Fig and Walnut 100% Spelt Sourdough Bread
Fig and Walnut Spelt Sourdough
Teaching the man in my life to make bread seems weird. He retired a while ago from a high pressure high stress professional career, but he’s never shown any interest in cooking, ever, despite my intermittent cajoling. I take the blame entirely. We’ve lived together for 2/3 of my life and I think I’ve made it too comfortable for him. I’ve even stocked the freezer with home cooked meals when I’ve travelled alone.
His nerdy thinking, piqued by the alchemy of sourdough made him curious. For my part, any help in the kitchen is welcome, I’m not going to argue. We’ll just see where this leads….
We were in desperate need of a plain loaf for breakfasts and I was also keen to try out a Fig & Walnut loaf, so his first lesson was to make a large batch of 100% spelt bread dough from the starter he had lovingly tended. We split the mass of dough in two after an overnight proof in the fridge. I continued the breadmaking tutorial with his half, and to his credit he listened, he followed instructions, he made great bread.
For my part I wanted a loaf akin to sweet raisin bread that would make a delicious treat toasted and served warm slathered in melting butter, so at the final stretch and fold process I scattered, sliced dried figs and broken walnuts over the dough while it was stretched, then sprinkled over ground cinnamon and a little brown sugar. I folded the dough onto inself, in thirds one way, in thirds the other, then shaped the loaf in a boule with a taut surface which I coated in poppy seeds.
The remainder of the recipe was routine.
I’m learning too. Slowly fermented 100% spelt sourdough is very accommodating. It marries with a wide range of flavours, both sweet and savoury. The dough is strong and quite resilient and produces a light open crumbed bread even when studded with fruit and nuts. The best part is I’m now able to enjoy beautiful crusty fruit bread again.
Fig and Walnut Spelt Sourdough
300g active starter
480g white spelt flour
15g sea salt
255g filtered water
100g dried figs, thinly sliced
60g walnuts, roughly broken
2 scant tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup poppy seeds
In the evening: Measure the ingredients into a large mixing bowl in the above order. Mix to a shaggy dough, cover loosely with plastic and put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Tip the dough onto a well floured bench and knead it just enough to bring it together into a smooth ball. Lightly oil the bowl, add the dough then return it to the fridge for 40 minutes.
Again, tip the dough onto the bench, but don’t use any flour this time. Stretch the dough into a large very thin oblong, then fold the dough in 3 in both directions. Return the dough to the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, tip it onto the unfloured bench then stretch it into a large very thin oblong. Evenly scatter the figs and walnuts over the cough then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top.
Fold the dough in 3 in both directions, then fold in 3 again so you have a tight thick sausage.
Shape the dough into a boule with a tight surface without ant fruit or nut protruding the roll in poppy seeds.
Place it join side down on a sheet of baking paper. Loosely cover the loaf with plastic and leave to rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
After 1 1/4 hours, preheat the oven to 225C.
When the oven reaches temperature, slash the top surface, lift the dough on it’s baking paper into a covered roasting pan and bake at 225C for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200C and remove the lid of the pan. Bake for a further 25 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when you knock on the crust.
Cool on a wire rack. Slice when cold
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23 comments on “Fig and Walnut 100% Spelt Sourdough Bread”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
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Did you know the link to this is on Sourdough Schools website? Thought I recognised the name! 🙂
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Yes, thanks Maree, been their 18months or so and pleased to say it drives a lot of traffic to PPTR. 😃
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Ah, again with the spelt. I’ll have to bookmark this too. Thanks!
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I’ve perfected the spelt sourdough bread. That now opens lots of doors….
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What a delicious looking loaf. My hubby used to help in the kitchen a lot, before kids and a job involving a long commute. He even did the yeast bread baking. Now it’s mostly me with some help on the weekends. I welcome any help I can get and we have fun cooking together. Now I’m training three more helpers!
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I have a romantic notion that cooking together, wine in hand would be a nice way to spend the pre dinner period. Sadly it’s not likely to happen, so baking bread together is a surprise
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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Seems to be a very bready week all around. Lovely ingredients for a sweet bread Sandra.
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Thanks Francesca, it must be the weather. I’m still in awe of the whole process…
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Looks great!
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Thanks Kristina
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Well Sandra – old dog, new tricks – you might have to start sharing that lovely kitchen
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Time will tell….
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Oh that’s a pretty looking bread!
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Thanks
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It looks delicious Sandra. I’m starting to get the ‘itch’ to branch out and try some new versions, especially in the cooler weather. Congratulations to your partner. I’ve spoiled my husband too, but he was 35 when we married and already knew how to cook so he still does pitch in now and then to help, especially on the barbie.
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Go for it Ardys, nothing I’ve tried has affected the texture of the bread, it’s very gratifying
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Whimper… When I read the bit about “toasted and slathered in melting butter” my mouth started watering madly. Good job we’re just about to go out and meet some friends and eat. But all I want now is fig and walnut sourdough and melted butter. And perhaps a tiny drizzle of Greek honey…
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Sorry, but that longing is what motivated me to bake this in the first place
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More work needed at my end. There must be a way of introducing the original sourdough ‘bug’ (not a starter, which would contain gluten elements) to a flour mix I can eat…
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Some good info here, it might help
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/gf-sourdough/art-of-gluten-free-sourdough-baking/
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Thank you, that’s great! It’ll take a while before I’m up to the task of managing the starter, let alone the breadmaking process, but the lure of proper bread is irresistible!
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