I’m still experimenting with my sourdough – this time I wanted to try a fruit loaf for something a bit different and I am so glad I did! It has a delightfully soft and chewy crumb, not heavy, nicely moist, sweet but tangy. The dried peaches were a bit of a pain because they kept working their way out of the dough, so I’ll try something else next time. I’ll also add a touch of spice next time, too. The recipe was adapted from one given by Jaydot on The Fresh Loaf.

Makes 2 small loaves

Ingredients

70g sultanas
50g chopped dried figs
50g chopped dried peaches
30g chopped candied lemon peel

180g 100% hydration starter
270g water
420g white flour
110g wholemeal flour
10g salt
30g honey

Directions

Place dried fruit in a bowl, cover with hot water, stir well and leave to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain through a sieve over another bowl – you can use the soaking water as part or all of your dough water, depending on how much there is.

Mix flour, starter, salt and water. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Knead gently for about 5 minutes, rest a few minutes, add honey and soaked fruit and knead again for about 5 minutes.

Stretch and fold, return to bowl, cover and rest at least 2 hours, stretching and folding every 40 minutes. After the last fold, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the bowl from the fridge and bring to room temperature – about 2 hours.

Cut into 2 portions, shape and place in parchment-lined bowls. Cover loosely and rest approximately 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 230°C.

Use paper to transfer one loaf into Dutch oven (with paper), cover with lid and bake for around 35 minutes, removing lid after 15 minutes. Loaf should be a deep golden colour.

When done, transfer to wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Reheat oven and repeat with second loaf.