I’ve been experimenting with sourdough fruit loaves, and came up with this rather pleasing combination. It’s slightly spicy, slightly sweet and quite addictive!
For my sourdough baking friends, the formula is listed below, but in more general terms, I adapted my standard recipe as follows:
1. The all white bakers’ flour was replaced with a mix of bakers’ flour to organic wholemeal spelt to organic rye in a ratio of 4:2:1 (600g bakers, 300g spelt, 150g rye).
2. A teaspoon each of honey and ground mixed spice was added to the dough.
3. Approximately half the flour weight in walnuts and mixed dried fruit was worked in at the initial kneading.
I didn’t soak the rye or spelt, but will try doing that next time to see if it alters the texture of the bread at all. These loaves tend to brown very quickly in the oven, so need to be monitored carefully to avoid burning.
As you can probably guess, we’re having lots of fruit toast for breakfast this week!
Sourdough Fruit Loaf (makes three 850g loaves)
- 300g sourdough starter (166% hydration)
- 550g water
- 75g extra virgin olive oil
- 600g bakers’ flour
- 300g organic wholemeal spelt flour
- 150g organic rye flour
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 16g salt
- 100g walnut halves
- 100g raisins
- 200g dried cranberries
- 200g Turkish figs, chopped
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
That’s an outrageously gorgeous looking loaf you’ve made there – might just have to take that formula to Yorkshire with me tomorrow….. xxx
What sort of temperature did you cook it at and for how long? 200 fan for 45 minutes, something like that?
It looks so beautiful and perfect! I wish I can bake this good. I love cranberries and raisin in the loaf… I think my family will enjoy it :)
Mmm – I’d like a slice of that with with a big piece of ripe brie.
Mmm indeed – it would go perfectly well with cheese, methinks.. :)
Thanks Tes! :)
Jo, thank you! I baked it at about 210C (+ fan) for 20 minutes, then at 175C (+ fan) until cooked (about another 30 mins). At my usual 220C with fan, it started to burn after the first 10 minutes – because of the fruit sugars and honey, I suspect. I think you still need a hot start to get the oven spring, particularly as about half the flours are quite heavy. Having said that, I’ve recently found out that my wholemeal spelt is a whopping 18% protein.. :)
PS. I don’t think you need to follow my formula exactly – just adapt a recipe you know works by changing the flour mix and adding fruit, honey and mixed spice! :)
Have you ever tried baking a bread like this in one of your bundt tins? Then it would be a kugelhopf :) I made one last year with spice and apricots that came out really nicely.
I think it might be a bit dense for that, Jo. It doesn’t have any added eggs or butter?
This looks delicious!
Wow Celia, they look stunning! I wouldn’t have thought to pair sweet fruit with sourdough, but it looks like a fabulous match.
Oh, yes!! Looks delicious! This is what I have been playing around with lately the delicious fruity sourdoughs, and its just a bit exciting!…(ok will contain enthusiasm a little)
Thanks for putting the oven temps in as I still haven’t mastered the oven fiddling yet. They always come out too brown (and rustic looking) on top, but fine in the middle. I think I will have to nudge it down a little more.
I love a good fruity sourdough loaf, they are very addictive you’re right :)
Fantastic looking loaf. wouldn’t mind a slice or three right now for morning tea actually….!
PS: I like the new Chickens sidebar on the blog! Very cute.
Celia, that looks magnificent, I love how generously you’ve added the fruit. I love a high fruit to bread ratio! :D
That looks absolutely amazing, Celia! I’m not usually that big on sourdough, but the combination of fruit and nuts looks irresistible!
Looks delicious, Celia.
It also make me feel lazy – I really must get off my backside and do some baking.
Bought myself a lovely new book on flatbreads on the weekend – that’s where I’ll start!
that slice is just spectacular. i think zhara would go bonkers for it, there’s nothing she likes better for breakfast than fruit toast. just last week i paid 5 bucks for about one pound that had walnuts, cranberries and raisins. they had long loaves they cut and wrapped, so you could see the inside, and zhara refused to let go of it. nevermind the cinnamon raisin one i baked, that i had to make into bread pudding. do you buy any of your flour online? i can’t recall seeing spelt anywhere i shop regularly…
*sigh* I can only look in wonder and longing at your loaves. I really do love a fruit cake or, even better, fruit bread with cheese (something I inherited from my Yorkshire mother).
Looks just fine!…and I bet tastes even better….! xx
Fruit bread is so very yummy… I miss it, I haven’t found a substitute yet. Yours looks great!
Deb, thank you!
C, it’s really a wonderful match – I think spelt and sourdough are a particularly good combination, and the slow rising seems to give this bread great depth.
Brydie, I think burning is always the problem with fruit loaves – there’s always burnt fruit on top no matter what I do! But reducing the heat after the initial oven spring does seem to help…
Anna, SG, Lorraine, thank you! :)
Honey, it takes a little getting used to, but I find that I now don’t really enjoy yeasted breads as much as sourdoughs..
Amanda, flatbreads, now that’s a category I still prefer yeasted – I’ve never made them work well in sourdough! :) Look forward to seeing your creations!
Dana, you can usually buy spelt at health food stores. I do buy some of mine online at Santos Trading – an Australian organic supply shop.
Sarah, thank you! Fruit bread and cheese..mmm… :)
Yvette, thank you! :)
Chef, I know this isn’t really a substitute, but Dan Lepard invented a really quite nice gluten-free bread last year. If you’re interested, I tried it out and took photos here. It made my friend Pete very happy, and it might work if you can find a good lactose-free yoghurt…
looks delicious – haven’t included ‘bread’ in my baking repertoire for such a long time – thanks for the inspiration :)))
Beautiful loaves, Celia. I’ve never tried dried cranberries in bread, so I might give it a go. My experiment for the day is dates soaked in marsala with home candied orange rind and a little mixed spice in a rich sweet sourdough–probably way over the top!
Fabulous recipe – pity I can’t get walnuts, cranberries or figs here in Mauritius. I will have to book mark this recipe for when we go back home to SA.
:-) Mandy
I can quite see why your fruit loaf would become addictive Celia – what a great idea and I bet that toast smells wonderful. I’m just off to Belgium for a week for work, but will be on holiday when I get back and I might just do a bit or sourdough fruit experimentation myself.
Becca, thank you! Nice to see you here! :)
Liz, that sounds delicious! I once used rum soaked Persian figs (the little ones) in a sourdough, and I thought they were fantastic, although Pete found it too alcoholic!
Mandy, thank you, though I’m amazed you can’t get dried fruit in Mauritius!
Oooh, Choc, have a great holiday! Can’t wait to see the photos, and I’m already imagining all the Belgian chocolate you’ll be eating! :)
Sounds delicious. I love the big chunks of fruit. I’ve been meaning to bake some fruit bread and I think your post has inspired me to do it today! Thanks
[…] a fruit bread recipe. Then, last week I read Celia @Fig Jam and Lime Cordial’s post on her fruit bread. Now Celia’s fruit bread was true sourdough which sounds just delicious. I don’t […]