Sour Cream Cherry Swirl Sourdough

I made a version of this a week before and completely over-hydrated the dough and ended up with an unintended super sized ciabatta :).

I’ve been experimenting with the amount of time and temperature to use for bulk and have not been getting consistent results. I decided to not only adjust the hydration of this one taking into consideration the water content of the fresh cherries and sour cream but also to significantly reduce the amount of starter used. I went from over 22% to only 16.4% for the levain. The total dough hydration including the water content of cherries which are 80% and the sour cream which is 73% ended up being 83%.

I used one of my favorite whole wheat berries from Barton Springs Mill called Star Dust as well as some fresh milled spelt and some KAF bread flour. The whole wheat was milled and sifted twice and the spelt was milled twice and sifted once.

I pitted the fresh cherries and put them in my mini food processor and pulsed a few seconds to create a cherry slurry. I drained the slurry as best as possible before using. The cherries added a beautiful purple swirl to the final bread and subtle cherry flavor. I might try using chopped cherries along with the swirl next time as it would give it even more cherry flavor.

The dough was left to bulk at a lower temperature than I usually use at 75 F with a target bulk rise of 50% which took 5 hours and 40 minutes in my proofer.

The end result was not only a beautiful bread but one of the more flavorful ones I’ve made in a while. The caramelized crust with the semi open crumb tasted amazing. This made great sandwiches as well as toast and grilled bread.

Formula

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 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, and sour cream, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes.  When the dough is fully developed add the cherry slurry and mix on low for a minute until it’s incorporated.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Making sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as sell. Based on the chart here, determine what % rise you need and make note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty air tight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. Since there is such a high percentage of whole grains in the dough I didn’t want to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Depending on how cold your refrigerator is you could leave it longer and have to experiment to make sure it doesn’t over ferment.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare 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.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist.