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Rum Soaked Apricot Toasted Walnut Sourdough

Benito's picture
Benito

Rum Soaked Apricot Toasted Walnut Sourdough

I’ve wanted to do another fruit and nut bread for a few weeks and decided to finally see how apricots and walnuts would do together.  I loved the rum soaked fruits I’ve done in the past so decided to rum soak the apricots overnight.  Toasted walnuts are always better than raw and finally to see if I could amp up the walnut flavour I added some walnut oil as well.  I tried another decorative score, of course my lack of practice and artistic talents impair the outcome.  I also think that perhaps a fruit and nut laden loaf may not be the best vehicle for this type of decorative scoring.

For one 900 g loaf 80% hydration (2 loaves)

311 g white bread flour.    (622)           

46 g whole wheat flour.     (92)          

21 g dark rye flour.           (42)             

274 g warm water, then         (548)   

21 g water for mixing later       (42)  

7.5 g salt  (15)

2 g diastatic malt powder 0.5%  (4)

12.5 g Walnut oil 3%

 

77 g levain   (154)

 

Total flour 416.5 g

 

76 g dried apricots 20% chopped soaked in rum overnight

76 g toasted walnuts 20%

Double batch 152 g each

 

Final dough weight 906 g

 

Levain build 1:6:6 for overnight 74ºF 

6 g starter + 38 g water + 38 g red fife

 

Overnight saltolyse

 

Add walnut oil at the end of mix by drizzling over and stretch and folding.

 

Bulk Fermentation 80-82ºF 

Add levain to dough, pinching along with hold out water, Rubaud for a few minutes then 500 French folds fully develop gluten.  Then stretch and fold to add walnut oil.

  1. + 30 min Bench letterfold, set up aliquot jar
  2. + 30 mins Lamination.  Place dough on wet counter and spread out into a large rectangle. Spread walnuts and cranberries on the dough in thirds. 
  3. + 30 min Coil Fold
  4. + 30 min Coil Fold
  5. + 30 min Coil Fold
  6. + 30 mins Coil Fold
  7. + 30 mins coil fold
  8. + 45 mins coil fold

 

End of BF - Shaping aliquot jar 60% or greater - the bench rest until aliquot 70% or greater.

 

Retard Overnight

 

Bake

Preheat oven 500ºF with dutch oven inside

Once 500ºF remove dough from banneton and score as desired.

 

Transfer to dutch oven placing the lid on top place in over lower ⅓ of the oven.  Turn oven temperature to 450ºF. Bake for 20 mins.  The drop temperature to 420ºF and continue to bake for 10 mins lid on.  Then remove lid and continue to bake in the dutch oven lid off for 10 mins further.  Remove bread from dutch oven and bake directly on the oven rack for another 10-20 mins until fully baked.

 

Comments

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

What's the verdict on the rum soaked apricots?

Benito's picture
Benito

Hey Troy, I haven’t sliced the bread yet!  I’ll be slicing some for lunch tomorrow I think and I’ll post some pictures and evaluation of the bread then.  I can’t imagine rum soaking apricots not tasting good unless you just don’t like apricots or rum.

Benito's picture
Benito

This is a very tasty bread.  I hope you give it a try.  The rum soaked apricots are delicious and go so well with the toasted walnuts and the hint of cinnamon from the red fife.  I’ll be baking this again.  My partner’s review was that this might be the tastiest sourdough I’ve baked so far!  I think it is better than my usual raisin or cranberry walnut.

gavinc's picture
gavinc

Looks wonderful Benny. Rum, rum and RUM! What a great idea to go with apricots. Inspiration plus.

Benito's picture
Benito

Glad I am able to inspire you too Gavin.  Soak that dried fruit in rum, its tasty.

Benny

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Benny.. this is great inspiration. You bread looks really great! Right after I save this post I'm going to soak some appropriates in dark rum. I've made some rye this week so I'll skip the baking part and just put some rum soaked raisins on toasted rye after dinner!  Drizzled with honey of course! :)

Benito's picture
Benito

Oh that’ll taste good Frank.  Last time I made rum soaked raisin walnut bread I made extra raisins and ate them on their own, that was a treat in and of itself.  

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Love this one.  For a bread with so many add-ins your crumb is awesome.  I can imagine how tasty this one is.

Happy baking!

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Ian.  I’ve recently been trying to really develop the gluten up front before the folds during bulk fermentation.  In general, I think I’ve improved my crumb lately.  Although my other bake I posted today the crumb I loved but the oven spring not so much.  The rum apricots are delish and toasted walnuts are always a good accompaniment to rum soaked fruit.

Happy baking Ian.

Benny

pmccool's picture
pmccool

I'd probably have opted for soaking the apricots in white wine, since I'm not that big of a rum fan.  But. that's entirely a matter of personal taste, not at all a criticism.  You have a lovely bake with this bread, Benny.

Paul

Benito's picture
Benito

Thanks Paul, not taken as criticism, we all have different tastes which makes life interesting.  I haven’t ever thought to soak fruit in wine, but it makes sense.  A fruity wine with good acidity would probably be great, Riesling possibly?

Benny

pmccool's picture
pmccool

as would Pinot Grigio/Gris. 

Paul