Daddy's Sourdough Apricot Walnut Bread
Submitted by cookiesgal
Homemade sourdough bread with dried apricots, walnuts, and whole wheat flour. Makes 3 loaves with a tangy crumb and pockets of sweet fruit.
YIELD
3 loavesPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
24This bread is a labor of love, and it shows in every slice. A tangy sourdough base gets loaded with diced dried apricots and chopped walnuts, giving you pockets of sweet chewiness and crunch throughout a hearty whole wheat crumb.
The recipe makes three full loaves, which is perfect because one will be gone before it cools.
The starter needs regular feeding with sugar, water, and instant potato flakes. If you’re already a sourdough person, you know the drill. If you’re new to it, just follow the schedule and your starter will take care of the rest.
Chef Tips
- Feed your starter at least once a week. A hungry starter means flat, dense bread.
- The hot water bath trick speeds up rising dramatically. Set your bowl over a pot of warm water and the dough doubles in half the time.
- The dough will be sticky. Resist adding extra flour or you’ll lose the tender crumb.
- Watch the loaves carefully toward the end of baking. The sugar and apricots can cause the tops to brown quickly.
- Substitute a quarter cup of oatmeal for flour if you want a slightly softer texture.
Ingredients
Directions
Feed starter ½ cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon instant potato flakes once a week, stirring well.
Let mixture sit in uncovered container all day to feed and grow.
After 8 to 10 hours, remove 1 cup of starter to bake bread; return remainder of starter to refrigerator in loosely covered container.
Combine starter, water, oil, sugar and apricots and mix well.
Add walnuts and the whole wheat flour; blend together with a whisk.
Add 2 cups of the bread flour and mix again.
Add the last 2 cups of the bread flour, combined with the salt, and mix again.
The dough will be sticky and a little stiff.
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth.
Let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down and divide into three equal pieces.
Put each piece into a greased loaf pan and let rise until they reach the tops of the pans.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 30 minutes or until browned and pulling away from the sides of the pans.
You can substitute white corn syrup for part or all of the oil; the bread might cook more quickly and brown too soon if not watched carefully.
Can also substitute ¼ cup oatmeal for ¼ cup flour.
Daddy speeds up the process; he feeds the starter and then puts it into a hot water bath for about an hour.
While the starter sits in its bath, he mixes his ingredients for the bread.
He uses 1 cup of the starter and lets the remainder sit outside for several hours.
He makes his dough and puts it in a hot water bath to rise.
When he punches it down, he puts the pans over a hot water bath to rise.
He accomplishes the entire process in one day instead of two days.
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