Apricot and Pecan Sourdough

 Having had this loaf on day two toasted for breakfast this morning, and it being just perfect fresh on the following morning after baking, I thought I would write a post about this loaf.  Firstly so that I can retrieve it from my blog for use again, and also it may inspire you to try something very much like it.

I have been reading 'Healthy Baking' by Jordan Bourke, and have followed his techniques more or less.  This require a 'very active starter', which I refreshed twice on the day before baking.  Here it was refreshed with equal weights strong white and tap water.  I tend to refresh my starter in slightly larger quantities.  However to arrive at the 225g for the recipe, the following is a guide.

Morning Day 1: 15g sourdough starter fairly fresh from the fridge (perhaps refreshed a couple of days previously), add 15g each water and strong white flour, and 5g brown sugar.  Evening Day 1 add 40g each water and strong white flour, and 5g brown sugar. Each time leave on the counter in your kitchen.

Morning Day 2:

225g of your now very active starter

300ml water from the tap

40g brown sugar

Mix these together, don't worry about any lumps.

In a separate larger bowl mix the following:

40g white rye or you can use stoneground wholemeal rye

100g wholemeal spelt

325g Strong While Flour

12g salt

Mix all these together, and add the wet mixture, mix using your scraper till all the dry bits are incorporated.

Leave for an hour

50g dried apricots, cut up and soaked in a warm water, whilst the dough is resting.

50g pecan gently roasted for a few minutes

1 to 2 teaspoons fennel seeds roasted mixed with the pecans.  

..watch carefully, you don't want scorched nuts! Break up into smallish pieces.

As they are cooling, crush the fennel in a pestle and mortar, leaving a few seeds visible. 

Drain off the apricots, and take the dough out the bowl, incorporate the nuts, spices and apricots. You can lightly knead, but the idea is that you will be doing some stretches either in the bowl or as I prefer, to do this on an oiled worksurface.  This adds a little oil to the dough each time you stretch and helps to make for a less hard crust.  Repeat the stretches about four times, when you will see the dough gradually gains strength. There are loads of help on the internet such as  Bake with Jack .

Leave to prove, the length of time depends on many factors, I find about five hours is about right. Divide as you wish, stretch and shape a round, leave fifteen minutes or so covered, then shape as appropriate for your tin or banneton. 

I had a 500g and a 750g banneton.  Tins are easier and quite as good.  

I bake at 200C Fan Oven with a tin in the bottom to which I add boiling water just as the door is shut with the loaves in the oven. It takes about 35 to 40 minutes depending on the size of your loaves.  Remove from oven and tins/baking sheets, banneton , and cool on a rack. One loaf goes into the freezer.

The nuts and fruit can be varied depending on what you may already have in your larder.

I am going to make my stuffing balls for Christmas with this bread...

Excellent used as a basis for Eggy Bread, or bread and butter pudding. As it is not a 'Sweet Loaf', it also goes very well with Chees or Pate and chutney.