Sun Dried Tomato Sourdough Bread With Parmesan Petals
This loaf brings together the tangy sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes and the nutty richness of Parmesan. Folded into naturally leavened sourdough, these flavors create a hearty loaf with a chewy crumb and a crisp, golden crust.
Ingredients
- 300 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. Chop 50g of sun dried tomatoes, then squeeze in a paper towel to remove excess oil. Add to sourdough starter mixture and whisk in.
- 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 one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you’ve completed four folds, this is one set of stretch and folds. Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 60 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process every 60 minutes for a total of 4 sets.
Bulk Ferment:
- After the final set, cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment for about 3 hours in a warm spot.
Pre-Shape + Shape:
- Observe your dough, the dough is ready when it has risen, looks slightly domed, and shows visible bubbles along the surface and edges. If it appears flat or dense, allow more time.
- 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. Rest the loaf uncovered 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 you're 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.
