Pecan-Cherry Beer Bread With Coffee Porter

 

This loaf was a complete toss-up when I put it together, but the combination of tart cherries, crunchy pecans, and tangy sourdough with a hint of coffee-infused ale in the background makes for a delicious loaf. The flavors are complex, but not too complicated to stop you from being able to still taste each ingredient-- just the way I like it. 

This bake had a crisp crust and an incredibly moist crumb, but I would have liked to see a bit more oven spring. Any suggestions? I'm thinking I may have been a bit too forceful with the dough during the bulk fermentation. Thoughts? 

 Here's the method I used (yields 2 loaves)   The Night Before You Make Your Dough Prepare 250 leaven by adding...

• 125g warm water (my thermometer is broken... so you're just gonna have to go by feel on this one)
• 125g whole wheat flour
• 20g starter

 The next morning 

• Dissolve the 250g of leaven in 210g water along with 500g of a strongly flavored beer and let it autolyse for a full hour. Be sure to keep an eye on the dough temperature here--you may want to warm your beer up (at least to room temperature) unless you want a slower bulk fermentation later.  
• At the end of the autolyse, pinch in 20g of salt along with your remaining 50g of water. Here's the schedule I followed for the bulk fermentation.

• *I added in the pecans and cherries during the second turn so they would become incorporated during the next couple of folds. 

 Bulk Fermentation 

• 30 mins: turn 1
• 60 mins: turn 2 (add in chopped pecans and cherries). 
• 90 mins: turn 3
• 120 mins: turn 4 --> move to the fridge for the next 2 hours
• 240 mins: remove from fridge

 Pre-Shape, Shape, and Proof 

• After pulling it out of the fridge I pre-shaped, covered it with a towel, and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. 
• Finally I did a quick final shaping, nestled it in my fake banneton, and tossed it in the fridge to proof overnight. In the end it proofed for 14.5 hours. 

 Baking 

• Preheat a cast iron pot inside your oven at 500 degrees (let it sit for at least 60 mins)
• Gently place your dough inside and bake, covered, for 20 mins at 500. 
• Reduce the heat to 450 and continue to bake, covered, for 10 mins. 
• Pull off the lid and continue baking until the crust is golden brown--around 18 minutes for me. 
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for an least a hour... by far the hardest part! 

 Here's the full ingredient list 

• 250g leaven (100% whole wheat
• 800g bread flour
• 200g whole wheat flour
• 210g water + 50g water
• 500g of beer (I used a bottle of Joe Coffee Porter from Philadelphia Brewing)
• 20g salt
• 100 g dried cherries
• 200 g roughly chopped pecans (toasted)

 Happy baking!  Chase