Fig And Brie Sourdough
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This fig and brie bread is what happens when sweet, jammy dried figs get swirled into a tangy sourdough crumb, complimented by pockets of creamy, melty brie.
It’s perfect for those moments when you want something that feels a little fancy but takes minimal effort.
This fig and brie sourdough bread is dedicated to a little fancy.
Tips
- Rather than laminating in the inclusions in this recipe, I recommend including them during the first stretch and fold. This helps to ensure that you’ve got a really consistent distribution through the entire dough.
- Handle the dough gently during the shaping process because the cheese and figs can easily tear the dough you’ve worked so hard for. I’ve included a step by step photo guide below to show my process when shaping – it involves a lot more pressing into shape than laminating but always yields a great result for me.
Key Ingredients
Figs: I use dry Mission figs in this recipe, they’re the easiest to come by and their sweet, rich flavor pairs so beautifully with sourdough. Calimyrna figs are also a great choice as their mild, honey-like flavor compliments the creaminess of the brie.
Brie: I like double cream brie, I find it to be a bit, well, creamier! I also like to remove the rind, in testing, I’ve found that step to be worthwhile, as the rind can hinder the melting and leave unsightly spots in the dough.
Sourdough starter: This recipe requires a fed and active sourdough starter. Your starter should have been recently fed and should have at least doubled in size.
Psst… Curious about feeding your starter, storing it, using sourdough discard, or finding the best jar for your starter? Check out my helpful guides for all the details!
How To Make Fig Sourdough
Make The Dough:
- In a large bowl, combine 340g of room temperature water and whisk in 100g of active sourdough starter until the water is milky and the starter is broken up. I pefer to mix my water with the starter up front in recipes that use a fermentolyse, I find it’s easier to ensure the yeast is fully incorporated into the dough.
- Add 500g unbleached bread flour on top of the sourdough starter mixture, mix until a shaggy dough forms. If required, knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Sprinkle 12g of salt across the surface of the dough.
- Cover the bowl and set aside for 60 minutes.
Stretch And Fold:
- Prior to the first stretch and fold, sprinkle the 70g of chopped figs and 80g of peeled, cubed brie over the dough. Adding the inclusions at this point ensures even distribution through the dough throughout the stretch and fold process.
- Using damp hands, grab the dough and gently pull it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, then fold the flap, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat 3 more times, this is considered a set of stretch and folds. Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 60 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process 3 times over 3 hours, for a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds each followed by a 60 minute rest.
Bulk Ferment:
- Complete a fourth and final stretch and fold then cover the bowl and set aside for 3 hours to finish the bulk ferment. It is important to keep the dough bowl somewhere warm to encourage the microbes to work quickly!
Pre-Shape + Shape:
- Observe your dough, at this point, the dough should have risen in the bowl, and have a smooth surface with visible bubbles. If the dough is domed in the bowl it is ready to work with, if the dough is flat it may need more time in the bulk ferment.
- Uncover the dough and transfer to a work surface or countertop. Gently press and spread the dough into a large rectangle. Fold up the bottom third of the dough as though you were folding a letter, then fold in the right then left bottom corner towards the center. Continue rolling up into a batard or log shape. Cover with a kitchen towel or inverted bowl and rest for 30 minutes.
- After the rest, pick up the dough with a dough scraper and flip it over, gently press the dough flat then roll it again. Pinch the ends if you’re making a batard or tuck them in if your making a boule.
- Pinch the ends if you’re making a batard or tuck them in if your making a boule. Dust the dough with rice flour then tuck seam side up into a banneton.
Don’t have a banneton basket? I have a guide on bannetons and banneton alternatives!
Prove + Cold Retard:
- Prove the fig sourdough loaf in the banneton for 2-3 hours in a warm place before covering and placing in fridge to cold retard for up to 3 days. If you want to bake it right after proving, you’re welcome to, but the flavor is better after resting in the fridge.
Bake:
- Place your dutch oven, cloche, or desired baking dish in the oven and preheat to 450f. If you don’t have a dutch oven, I do have a guide on open oven sourdough bread baking.
- Once the oven is preheated, invert the banneton onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- Use a lame, sharp knife, or clean razor blade to score the dough, I usually like to make one deep curved slash, but you can get as fancy as you like!
- Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, and using the parchment paper as a sling, transfer the sourdough loaf from the counter into the dutch oven.
- Bake the dough at 450f covered for 30 minutes and uncovered at 450f for 10-15 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked through and the crust is nicely browned. You can test the doneness of the loaf with an instant-read thermometer. Bread is cooked once it reaches 205 – 210 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature.
Cool:
- Remove baked bread from the dutch oven and transfer it to a wire mesh cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. I like to leave it for at least 2 hours before slicing, as slicing too soon can affect the crumb and texture of your loaf.
Batch + Storage
Batch:
This brie and fig sourdough recipe makes one large boule or batard. This is enough for my family of 4 to snack on for at least 2 days! It can be doubled to make 2 loaves, or tripled, if desired.
Storage:
If you have leftover sourdough, kudos to your self-control! There are a few great ways to store sourdough bread to keep it fresh and delicious after slicing.
For short-term storage, we just place our loaves cut-side down on a cutting board. This method works great for up to 12 hours, though the crust may get a little too crisp if left much longer. It’s our favorite option since we usually finish the loaf before that happens! If you need more time, transfer it to a bread bag after about 16-18 hours to maintain its quality.
If you’re looking to store your bread longer, freezing is a fantastic option. To freeze sourdough, let the loaf cool completely to room temperature. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a bread bag, seal it, and pop it in the freezer. Your sourdough will stay fresh for 1-2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply remove it from the freezer, unwrap it, and let it thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours before slicing and savoring!
More Sourdough Recipes
Need more inspiration? Let me suggest these recipes!
Recommended Equipment
Baking sourdough is an accessible past-time, and doesn’t require any special equipment, but there are things that can improve the quality of your baked goods. Here are a few things I find invaluable to my sourdough baking:
- Dutch oven: One of the key tricks to successful sourdough bread is to use a high heat, steamy baking environment, and since most of us don’t have commercial steam infused ovens, we use the next best thing! The heavy lid of the dutch oven clamps in steam and improves the rise and texture of your loaves.
- Scale: You certainly can make sourdough without a scale, and I know that we all resist change, but trust me when I tell you using the scale is the way to higher quality, more consistent results. I find it cleaner and easier to use the scale than to use my measuring cups and spoons at this point.
- Find more recommended equipment on my kitchen resources list!
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📖 Printable Recipe
Fig And Brie Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 340 g water room temperature
- 100 g sourdough starter active
- 500 g unbleached bread flour
- 12 g sea salt
- 70 g dried mission figs chopped
- 80 g double cream brie peeled and cubed
Instructions
Make The Dough:
- In a large bowl, combine 340g of room temperature water and whisk in 100g of active sourdough starter until milky.
- Add 500g unbleached bread flour on top of the sourdough starter blend and mix until a shaggy dough forms. If required, knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Sprinkle 12g of salt across the surface of the dough.
- Cover the bowl and set aside for 60 minutes.
Stretch + Fold:
- Prior to the first stretch and fold, sprinkle 80g peeled and cubed brie and 70g of chopped dried figs over the dough.
- Using damp hands, grab the dough and gently pull it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, then fold the flap, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat 3 more times, this is considered a set of stretch and folds. Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 60 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process 3 times over 3 hours, for a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds each followed by a 60 minute rest.
Bulk Ferment:
- Complete a fourth and final stretch and fold then cover the bowl and set aside for 3 hours to finish the bulk ferment. It is important to keep the dough bowl somewhere warm to encourage the microbes to work quickly!
Pre-Shape + Shape:
- Observe your dough, at this point, the dough should have risen in the bowl, and have a smooth surface with visible bubbles. If the dough is domed in the bowl it is ready to work with, if the dough is flat it may need more time in the bulk ferment.
- Uncover the dough and transfer to a work surface or countertop. Gently press and spread the dough into a large rectangle. Fold up the bottom third of the dough as though you were folding a letter. Fold in the right side about a third of the way across width wise then repeat with the left. Roll from the folded bottom to the top creating a log. Cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.
- After the rest, pick up the dough with a dough scraper and flip it over, gently press the dough flat then roll it again. Pinch the ends if you’re making a batard or tuck them in if your making a boule. Dust the dough with rice flour then tuck seam side up into a banneton.
Prove + Cold Retard:
- Prove your sourdough loaf in the banneton for 2-3 hours in a warm place before covering and placing in fridge to cold retard for up to 3 days.
Bake:
- Place your dutch oven, cloche, or desired baking dish in the oven and preheat to 450f.
- Once the oven is preheated, invert the banneton onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use a lame, sharp knife, or clean razor blade to score the dough, I usually like to make one deep curved slash, but you can get as fancy as you like!
- Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, and using the parchment paper as a sling, transfer the sourdough loaf from the counter into the dutch oven.
- Bake the dough at 450f covered for 30 minutes and uncovered at 450f for 10-15 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked through and the crust is nicely browned.
Cool:
- Remove baked bread from the dutch oven and transfer it to a wire mesh cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
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