Walnut Cranberry Sourdough Bread

This walnut cranberry sourdough will surprise you with its unique color, nutty flavor and a touch of sweetness. The secret here is to toast walnuts and let them soak overnight, then use the liquid in the dough.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Walnut soaker

• 45g roasted walnuts 
• 250g water

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• 207g water from walnut soaker  (69%)
• 15g (5%) water (from walnut soaker) added along with salt
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• All soaked and chopped walnuts
• 45g dried cranberries 

Directions 

Starter:  

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.
• Prepare roasted walnuts and cover them with water to soak, until needed.

Dough: 

• 5 pm  drain the water from walnuts in a separate container. Mix walnut water with flour and cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse process flour absorbs water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 min until well incorporated.
• Cover, let it rest for 30 min.
• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 min until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• Meanwhile chop the walnuts and weigh the cranberries.
• 7 pm spray your work surface with water, wet your hands to perform lamination.
• Lamination is the process of stretching the dough as thin as you can without ripping it.
• Spread the walnuts and dried cranberries all over the dough, fold and it let rest for 45 minutes.

• 7:45 pm 1st stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 9.15 pm 3rd stretch and fold

Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9:45 pm transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down.
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust.
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 10.15 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes.
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking
Next morning:

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes -1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 
• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 
• Transfer the loaf on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.
• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Walnut Cranberry Sourdough Bread

1712kcal

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Prep 35 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Total 20 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

An extraordinary artisan loaf that surprises with its rich mahogany color, nutty depth, and a subtle touch of sweetness. The secret to this specialized method is toasting the walnuts and letting them soak overnight, then utilizing that intensely flavorful infused purple-toned water directly in the dough mix to color the crumb and distribute the roasted walnut oils thoroughly throughout the bread.

Cuisine American

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g Bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

Walnut Soaker (Night Before)

• ▢ 45 g Roasted walnuts
• ▢ 250 g Water (For soaking)

The Main Dough (Next Afternoon)

• ▢ 270 g Bread flour (90%)
• ▢ 30 g Stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• ▢ 207 g Reserved water drained from the walnut soaker (69%)
• ▢ 15 g Extra walnut soaker water (5% – Reserved strictly for the bassinage step)
• ▢ 60 g Prepared levain (20% – From the morning build)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ All of the soaked, strained, and chopped walnuts
• ▢ 45 g Dried cranberries

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Fitted with the dough hook attachment, or mixed manually)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Dutch Oven (With a tightly fitting lid to trap steam)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton, or a loaf pan lined with a floured kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Spray Bottle (For misting your work surface)

Method

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Night Before – Starter Setup & Walnut Infusion

1. 7:00 AM: In a small glass jar, whisk your 5g of starter culture into 35g of water. Add the 30g of bread flour and 5g of rye flour, stirring thoroughly with a small spatula until no dry clumps remain. Cover loosely and let it ferment at a room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until it at least triples in volume and peaks.
2. Toast your 45g of walnuts in a dry pan or oven until fragrant. Place the roasted walnuts into a clean container, cover them completely with the 250g of water, and leave them to soak on your counter until needed.

Afternoon – Autolyse & Bassinage Mixing

1. 5:00 PM: Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and drain the purple water completely away from your soaked walnuts. Set the wet nuts aside.
2. In your stand mixer bowl, combine 207g of that dark walnut water, the 270g of bread flour, and 30g of stone-ground whole wheat flour. Mix cleanly just until the flour is hydrated and forms a shaggy mass. Cover and let it rest undisturbed for 1 hour for the autolyse phase.
3. 6:00 PM: Add 60g of your mature peaked levain starter directly to the autolyzed dough mass. Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
4. 6:30 PM: Add the 6g of salt along with the 15g of reserved extra walnut soaker water directly to the bowl. Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or with a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the dough wraps smoothly around the hook but remains sticky at the bottom. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop your soaked walnuts and weigh out the 45g of dried cranberries.

Lamination, Inclusions, and Folds

1. 7:00 PM: Mist your clean work surface generously with water and wet your hands thoroughly. Transfer the sticky dough out onto the damp counter and gently pull it from the edges, stretching it out as thin as possible into a wide sheet without ripping it.
2. Distribute all of your chopped walnuts and the 45g of dried cranberries evenly across the entire surface of the stretched dough sheet. Fold the dough back over onto itself into a neat envelope packet and return it to a covered container to rest for 45 minutes at 74–78°F (23–26°C).
3. Build the dough’s internal structural integrity systematically by performing three separate rounds of wet-handed stretch-and-folds spaced out over the evening:
4. * 7:45 PM: 1st Stretch-and-fold.
5. * 8:30 PM: 2nd Stretch-and-fold.
6. * 9:15 PM: 3rd Stretch-and-fold.
7. After your final stretch, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C). Monitor the dough mass; look for visible surface bubbles and a clean 40% to 50% increase in volume before moving forward.

Preshaping, Taut Shaping, and Cold Retard

1. 9:45 PM: Transfer the dough out onto your work surface and dust its top lightly with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces directly down.
2. Fold the dough cleanly onto itself so that the dry, floured surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf (this forms your signature crunchy crust). Shape into a neat round boule and let it rest on your workspace for 30 minutes completely uncovered.
3. 10:15 PM: Dust the top of the relaxed dough with flour. Use your dough scraper to flip it over onto the workspace so the floured side is down again.
4. Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right two corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into the upper half of the dough mass. Repeat this folding action cleanly on the left side as well.
5. Finally, roll the dough smoothly from top to bottom, shaping it into a tight, smooth, and taut roll.
6. Transfer the shaped roll seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket. Cover it securely with plastic wrap and return the dough to an 80°F (27°C) warm environment for 15 minutes.
7. Transfer the covered basket into your refrigerator to undergo a slow, cold fermentation for 14 to 24 hours.

High-Heat Covered Baking

1. Next Morning: Place your cast iron pan with its lid inside the oven and preheat completely to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes to a full hour.
2. Remove the cold dough directly from the refrigerator. Gently invert the basket to flip the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use a sharp razor or scoring lame to cut a clean, definitive slash across the top.
3. Use the parchment corners to lift and transfer the loaf directly onto the hot cast iron pan. Secure the lid tightly to capture the expanding steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
4. Carefully remove the lid, lower the oven temperature down to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an even, deep golden brown. Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack for 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1712kcalCarbohydrates299gProtein53gFat36gSaturated Fat4gPolyunsaturated Fat24gMonounsaturated Fat5gCholesterol9mgSodium458mgPotassium736mgFiber17gSugar35gVitamin A26IUVitamin C1mgCalcium129mgIron6mg

Notes

• The Magic of Walnut Soaker Water: Soaking your toasted walnuts overnight serves two brilliant purposes: first, it fully saturates the nut meats so they do not absorb moisture directly out of your bread dough (which would dry out the crumb). Second, it extracts natural pigments and tannins from the walnut skins, turning the water a deep purple hue. Utilizing this water during your autolyse dyes the structural starch matrix, baking into a gorgeous lavender-toned interior crumb.
• Managing Inclusions with Lamination: Adding chunky pieces like nuts and dried fruit into artisan bread can easily slice through delicate gluten strands if you try to mix them mechanically in your stand mixer. Utilizing a countertop lamination phase allows you to lay the dough out like a thin sheet, distribute the fruit and nuts evenly across the surface, and package it back up without compromising the dough’s internal structure.
• Preventing Scorched or Burnt Cranberries: When baking loaded loaves at high temperatures, any dried fruit exposed directly on the outside of the loaf will naturally caramelize and char into hard black spots in the oven. To mitigate this, gently poke or push any cranberries sitting completely exposed on top of your shaped loaf just beneath the top skin surface right before you score and slide the bread into your Dutch oven.
• Optional Citrus and Spice Adjustments: This formula acts as a highly stable base for customized seasonal baking variations. If you want to elevate the flavor profile further, feel free to finely grate the fresh zest of an orange directly into your flour during the 5:00 PM autolyse stage. The orange oils perfectly balance the tart profile of the dried cranberries without altering your hydration ratios.

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