Rose Wine Sour Cream Cherry Bread

I opened up a bottle of Rose wine from a local Long Island winery that I really enjoyed, so figured why not use it in my next bake.  I usually use a stronger full bodied red wine which also tends to add more color to the dough, but the lighter flavored Rose was a nice change of pace.

Cherries are nice and sweet from the market now, so instead of using dried cherries I pitted some fresh ones for this bake and cut them up into pieces to add to the dough.  The sour cream really help make this bread nice and moist.

Overall I was very happy with the outcome.  The crumb is moist and flavorful from the wine and sour cream.  The fresh milled spelt and whole wheat flours added plenty of flavor as well.  If you don't have any French Style flour, you can substitute bread flour or AP flour and this will come out just fine.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

 Main Dough Procedure

Soak the cherries (if using dried) in the wine or water until soft and strain out.  If using fresh cherries, pit them and cut into pieces as desired.  Try to drain as much extra juice out as you can.  This dough was extremely hydrated from the sour cream and the extra moisture from the cherries.  You can easily cut back some of the water and wine to get an easier to manage dough depending on your comfort level.

Mix the flours  and the wine along with the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, sour cream and salt and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Add the cherries last and mix for about 30 seconds until incorporated.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  (NOTE: this dough really proofed up in my refrigerator and the spelt may have been the reason.  I only let it sit out for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then shaped and proofed for an hour at 78 degrees.  You will have to judge your timing so you don't get an over-proofed loaf.). Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 540 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

Lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Some photos from the gardens for your viewing pleasure :).