Sun Dried Tomato Sourdough
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Ever wonder what happens when sun-dried tomatoes meet sourdough bread?
This recipe answers that burning question!
It’s basically a flavor bomb waiting to explode in your kitchen. Those intense, slightly sweet sun-dried tomatoes get folded right into a tangy sourdough base along salty parmesan petals for a decadent, savory loaf.
This sun-dried tomato sourdough bread is dedicated to burning questions.
Tips
- In order to overcome wet spots and improve oil absorption in the dough, it’s important to drain the tomatoes. I just squeeze them in a paper towel to remove as much oil as possible and I add the tomatoes to the water in the dough – this allows any remaining oil to mix into the water and improve the crumb of the dough as a whole rather than create weird pockets.
- I’ve reduced the salt level in this recipe to compensate for the salt content in the tomatoes and Parmesan petals.
- Handle the dough gently during the shaping process because the cheese is quite firm and can easily tear. I’ve included a step by step photo guide below to show my process when shaping!
Key Ingredients
Sun dried tomatoes: While I love dehydrated tomatoes, but I prefer to use sun dried tomatoes in oil for this recipe. I used store bought tomatoes for this recipe because I ran out of homemade sun dried tomatoes! But either will work!
Parmesan petals: Parmesan cheese has a nutty, salty, umami flavor that pairs well with tangy tomatoes. Using petals ensures that you’ll have more concentrated flavors where the cheese is, as grated cheese has the tendency to incorporate completely leading to a more subtle flavor throughout.
Sourdough starter: For this recipe, you want to use a fed and active sourdough starter. Your starter should have been fed before beginning and have at least doubled in size.
Psst.. Want to know more about feeding your starter, storing sourdough starter, how to use discard, or even which is the best jar for your starter? I’ve got tons of guides to help you!
How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Sourdough
Make The Dough:
- In a large bowl, combine 300g of room temperature water and whisk in 65g of active sourdough starter until mostly combined. Add in 50g of drained and chopped sun dried tomatoes. I prefer to mix my liquid ingredients with the sourdough starter before adding the flour because it’s much easier to ensure that the starter is more evenly distributed in the dough.
- Dump 400g unbleached bread flour on top of the sourdough starter blend. Using a danish dough whisk, spatula, or spoon mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Sprinkle 8g 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 50g of Parmesan petals over the dough. Adding the petals 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 sun-dried tomato 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.
More Sourdough Recipes
Love a savory sourdough? Then you’ll love these too!
Batch + Storage
Batch:
This sun dried tomato 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!
Recommended Equipment
Baking sourdough is an accessible past-time, and doesn’t require 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.
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Sun Dried Tomato and Parmesan Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 340 g water room temperature
- 65 g sourdough starter active
- 50 g sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 400 g unbleached bread flour
- 8 g sea salt
- 50 g parmesan petals
Instructions
Make The Dough:
- In a large bowl, combine 300g of room temperature water and whisk in 65g of active sourdough starter until mostly combined. Add in 50g of drained and chopped sun dried tomatoes.
- Dump 400g unbleached bread flour on top of the sourdough starter blend. Using a danish dough whisk, spatula, or spoon mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Sprinkle 8g 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 the 50g of Parmesan petals over the dough. Adding the petals 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. 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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