A crusty loaf of tangy sourdough bursting with pockets of sweet raisins, dried cranberries, and walnuts, this sourdough fruit bread serves well for breakfast and pairs flawlessly with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Building on my beginner’s basic sourdough bread recipe, this delicious fruit loaf incorporates the natural sugar and flavor of dried fruit into the tender crumb of long-fermented sourdough.
It’s an open canvas of creativity, allowing you to use your favorite dried fruits and nuts to flavor and beautify this loaf.
Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, the dried cranberries, apples, and figs come out, while warmer months may find a combination of citrus zest and dried cherries. It’s open to your imagination and tastes!
It’s also a beautiful loaf to show off, dotted with color and full of vibrant flavor and texture. I love to slice a fresh loaf of bread and serve it with plenty of softened butter, and the added sweetness in this recipe makes it particularly special. Those little pockets of gooey, sweet fruit mixed with tangy sourdough are exquisite.
While this is a basic sourdough recipe, the flavor is absolutely there, even aside from the add-ins. The long rise times provide ample opportunity for the fermented flavor to develop, producing that recognizable tang and satisfyingly chewy crust that is so widely appreciated.
The fermentation process also breaks down much of the gluten and phytic acid (an anti-nutrient), making the grains more bioavailable. All in all, long-fermented sourdough is a healthier option than your typical bread and offers lots of health benefits while tasting simply amazing.
If you’d like to continue learning more about the world of sourdough, you’ll find all kinds of great information in my post on how to use sourdough starter. If you’re already there and loving the sourdough journey, then I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Chewy, delicious sourdough – This recipe reliably produces a tender, airy crumb and chewy crust. And with the long fermentation, there’s plenty of time for that sourdough tang to develop!
Pops of sweetness and texture – Packed with golden raisins, dried cranberries, and walnuts, this loaf is super yummy and full of tart fruit flavors and fun texture.
Festive and creative – Make this fruit bread recipe your own! Use your favorite fruits and nuts to match the seasons or your family’s preferences.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter – This is your rising agent, so use an active starter that has been recently fed.
Dried fruit – Fresh fruit will add too much moisture, so we use dried fruit for its sweetness, flavor, and chewy texture.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Dutch oven – A Dutch oven with a lid provides a chewy, crunchy crust.
How to Make Sourdough Fruit Bread
Step 1: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before beginning this recipe so that it is active and bubbly. To check the readiness, you can confirm with a float test. In a large mixing bowl, add active starter, warm water, flour, and salt. Stir until combined, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This step allows the flour to become fully hydrated and is called autolyse.
Step 2: Begin three rounds of the stretch and fold method. Reaching into the bowl, grab the edge of the dough closest to you and pull it upwards, letting it elongate (this is the stretching part). Press the edge that is in your hands back into the center (this is the folding part), press lightly, turn the bowl about a quarter turn, and repeat this two more times. This is one round. Cover the dough and let it rest for a half hour before the next round.
Step 3: Perform the second round of stretch and folds, then cover and let rest for 30 minutes. During the final round, I find it easiest to empty the dough onto a work surface, add the fruit and nuts, and then complete the final round, incorporating the add-ins. Place the dough back into a banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel.
Step 4: Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, plastic wrap, or a lid and let it bulk ferment in a warm place for 6-12 hours or until doubled in size. In a warm kitchen, this may take 6 hours or less, while in a moderately cool spot, it could take 12 hours or longer. Don’t let it continue to ferment long past the doubling, or it may collapse and become sloppy.
Step 5: Shape the dough by folding each side into the middle, pinching them together, and repeating this process on the other two sides. The surface tension created will contribute to a better rise in the oven. Gently transfer the shaped dough, seam side up, into a floured banneton or bowl lined with a floured towel. Cover and let the dough rise either in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours or at room temperature for 3-4 hours. I find that the cold dough with the longer fridge rise is easier for scoring and may bring about a better oven rise.
Step 6: Place your Dutch oven inside the oven, preheating it to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Just before baking, gently remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with flour, score with a lame or razor blade, and carefully transfer the loaf to the hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the oven temperature to 475 degrees, and bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
Add one cup of dried fruit or 1/2 cup of fruit and 1/2 cup of nuts. For a heavier fruit texture, increase the add-ins!
- Dried blueberries, cherries, apples, cranberries, apricots, figs, or dates.
- Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia, or even cashews – chopped.
- Dried lemon or orange zest.
Tips
- Use an active sourdough starter that passes the float test.
- If the dough is very sticky, use wet hands rather than adding flour. The dough will become more manageable after the bulk fermentation.
- Monitor the bulk rise. A warm environment may double your dough very quickly, leading to over-fermentation and sloppy dough. On the other hand, a cold environment will take much longer for the rise.
- A kitchen scale is a good tool for accurately measuring ingredients (and saving some dishes).
- Use a lame or razor for scoring. A knife cannot do the job as neatly.
Recipe FAQs
Fruit bread should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or wrapped well and stored in the freezer for several months.
It’s all preference, but we love to toast fruit bread, slather it with butter, and enjoy it on its own, with breakfast, or with tea or coffee.
A crisp crust is achieved with the use of a Dutch oven or by placing an oven-safe pan with water on the rack below the loaf while baking in the oven.
Kneading is great for developing gluten formation and creating air pockets for a bubbly crumb, but the stretch and fold method replaces kneading and is less intensive while still successful.
Baker’s Timeline
9:00 pm: Feed sourdough starter.
8:00 am the following day: If the sourdough starter is active and bubbly, then proceed. Combine ingredients. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
8:30 am: Three rounds of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart. Cover bread dough and allow to bulk ferment until doubled.
Anywhere from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Shape dough. Leave uncovered at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Shape and transfer to a floured banneton basket or bowl lined with a tea towel and cover with plastic. Place in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours.
9:00 am the following day: Preheat the Dutch oven to 500 for 1 hour.
10:00 am: Remove dough from the refrigerator, dust with flour, and score. Bake until golden and cool on a wire rack.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Brioche Rolls
- Sourdough Cheese Bread
- Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Soft Sourdough Pretzels
- Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Fruit and Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly (100 grams)
- 1 1/3 cups water, 325 grams
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 475 grams
- 2 teaspoons salt, 10 grams
- 1/2 cup golden raisins and dried cranberries, 100 grams or other dried fruit like apples, currants, blueberries, etc.
- 1/2 cup walnuts, 70 grams could also substitute with pecans
Instructions
- Feed your starter 4-12 hours before beginning this recipe so that it is active and bubbly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add active starter, warm water, flour, and salt. Stir until combined, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Begin three rounds of stretches and folds. Reaching into the bowl, grab the edge of the dough closest to you and pull it upwards, letting it elongate (the stretch part). Press the edge that is in your hands back into the center (the fold part), press lightly, turn the bowl about a quarter turn, and repeat this two more times. This is one round. Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour before the next round.
- Perform the second round of stretch and folds, then cover and let rest for 30 minutes. During the final round, I find it easiest to empty the dough onto a work surface, add the fruit and nuts, and then complete the final round, incorporating the add-ins. Place the dough back into a banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, plastic wrap, or a lid and let it bulk ferment in a warm place for 6-12 hours or until doubled in size. In a warm kitchen, this may take 6 hours or less, while in a moderately cool spot, it could take 12 hours or longer. Don’t let it continue to ferment long past the doubling, or it may collapse and become sloppy.
- With the first fermentation complete, turn the dough out onto a work surface dusted with a little flour, fold it in half, and roll. Shape it into a ball by gently spinning it towards you on the counter, creating tension. Optional: You can now let the dough sit out uncovered for 15-20 minutes so that the surface of the dough slightly firms up, preventing it from sticking to your lid, towel, or plastic during the overnight rise.
- Shape the dough by folding each side into the middle, pinching them together, and repeating this process on the other two sides. The surface tension created will contribute to a better rise in the oven. Gently transfer the shaped dough, seam side up, into a floured banneton or bowl lined with a floured towel. Cover and let rise either in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours or at room temperature for 3-4 hours. I find the longer fridge rise is easier for scoring and may bring about a better rise.
- Place your Dutch oven inside the oven, preheating it to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Just before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Dust with flour, score with a lame or razor blade, and carefully transfer the loaf to the hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 475 degrees, and bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Use an active sourdough starter that passes the float test.
- If the dough is sticky, use wet hands rather than adding flour. The dough will become more manageable after the bulk fermentation.
- Monitor the bulk rise. A warm environment may double your dough very quickly, leading to over-fermentation and sloppy dough. On the other hand, a cold environment will take much longer for the rise.
- A kitchen scale is a good tool for accurately measuring ingredients (and saving some dishes).
- Use a lame or razor for scoring. A knife cannot do the job as neatly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
