Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Bread
with Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cherries
Moist and chewy sprouted wheat sourdough bread, slightly sweetened with molasses and punctuated with sweet and tangy jewels of dried cherries! This bread is delicious in so many ways. It has a rich golden tan color and beautifully blistered chewy crust.
We love it as a side bread with dinner the day it's baked with just a bit of real butter, then over the next week it makes lovely sandwiches and toast.
I like to feed the sourdough starter the night before then again in the morning an hour or so before making this bread so that it's nice and bubbly because sprouted wheat is a rather dense flour. That's what gives this bread it's delicious moist and chewy texture.
The addition of the dried cherries and pumpkin seeds are a great match for the sprouted wheat flour and the molasses gives it a last note of smoky sweetness that seems to bloom as you chew.
Follow along with the gallery for an illustration on how to make this yummy bread that's perfect for cozy fall and winter days.
I dried my own Bing cherries this year since we have a tree now at our new home but you can find these in the bulk dried foods in many markets now. That's where I buy my pumpkin seeds as well.
Happy Baking!
~Melisa
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Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Bread with Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cherries
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour + a few tablespoons for kneading etc.
1 cup sprouted wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup + 3 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried Bing Cherries
2 Tablespoons molasses
2-3 teaspoons coarse ground corn meal or semolina flour
Method
Add all of the dry ingredients to a stand mixer.
Mix for a few seconds to blend then add the molasses.
Add the sourdough starter then begin to mix on the lowest setting.
Pour the warm water in very slowly until the dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl. Continue to mix for 7 more minutes to knead and develop the gluten. The dough should be sticky and very elastic.
Place a few tablespoons of all purpose flour on a board.
Turn the dough out onto the flour and knead 4 to 5 times, folding the dough back over itself and pressing down gently.
Add 2 teaspoons of quality oil to a large bowl. Form the dough into a ball and roll it in the bowl with the oil to cover all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes or until it has nearly doubled in size.
Using the floured board, scrape the dough out of the bowl and gently knead 4 or 5 times then form it back into a ball.
Prepare a banneton or a bowl lined with a kitchen towel with a few more tablespoons of all purpose flour. Place the dough into the banneton/bowl. Put it in a warm place and cover with the banneton cover or towel to rise again for about 45 to 60 minutes.
About 30 minutes before bake time, place an empty covered dutch oven inside your oven and start preheating it to 450 degrees.
Place a piece of parchment paper on the bread board and sprinkle it lightly with coarse ground corn meal or semolina flour.
When the dough has risen completely, roll it onto the parchment.
Score the loaf evenly as desired. The loaf has risen completely when you are able to see a small dent remain in the surface if you poke it gently with one fingertip.
Carefully remove the dutch oven from the preheated oven and remove the lid. Pick up the loaf using the parchment paper and place it into the preheated dutch oven. Return the lid and place the dutch oven in the preheated oven.
Reduce the temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 45 minutes.
After baking, carefully remove the lid and use the parchment paper to remove the bread from the dutch oven.
Place the bread on a board or rack to cool for at least 45 minutes.
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