard the loaves overnight.

  14. The next morning, proof the loaves at 85º F for 2-3 hours.

  15. 45-60 minutes before baking, pre-heat the oven to 480º F with a baking stone and steaming apparatus in place.

  16. Transfer the loaves to a peel. Score the loaves as desired, turn down the oven to 460º F, steam the oven, and transfer the loaves to the baking stone.

  17. After 15 minutes, remove the steaming apparatus, and turn down the oven to 435º F/Convection. (If you don't have a convection oven, leave the temperature at 460º F.)

  18. Bake for another 15 minutes.

  19. Turn off the oven, and leave the loaves on the stone, with the oven door ajar, for another 15 minutes.

  20. Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack, and cool thoroughly before slicing.

The crust was crunchy, and the crumb was chewy. The bread is moderately tangy. It is delicious with bursts of tartness when you bite into a cherry. This is a very good bread. Personally, I prefer the version with figs, but your taste my be different.  My wife likes the cherry version better, but she says, "I like them both. Yummmm..." My recommendation: Try both. 

David

Submitted to YeastSpotting

 

Comments

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Looks tasty David.   I love cherries so I will have to try this done first!

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

It is tasty indeed. If you do make it, let us know how you like it.

David

Floydm's picture
Floydm

That looks wonderful!

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

David

varda's picture
varda

David,   Looks like a delicious combo - sour on sour.  -Varda

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

It must be delicious. My wife, who loves my bread but seldom eats more than one slice at a meal, ate three slices for dinner last night.

David

Wingnut's picture
Wingnut

Nice looking Bread!

Cheers,

Wingnut

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

David

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Since our families live near Traverse City, MI, we pick up a 5-pound box of dried cherries any time we are in the area and running low.  They are great in scones, too.

Paul

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

5 lbs! Why, that's enough for 450 loaves and a batch of scones, too!

Sounds great to me!

David

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Never baked sour cherries in bread but it sure sounds and looks terrific.  Has to taste great too!

Nice baking as usual David.

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

David,

Nice to see this progression...from a solid lean dough base to the introduction of nuts and fruits.  The experimentation seems to be something we all do as human beings and it is easy to see how breads evolved into enriched doughs over time.  Fun to do and amazing to see the difference one item can make in the overall flavor.

Very nice loaf again :-)

Take Care,

Janet

Alpana's picture
Alpana

Loved this one. 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

A "stiff starter" is a sourdough starter which has a low hydration, that is, a low ratio of water to flour (generally 2:1, Flour:water), in contrast to a "liquid starter" which generally was a 1:1 ratio of flour to water.

David