Holiday Sourdough
As the holidays came and went, the common denominator in the household was likely the kitchen. Whether you were assigned a dish to make, took on the daunting task of baking the holiday cookies, or just sauntered in just when the timers beeped and the food was ready, the kitchen likely saw an increase in the amount of foot traffic during the holiday season.
One recipe I experimented with this season was a white chocolate, cranberry sourdough sprinkled with some orange zest. I ventured into the sourdough world this year after being hesitant for a few months, and I started off by following Claire Saffitz’s sourdough recipe from NYT Cooking. For this specific recipe, I just incorporated the cranberries and white chocolate chips during the stretch and folds. Otherwise, I followed her recipe for this loaf.
The recipe is as follows:
Yields: 2 loaves
1000 g flour total
800 g white flour
200 g whole wheat flour
Add 750 g of lukewarm water to the flours with a bench scraper
→ Autolyse (let sit covered) for 1 hour
Add 200 g of sourdough starter and combine with a lobster claw/pinching motion
Add 20 g sea salt and pour a small amount of water over → combine
Combine with a damp towel and let sit for about 10 minutes
Mix the dough by folding for about 10 minutes or until gluten window forms
Bulk Fermentation: cover with a damp towel and let sit for about an hour
→ every hour, stretch and fold the dough gently and continue for 4-7 hours or until the dough doubles
→ during the last few sets of the stretch and folds, add in ~ 1 cup of both cranberries and white chocolate chips
→ I added in ½ cup of each in one set of folds and the rest in the last fold
After the loaf has doubled, dust a surface with flour and allow the dough to pour itself out of the bowl
With a bench scraper, divide into 2 loaves → flip each loaf over in one movement → cover with a damp towel for 10 minutes
Flip each loaf over, tug outward, but be sure to retain bubbles
Gently fold in the sides and pinch at the seam if necessary → add some orange zest before you roll the dough up like a jelly roll/stuffed burrito
Transfer to proofing basket/floured bread pans seam side up → cover with plastic wrap → transfer to fridge to cold proof for 8-48 hours OR let them sit out for 1-1.5 hours at room temp
Whenever you’re ready to bake, set the oven to 500 F and place the Dutch oven in the oven without the lid while preheating
Once the oven is hot, remove the loaf from the fridge
Flip the loaf onto parchment paper, seam-side down
Dust the loaf with a fine layer of flour
Score the loaf at a 30° angle
Transfer the loaf to the Dutch oven with the lid on top and bake at 500 F for ~20 minutes (if you take the lid off earlier, the loaf may be less brown on top)
After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 F and take the lid off
Bake another 30-40 minutes or until the loaf is your desired color
Enjoy!
Claire Saffitz recipe that I used: https://youtu.be/-JRSF-zDgvk?si=-66d4rgfbt2hXAT8
Maya Johnson
Meet Maya, a Wisconsin-native who studied biochemistry/molecular biology and neuroscience at Lake Forest College. She is A friendly face behind the bar at Highwood, known for striking up conversations about truly anything. Outside of pulling espresso shots, Maya is currently in the process of applying to Physician Assistant schools.