Sourdough Fruit Loaf recipe with Walnuts, Dates & Apricots
This sourdough fruit loaf, packed with walnuts, dates, and apricots, is the perfect bread for autumn. Sweet, nutty, and with a wonderfully soft crumb, it’s both comforting and impressive. If you’re looking for a sourdough bread recipe to delight your guests over the holidays, this loaf is a must-try.
Ingredients
- 500 g wheat berries milled (I use the equivalent of soft red wheat) or whole wheat flour
- 400 ml filtered water see notes for some important information
- 50 g active sourdough starter
- 10 g salt
- 50 g walnuts
- 50 g dried apricots
- 50 g dates
Instructions
Prepare starter (night before):
- Feed your starter so it’s strong and bubbly by baking time.
Optional - Mill flour:
- Grind wheat berries just before using.
Mix dough:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, water, starter, and salt until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes.
Stretch & fold:
- Over the next hour or two, perform 2 sets of stretch and folds.
Prepare Fruit and Nuts:
- Cut the dates and almonds into 4 pieces. Break up the walnuts into 4 pieces and gently toast in a pan for around 5 mins or until you can begin to smell the walnuts toasting. Leave to cool for at least 15 mins.
Laminate and add the fruit and nuts:
- Tip the dough onto a damp surface and stretch into a rectangle. Sprinkle the fruit and nuts evenly over the dough. Fold the top third of the dough into the middle, repeat with the bottom third, then the right hand third and the left hand third. You will end up with a coil of dough.
Bulk ferment:
- Leave dough covered until domed and springy to the touch (do not wait for it to double).
Shape:
- Tip onto a damp or lightly floured surface. Shape into a batard and place in a lined banneton. If possible, try and tuck any pieces of fruit or nut under the surface of the dough so that it does not burn during baking.
Cold ferment:
- Refrigerate 4–12 hrs.
Bake:
- Preheat oven to 230°C with a shallow pan inside. Tip dough onto a tray, score, and reduce oven to 200°C. Bake 20 mins with steam (fill hot pan with boiling water), then remove pan and bake a further 20 mins. The internal temperature of the bread should be 98°C when ready.
Cool:
- Leave loaf to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing.
- My favourite way to eat this bread is toasted with salted butter and a little bit of cheese!
Notes
The wheat berries or flour you use will have a huge impact on the overall outcome of your bread. The lower the gluten content of your wheat, the less water you will need, whereas the higher the gluten content, the more water you will need.
This will take some trial and error on your part to find the exact amount of water that is required for the wheat or flour you are using.
Fresh milled flour also absorbs more water. If using shop bought whole wheat flour, I recommend starting at 370ml water and gradually adding more if you feel like the dough is too stiff, or if there is a lot of dry flour left when you mix the ingredients together.