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Cranberry Sourdough Rye with Walnuts and Pecans

I saw this recipe before we left on vacation and was really itching to make it. I had to change things up a bit but otherwise, you can follow the original directions. Mine did not come out as airy. It was a bit denser, but it had a really nice flavor.

Cranberry Sourdough Rye with Walnuts and Pecans (adapted from Bread Experience)

272g (about 9.5 oz) rye flour
219g (about 7.7 oz) water
14g (about 2t) sourdough starter (original used rye starter I only have regular flour starter)

Final dough

113g (4oz) dried cranberries
590g (about 20 oz) bread flour
45g (about 1.5 oz)rye flour
400g (about 14 oz)  water (including reserved water from soaking cranberries)
17g (about 2 1/4t) salt
1 1/2 t yeast
sourdough from above
58g (2oz) walnuts, toasted, then chopped in large pieces
58g (2oz) pecans, toasted, then chopped in large pieces

I did the math for you with the conversions. I think I would include a little more nuts and cranberries. The first step (leaving the starter for 14-16 hours), I did not see much change. It puffed - a little? This could be because my starter is not as active??

I did not have banneton proofing baskets so I made the bread in casserole/souffle dishes. I was very paranoid about how quickly my dough was rising in the refrigerator. In order to not have a total loss, I baked one loaf the night of the "second day" and left the other overnight, as directed. I would say the one that sat overnight, rose only a little more and was not overproofed. I also let the bread sit out for about an hour or so at room temperature before baking. I was afraid the dishes would break in the heat of the oven straight from the refrigerator - been there, done that. I think because I used dishes instead of the bannetons and used the yeast, my bread rose higher?

Since my dishes did not fit into my cloche, I placed two kitchen towels in a 13x9 pan. I then added boiling water. I put this whole set up in the oven while it was preheating. This added a lot of steam and help to give a real nice crust. Once the bread was done, let the bread sit in the pan for a few minutes. I removed it and placed it on the baking stone in the oven (shut off) to crisp up the bottom.

This bread went nicely with the potato leek soup. What can I say? I told you it was was really cold. Soup and bread - does it get any better than that on a cold day?


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