Raisin Bran Sourdough Bread 

This loaf brings together plump, sweet raisins and the hearty depth of wheat bran flour, all wrapped up in a tangy, naturally leavened dough. The result? A bread that’s wholesome, slightly sweet, and packed with flavor. It’s perfect for toasting, slathering with butter, or just tearing into while it’s still warm.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter 

• 50g sourdough starter
• 50g water
• 50g  bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g wheat bran flakes(10%)
• 222g water (74%) +10-15g extra if needed 
• 150g sourdough starter (50%)
• 1 tbs molasses 
• 7g baking salt (2.3%)
• 30g raisins

Directions 

Starter 

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at 30C/86F for about 4 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.
• Pour hot boiling water over raisins, let them soak for 30 min, then drain them and put aside until needed.

Note: for starter’s refreshments follow your regular proportions 

Dough

• 11 am mix water with sourdough starter, add salt, molasses, all flour and bran flakes, mix well until all flour will become hydrated, but the dough will be sticky and lumpy. Cover, let rest at 24-26C/75-79F for 30 min.
• 11:30 am  sprinkle raisins on top of the dough and perform 1st stretch and fold( the dough will become more obedient, try to round it) let ferment at 24-26C/75-79F for 45 min.

• 12:15 pm 2nd stretch and fold, cover the dough , let ferment at 24-26C/75-79F for 45 min.
• 1 pm 3rd stretch and fold, cover, let ferment at 24-26C/75-79F for 45 min.
• 1:45 pm 4th stretch and fold, cover the dough, let ferment at 24-26C/75-79F for 45 min.
• 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, you should see some bubbles on the surface. The dough should become lighter and bigger, with a rise almost doubled ( by 100%).

Note: All directions above are based on the dough temperature remaining between 24-26°C (75-79°F). If the temperature of the dough is higher or lower, please adjust the fermentation time accordingly. Higher temperatures will shorten the fermentation time, while lower temperatures will extend it.

Shaping bread 

• 2.30 pm Dust the work surface with flour and flip the container with the dough onto it.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right two corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into the center of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side.
• Finally, roll the dough and shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Sprinkle some bran flakes on the bottom of the proofing basket 
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket or loaf pan lined with a kitchen towel.
• Cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 14-24 hours.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500°F and place a baking steel  or cast iron pan inside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge.
• Flip it over onto a piece of parchment paper and score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame.

• Transfer the dough onto the hot baking steel or cast iron pan and cover with the Baking Shell or the lid to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb.
• Bake at 500°F for 15 minutes with the lid on.
• Remove the Baking Shell or the lid and lower the temperature to 450°F.
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy !

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