Some Sweeter Takes on Sourdough

I recognized late last fall that my friends and family love receiving yeast breads on special occasions. 

This realization lead me to begin experimenting with fruit, nuts, chocolate, and sweeter-associated spices in my breads. I've tried a pretty expansive range of slightly sweet loaves, from molasses, to cinnamon-brown sugar, to a "sourdough take on fruitcake (with bourbon!)."

Here, I will just post my two favorite variations: Cherry-Walnut Levain and Dark Chocolate Levain. I have baked each of these loaves with a wide variety of levain percentages and fermentation processes. My constants have been flour amount and hydration percentage: 500 grams of flour, always; 80% hydration, always. Beyond that, the sky as been the limit: Different types of flour, anywhere from 50 to 300 grams of levain, autolyse between 2 and 8 hours, short fermentation and long proof, long fermentation and short proof, scoring patterns all over the map.  I will include here only my most recent formulas and processes for each!

Cherry-Walnut Levain

200g 100% hydration starter (however you want to create this levain!)

320g AP fl

80g WW fl

300 g water

11 g salt

20 g brown sugar

70 g dried cherries

70 g walnuts

Mix flour and water, and autolyse for 1 hour. Mix in rest of ingredients until combined. Stretch and fold every 30 minutes for 2 hours. Rest on counter for 2 hours. Place in the refrigerator for anywhere from 12 to 48 hours; I went to 48 last time, with lovely results. Shape into boule, and proof seam-side down for 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 460 with steam for 30 minutes, without for 18-20. 

*I really, really like baking loaves that are dense with nuts or fruit seam-side up; not worrying about slashing through small, dense objects is pretty gratifying. Also, longer bulk ferments involving walnuts lead to more of that beautifully lavender dough--always a good thing, from my perspective. 

Some recent Cherry-Walnut loaves:

On to the next...

Dark Chocolate Levain

50g 100% hydration starter

475 g AP fl

375 g water

11 g salt

140 g dark chocolate chunks 

20 g brown sugar

5 g apple cider vinegar

Mix flour and water, and autolyse for 1 hour. Mix in levain and the rest of the ingredients. Stretch and fold for 3 minutes. Stretch and fold at 20-minute intervals for 2 hours. Rest on the counter for 6 hours. Retard in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Shape into boule, and proof for 1 1/2 hours. 

This is probably my "most requested" loaf. I love giving it to friends for birthdays. Dark chocolate and sourdough...something just really, really works here. 

Some recent loaves:

Here's to more holiday and birthday sourdoughs in 2015!

--Hannah