The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sourdough with pomegranate arils?

Owen's picture
Owen

Sourdough with pomegranate arils?

I'm talking about the little liquid-surrounded seeds when you cut open a fruit, not the molasses or juice.

Just wondering if anyone has tried it; it would certainly look great, but my guess is that most of them would pop open during kneading.

Abe's picture
Abe

They can be added when doing stretch and folds. Not sure how they'd fare during baking though. Can't see any advantage of using the arils. I'm assuming you'll get minimal flavour and just the annoying crunch of the very hard seed centre. 

OldWoodenSpoon's picture
OldWoodenSpoon

As to flavor, you should check the arils for sweetness before you use them.  Make sure to use sweet ones, because "no sweet" = "bitter".  Checking a couple from a pomegranate before stripping them all would be enough to tell you.   Those sweet ones would give good bursts of flavor when chewed in bread not loaded up with a lot of other flavors too.  There are also multiple varieties of pomegranate, and you want the dark "pomegranate red" variety, not the lighter pink one.  We had both where I grew up, and no one really wanted to eat the pink ones because they were pretty bland.

Abe is correct that laminating/folding them in would probably be best.  A thorough mixing might break enough of them to be of distraction in the appearance of a slice.

 

Best of Luck
OldWoodenSpoon

yozzause's picture
yozzause

good to see you back OWS

Nice loaf Owen

 

kind regards Derek

OldWoodenSpoon's picture
OldWoodenSpoon

Thanks Derek.  I am always pleased to see one of your posts go by as well.

OldWoodenSpoon

Owen's picture
Owen

Did it. 600gm dough @ 80% hydration, 12.5% protein white flour, aril incorporation via lamination.

Tastes good, seeds hardly noticeable!

Pomegranate bread

OldWoodenSpoon's picture
OldWoodenSpoon

You said the seeds were hardly noticeable, but did that mean flavor, or appearance?

I agree:  that's a nice loaf.
OldWoodenSpoon

Owen's picture
Owen

There was no unpleasant crunch when I bit into the bread.