Blueberry Sourdough Bread
A soft, blueberry-studded sourdough boule made with a tangzhong for extra softness to last well past the first day.
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Equipment
- kitchen scale
- Small saucepan (for the tangzhong)
- whisk
- Large mixing bowl and plastic cover (I use a new shower cap)
- Dough scraper (optional, for shaping)
- Banneton or proofing basket
- Bread lame or sharp razor blade (for scoring)
- Dutch oven
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Electric slicer (optional, for slicing and freezing)
Ingredients
For the tangzhong:
- 50 g strong white bread flour
- 200 g milk
For the dough:
- 150 g water
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- 450 g strong white bread flour
- 10 g salt
- 1 tablespoon melted butter optional
- 150 g fresh blueberries
Instructions
Make the Tangzhong
- Whisk the flour and milk together in a small saucepan. Cook over gentle heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens to about the consistency of plain yogurt. This happens faster than you'd expect, so don't step away.50 g strong white bread flour, 200 g milk
- Take it off the heat, tip it into a bowl, and let it cool to room temperature before it goes anywhere near your dough. Whisk it every few minutes to stop it from forming a skin.
Mix the Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the water and active starter, then add the cooled melted butter (if using), and the cooled tangzhong. Add the flour and salt and mix well by hand until there's no dry flour left and you've got a shaggy dough.150 g water, 100 g active sourdough starter, 450 g strong white bread flour, 10 g salt, 1 tablespoon melted butter
- You want to develop gluten at the start, so knead the dough on the counter, or for 5 minutes in a mixer with a dough hook to get a fairly smooth, cohesive dough.
Bulk Ferment and Fold
- Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds, one every 30 minutes. Fold the blueberries in gently during the second or third set so they don't get crushed too early.150 g fresh blueberries
- After the fourth fold, leave the dough to continue fermenting for a total of about 5 hours from when you first mixed it (longer in a cooler kitchen). Go by the dough, not the clock: you're looking for at least 30% more volume before shaping.
Preshape and Shape
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and shape into a loose round gathering pieces of dough to the middle. Let it rest, covered loosely with a tea towel, for 10 minutes.
- Shape into a tighter boule, pulling gently toward you with your hands or a dough scraper.
- Place it seam-side up in a banneton floured with rice flour, stitching it so it seals tight. Dust a little more rice flour so it doesn't stick to the plastic cover.
Proof
- Cover and leave at room temperature for 2 hours, or move to the fridge overnight for a cold retard. Cold dough is firmer and easier to score cleanly.
- If proofing at room temperature, pop the banneton uncovered into the freezer for 20 minutes while the oven preheats, so it scores with less snagging.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 225°C (437°F). Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment and score a deep-ish cross across the top.
- Lower it into a Dutch oven (no need to preheat the pot itself, but fine to if you do, for about 10 minutes). Put the lid on and place it in the hot oven.
- Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, until deep golden brown.
Cool
- Take it out onto a rack and let it cool completely before slicing. The crumb is still setting as it cools, and a warm loaf will squash under a knife. Tear off a piece instead of slicing if you can't wait.
Notes
Levain option: If you prefer to build a levain rather than use starter straight from the jar, combine 35g starter, 35g flour, and 35g water about 4 hours before mixing the dough, and use it in place of the 100g active starter.
Flour: Strong white bread flour gives the best result, but this recipe has also been made successfully with pizza flour in a pinch.
Bulk fermentation: This could take longer or less time, depending on the temperature in your kitchen, so check the dough for doming, bubbles forming and around 30% increase in volume.
Freezer hack: If proofing at room temperature, pop the banneton uncovered into the freezer for 20 minutes while the oven preheats, so it scores with less snagging.
Dutch oven: No need to preheat the pot separately. If you prefer to, 10 minutes in the oven while it heats up is plenty.
Storage: Once fully cooled, this freezes very well sliced. Slice the whole loaf, bag the slices, and freeze. Toast straight from frozen.
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Nutrition
Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 254mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 48IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.4mg
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