Have this resting in the fridge now, so exciting! One thing I had a question about was the cardamom. First I measured by weight, but that seemed like a lot, so I tried again using my tsp. 1&1/4 tsp of ground cardamom was not 4g on my scale. Maybe it’s a problem with my calibration but thought I’d share just in case!
I’ve been excited about this recipe since you announced it. I started yesterday and baked today. I hope I didn’t desecrate your work but didn’t want it on the savory side. I added more honey plus some sugar. It turned out great. I gave half the loaf to relatives who had it for dessert. I ate too much of it. It was an instant classic to me.
i made this yesterday and i am obsessed! i am making it again tonight but only have 100g of bread flour left. how will using 200g of king arthur all purpose flour affect the bread? would it be better to supplement with more rye instead? thanks.
Jan 8, 2022·edited Jan 8, 2022Liked by Andrew Janjigian
In a cross-border international baking event, Nancy L. and I each made a loaf of this bread working in our respective kitchens on a single day. Our sources and tools and latitudes differed, and Nancy had to cope with a power failure that went on for several hours. But we both baked chocolaty, moist, rich loaves that we agreed were among our best bakes ever.
We wouldn’t change a line of this recipe. This dough is remarkably easy and cooperative. Once it’s mixed up there’s nothing to do but wait—no folding, and minimal shaping. When bulk fermentation was complete, the dough seemed to assume the shape of a boule all on its own. Scoring was amazing; the first time either of us had scored dough that wasn’t fighting back.
We love this dough, and wonder if we could adapt it with a couple of variations. Could we switch out the cherries with walnuts for a chocolate/walnut sourdough? Would the dough work as a plain rye bread if we omitted the cocoa, cherries, and chocolate chunks? We assume the cocoa would be replaced with the same amount of flour (by weight).
This was a morale-building experience. We feel like pros. Thanks for the recipe!
Came out beautifully, love it! Thought it was plenty sweet and chocolatey, think I'll try with hazelnuts instead of the cherries next - it's a beautiful, special loaf, thank you!
Quick question: I’m planning to make this, but my fridge is too cold to allow for cold proofing and I’ve given up on that technique as a result. If I simply do room temperature proofing, are the end points with this dough the same as with any other sourdough? Rather than 8-24 hours, am I looking for something in the 3-4 hour range for proofing, or even quicker? I understand that the flavors may not be as “full,” but I’ve learned to live with that.
I’m back. You and I had a long back-and-forth concerning cold proofing in my 38 degree fridge last week. I’m the one who was skeptical and had had poor results in the past, but indicated I would give it a try after your encouragement.
Well, it was still an abysmal failure in my view. I did an eight hour proof after leaving them out for approximately 45 minutes at 75° In my bread proofer. I scored them generously and deeply. They were still clearly underproofed based on their behavior during the bake. Although there was no tearing the scores opened up massively. I find the loaves (double recipe) themselves to be unattractive as a result. We’ll see once I slice them, but I’m unlikely to return to cold proofing anytime soon.
I love this bread! I have to admit, at first while I was considering making this bread I didn't think I'd like sweet dessert-type, chocolaty ingredients in a sourdough loaf. It just didn't seem right. But because I like to try new food I made it. Oh, was I glad that I made this! I do plan to cut back on the cardamom just a tad next time for my liking but that is only my preference and the recipe as-is tastes wonderful. ... Andrew, now you have me wondering what a pumpkin spice sourdough bread will taste like? I'd experiment but if you've already created the recipe please let me know! My concern is how to incorporate pumpkin puree into the dough ingredients and would any of the pumpkin spice kill the natural yeast. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
My dough is pretty wet and sticky. I realize this is a high hydration dough but perhaps it is little too wet? I can work with it if this is what we are shooting for. It has only been rising for 3 hrs.
I have been waiting for this one. Will be an after Christmas project. Thanks Andrew.
Hi Andrew! Can this recipe easily be doubled?
One more question! Could I use sour cherries that have been in syrup, or will that mess with the hydration too much? Do they need to be dried?
Have this resting in the fridge now, so exciting! One thing I had a question about was the cardamom. First I measured by weight, but that seemed like a lot, so I tried again using my tsp. 1&1/4 tsp of ground cardamom was not 4g on my scale. Maybe it’s a problem with my calibration but thought I’d share just in case!
I’ve been excited about this recipe since you announced it. I started yesterday and baked today. I hope I didn’t desecrate your work but didn’t want it on the savory side. I added more honey plus some sugar. It turned out great. I gave half the loaf to relatives who had it for dessert. I ate too much of it. It was an instant classic to me.
Quick question: Would you change anything in the bake if using a baking stone rather than a Dutch oven?
i made this yesterday and i am obsessed! i am making it again tonight but only have 100g of bread flour left. how will using 200g of king arthur all purpose flour affect the bread? would it be better to supplement with more rye instead? thanks.
In a cross-border international baking event, Nancy L. and I each made a loaf of this bread working in our respective kitchens on a single day. Our sources and tools and latitudes differed, and Nancy had to cope with a power failure that went on for several hours. But we both baked chocolaty, moist, rich loaves that we agreed were among our best bakes ever.
We wouldn’t change a line of this recipe. This dough is remarkably easy and cooperative. Once it’s mixed up there’s nothing to do but wait—no folding, and minimal shaping. When bulk fermentation was complete, the dough seemed to assume the shape of a boule all on its own. Scoring was amazing; the first time either of us had scored dough that wasn’t fighting back.
We love this dough, and wonder if we could adapt it with a couple of variations. Could we switch out the cherries with walnuts for a chocolate/walnut sourdough? Would the dough work as a plain rye bread if we omitted the cocoa, cherries, and chocolate chunks? We assume the cocoa would be replaced with the same amount of flour (by weight).
This was a morale-building experience. We feel like pros. Thanks for the recipe!
Came out beautifully, love it! Thought it was plenty sweet and chocolatey, think I'll try with hazelnuts instead of the cherries next - it's a beautiful, special loaf, thank you!
Quick question: I’m planning to make this, but my fridge is too cold to allow for cold proofing and I’ve given up on that technique as a result. If I simply do room temperature proofing, are the end points with this dough the same as with any other sourdough? Rather than 8-24 hours, am I looking for something in the 3-4 hour range for proofing, or even quicker? I understand that the flavors may not be as “full,” but I’ve learned to live with that.
I’m back. You and I had a long back-and-forth concerning cold proofing in my 38 degree fridge last week. I’m the one who was skeptical and had had poor results in the past, but indicated I would give it a try after your encouragement.
Well, it was still an abysmal failure in my view. I did an eight hour proof after leaving them out for approximately 45 minutes at 75° In my bread proofer. I scored them generously and deeply. They were still clearly underproofed based on their behavior during the bake. Although there was no tearing the scores opened up massively. I find the loaves (double recipe) themselves to be unattractive as a result. We’ll see once I slice them, but I’m unlikely to return to cold proofing anytime soon.
I love this bread! I have to admit, at first while I was considering making this bread I didn't think I'd like sweet dessert-type, chocolaty ingredients in a sourdough loaf. It just didn't seem right. But because I like to try new food I made it. Oh, was I glad that I made this! I do plan to cut back on the cardamom just a tad next time for my liking but that is only my preference and the recipe as-is tastes wonderful. ... Andrew, now you have me wondering what a pumpkin spice sourdough bread will taste like? I'd experiment but if you've already created the recipe please let me know! My concern is how to incorporate pumpkin puree into the dough ingredients and would any of the pumpkin spice kill the natural yeast. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
My dough is pretty wet and sticky. I realize this is a high hydration dough but perhaps it is little too wet? I can work with it if this is what we are shooting for. It has only been rising for 3 hrs.