Dragon Fruit Sourdough

Here is something new and exotic for you to experiment with. My friend Maria from Brazil was so kind to share this recipe with me. I would have never thought that condensed milk and dragon fruit would work so well together in sourdough.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour 
• 5g rye flour 

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g ultra grain wheat flour (10%)
• 1 dragon fruit purée (200g)
• 30g condensed milk (10%)
• 28g cold water (5%)
• 60 gr levain(20%) 
• 6 gr salt(2%)

Directions 

Starter:  

7 am put starter into a jar with water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours. The starter has to reach the peak ( triple or more in volume).

Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough:

5 pm mix the dragon fruit purée with flour and condensed milk, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.

During the autolyse process the flour absorbs liquid (from the fruit and condensed milk), becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

6 pm add sourdough starter. 

Mix on low speed with 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 calls bassinage it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 min until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom. We will continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during warm fermentation period.

• Leave to rest for 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• 7 pm wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
• 7:45 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 3rd stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development.

Sugar from dragon fruit and condensed milk might make fermentation process go faster. So keep monitoring the dough, if it’s rising too fast, you can shorten time in between stretches to 40 min or less.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 min 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 dragon fruit sourdough 

• 9 pm Transfer dough to a work surface and dust the top with flour. Flip the dough over so floured sides are face 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 min uncovered.

Shaping dragon fruit sourdough 

• 9:30 pm Dust the dough with whole wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip the dough over onto a work surface so floured sides face down. 
• Starting at 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 left 2 corners.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with the kitchen towel)
• Cover the dough with plastic and return the dough to 80F (27C) environment for 15 min. 
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning:

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

Let it cool for 2 hours and enjoy.

Dragon Fruit Sourdough

1479kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 1 day d 1 hour hr

Total 1 day d 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

This exotic, eye-catching artisan loaf combines a vibrant, natural pink dragon fruit purée with sweetened condensed milk to produce a spectacular marbled interior. Utilizing a dual-hydration approach (bassinage) to smoothly manage the high-moisture fruit sugars, the dough undergoes a slow, cold overnight fermentation, baking into a stunning loaf with a crisp, blistered crust and a uniquely tender, sweet-creamy crumb.

Servings 1 Round Loaf

Cuisine Fusion / Creative Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sourdough Starter (Levain)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All purpose flour (or bread flour)
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

The Dragon Fruit Artisan Dough

• ▢ 270 g Bread flour (90%)
• ▢ 30 g Ultra-grain wheat flour (or whole wheat flour) (10%)
• ▢ 200 g Fresh pink dragon fruit purée (approx. 1 medium fruit, blended until smooth)
• ▢ 30 g Sweetened condensed milk (10%)
• ▢ 28 g Cold water (5% – Reserved for bassinage adjustment added later with salt)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Fine sea salt (2%)

Equipment

• ▢
  Cast Iron Dutch Oven (A heavy combo cooker or deep pot with a tight-fitting lid to properly trap steam)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Highly recommended to smoothly incorporate the thick fruit purée and condensed milk fats)
• ▢
  Dough Scraper (An essential bench knife for building surface tension and lifting high-hydration dough)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (A standard round banneton or a deep bowl lined with a flour-dusted kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (Or an ultra-sharp razor blade for swift, clean expansion cuts prior to baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Step 1 – Levain / Starter Prep (Morning Of)

1. 7:00 AM – Starter Initialization: In a clean glass jar, add the 5g of mature sourdough starter culture to 35g of room-temperature water and whisk together thoroughly until completely loose.
2. Flour Incorporation: Stir in the 30g of all-purpose (or bread) flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix well until no dry pockets remain, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and triples or more in volume.

Step 2 – The Exotic Autolyse & Initial Mix

1. 5:00 PM – The Vibrant Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine your 200g of freshly blended pink dragon fruit purée with 30g of sweetened condensed milk, 270g of bread flour, and 30g of ultra-grain wheat flour. Mix with a heavy spoon or your hands just until a shaggy, dense pink dough mass forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 full hour to complete the autolyse, fully hydrating the flour starches directly with the fruit sugars and activating natural gluten chains.
2. 6:00 PM – Levain Integration: Pour 60g of your mature, peak-ripened levain directly over the autolysed dough.
3. Mechanical Mixing: Secure the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use speed 3 on a KitchenAid mixer for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3 – Bassinage & Fast-Track Fermentation

1. 6:30 PM – Salt and Bassinage Addition: Sprinkle the 6g of fine sea salt evenly over the dough surface and pour in the reserved 28g of extra cold water. This bassinage process adds a secondary splash of liquid to tighten the gluten network while bringing the total hydration safely into balance with the dense fruit purée.
2. High-Speed Emulsification: Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until well incorporated. The dough should pull together into a cohesive ball but remain slightly sticky on the bottom. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes at a warm room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C).
3. 7:00 PM – First Stretch and Fold: With wet hands, slide your fingers under one side of the pink dough, pull it upward gently to stretch it, and fold it cleanly over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat on all 4 quadrants. Cover and rest for 45 minutes.
4. Progressive Structural Folds: Continue building vertical dough strength and managing the active fruit sugars by executing regular stretch-and-folds: 2nd fold at 7:45 PM and the 3rd/final fold at 8:30 PM.
5. Final Bulk Proof: Following the final fold, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C). *Note: The natural fructose from the dragon fruit combined with the condensed milk dairy sugars acts as rocket fuel for wild yeast, accelerating fermentation. Monitor the dough closely; if it expands too quickly, shorten the rest windows between folds to 40 minutes or less.* Look for a distinct lightness, surface bubbles, and a 40% to 50% volume rise.

Step 4 – Tension Shaping & Cold Retard

1. 9:00 PM – Preshaping: Transfer the fermented pink dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Using your scraper, flip the dough over so the floured side faces down against the counter. Fold the dough cleanly onto itself so that the flour remains entirely on the outside of the loaf, shape into a round ball, and let it rest uncovered on the counter for 30 minutes to relax the gluten mesh.
2. 9:30 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the top with a little whole wheat or bread flour and use a scraper to flip it over floured-side down. Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right two corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into the half of the dough. Repeat this identical action on the left side. Finally, roll the dough tightly away from you into a smooth, taut, high-tension cylinder (log shape) or round boule.
3. Basket Transfer & Cold Retard: Place the shaped loaf seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket or a loaf pan lined with a well-floured kitchen towel. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap to trap the moisture. Return the dough to a warm 80°F (27°C) environment for exactly 15 minutes to jumpstart yeast activity, then transfer the covered basket directly into the refrigerator to undergo a slow cold fermentation for 14 to 24 hours.

Step 5 – The High-Heat Steam Bake

1. The Next Day – Oven Preheating: Place your cast-iron Dutch oven and its lid inside your home oven. Turn the temperature up to 500°F (260°C) and let it preheat thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Inversion and Scoring: Remove the cold dough basket directly from the fridge. Invert it cleanly onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use an ultra-sharp knife or scoring lame to cut a clean decorative slash across the crown.
3. The Dutch Oven Bake: Carefully transfer the dough into the smoking hot cast-iron pan using the parchment paper handles. Cover tightly with the lid to lock in the escaping steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
4. The Crisp Finish: Remove the lid to vent the steam, reduce the oven temperature down to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the crust achieves a beautiful golden-brown color with stunning pink highlights shining through. Transfer the baked loaf onto a wire rack and let it cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1479kcalCarbohydrates291gProtein44gFat11gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol10mgSodium2494mgPotassium541mgFiber14gSugar33gVitamin A88IUVitamin C1mgCalcium145mgIron8mg

Notes

– **The Brazilian Flavor Origin:** This recipe features a brilliant tropical twist originally conceptualized in Brazil, where fresh dragon fruit is often paired with sweetened condensed milk in sweets and smoothies. While condensed milk and vibrant cactus fruit seem unconventional for lean artisan bread flour matrices, the dairy solids soften the crumb wonderfully while the dragon fruit supplies natural moisture, giving the finished sourdough a uniquely soft, melt-in-your-mouth interior texture.

– **The Accelerated Sugar Fermentation Rule:** Dragon fruit fructose combined with lactose from the condensed milk acts as an aggressive stimulant for wild sourdough yeast cells. Because of this rich sugar profile, bulk fermentation will happen significantly faster than a standard white artisan loaf. It is essential to monitor your dough visually rather than strictly by a clock; if the dough begins expanding too rapidly, shorten your folding intervals to 35-40 minutes to prevent over-proofing.

– **Why the Interior Changes Color:** Fresh pink dragon fruit purée starts as an incredibly intense, neon-magenta fluid. As it interacts with the natural acids produced by your sourdough culture and bakes under high heat, the hue shifts from an intense neon pink to a soft, beautifully marbled pastel pink or lavender watercolor tone inside the finished crumb, offset by tiny, crunchy black dragon fruit seeds.

– **Mastering the Bassinage Drizzle:** Because a fruit purée behaves differently than water, adding the final 28g of cold water (bassinage) late in the mixing process alongside the salt is crucial. This helps to cool down the dough matrix from mixer friction and tightens up the developing gluten strings, allowing the dough to easily support and suspend the heavy fruit and dairy components without collapsing during the oven spring.

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