Fig and Walnut Sourdough

This fig and walnut sourdough is a hearty, open-crumbed loaf studded with sweet figs and toasty walnuts. The dough is enriched with a portion of wholemeal flour for a richer, nuttier flavour, and the fig and walnut combination makes it perfect alongside a hunk of cheese, slathered with butter and honey, or toasted for breakfast.

Key ingredients

• High-grade flour (or bread flour): This gives the dough the structure and chew of a proper sourdough loaf. You want a flour with around 11-12% protein.
• Wholemeal flour: Around 20% of the total flour is wholemeal, which adds a richer flavour and a slight rustic character without making the loaf heavy. Wholemeal also absorbs more water than white flour, so the dough hydration accounts for it.
• Active sourdough starter: As always with my sourdough recipes, the starter needs to be active, bubbly, and at its peak. A weak or overly acidic starter won’t give you good rise or flavour. I make a fresh leaven for this bread rather than using starter straight from the jar.
• Dried figs: Look for soft, plump dried figs. Hard, dry figs can stay chewy in the bread and pull moisture from the dough. If yours feel quite hard, give them a quick 10-15 minute soak in warm water, then drain and pat dry before chopping. Soft pliable figs can go in as they are.
• Walnut halves: Toasting them first really brings out the flavour and gives a deeper, more savoury crunch.
• Water and salt: Standard. The salt strengthens the gluten and seasons the loaf, and the dough sits at around 71% hydration including the starter.

Method

1. Mix together the starter ingredients in a bowl and stir well until thoroughly mixed. Add it to a clean jar and loosely cover it. Leave it in a warm spot until it doubles in size.
2. While it’s rising, toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 5 to 7 minutes until fragrant. Chop the figs into small pieces. If your figs are hard and dry, give them a quick soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, drain, and pat dry. Soft pliable figs can go in as they are.
3. Mix the flours and water into a shaggy dough with no dry flour left, then cover and leave to autolyse until the leaven is ready (around 30 to 60 minutes). The autolyse hydrates the flour fully and starts gluten development without any work from you. Once the leaven is at peak, squish it into the dough with wet hands and mix in the salt.

Bulk fermentation

1. Over the next 3 hours, do a set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. With wet hands, pull the dough up and over itself, turn the bowl a quarter, and repeat on all sides.

1. Do this on all sides, and always use wet hands. You’ll feel the dough strengthen and smooth out as you go

1. As the folds go on, I like to tuck them underneath the dough ball to create a smooth top.

1. After about four sets of folds, add half the figs and walnuts and fold them in, then the rest. Adding them in two stages helps distribute them evenly without overworking the dough or clumping them in one spot.

1. After the folds, leave the dough to finish bulk in a warm spot, ideally around 25°C / 77°F, until it’s bubbly, slightly puffed, and jiggles when you shake the bowl. Watch the dough rather than the clock here. If your kitchen is cool, place the bowl in a turned-off cold oven with a dish of just-boiled water at the bottom to make a warm proofing spot.

Shaping and cold-proof

1. Turn the dough out gently onto a lightly floured bench and pat into a rough rectangle.

1. Fold the bottom third up to meet the middle.

1. Then fold the right side in, then the left side in. Bring the top third down over everything to make a parcel.

1. Flip the parcel seam-side down and gently roll it towards you on the bench to build surface tension. Take care not to degas it, you’re firming the surface, not pressing the air out.

1. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a well-floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel.

Cold proof and bake

1. Cover the banneton and cold proof in the fridge for 8 to 16 hours. The cold proof develops flavour and firms up the dough so it’s easier to score.
2. The next morning, preheat the oven and a Dutch oven to 230°C / 450°F for at least 30 minutes. Flip the dough straight into the hot Dutch oven, score with a razor or sharp knife, and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, then lid off for another 20 until deeply browned.
3. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Sourdough finishes baking as it cools, so slicing into a warm loaf gives you a gummy interior even if it’s perfectly baked.

Tips for success

Storage

Store the cooled loaf cut-side down on a board or in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. The crust will soften over time, which is normal.

For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the slices in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. You can toast directly from frozen.

FAQs about cheesecloth

Do the dried figs need soaking before adding?

Only if they’re hard. Soft, pliable dried figs can go in as they are and will soften further during the long ferment. Hard, dry figs benefit from a 10 to 15 minute soak in warm water (then drained and patted dry), which keeps them nicer to bite into.

Can I use other dried fruit or nuts?

Yes, this base recipe is very adaptable. Cranberry and pecan, cherry and chocolate, or raisin and walnut all work well. Keep the total mix-ins to around 140g so the dough still holds its structure.

Can I bake this without a Dutch oven?

A Dutch oven gives the best results because it traps steam during the first half of the bake, which is what gives you a great crust and oven spring. If you don’t have one, bake on a preheated tray or stone with a separate tray of water on the rack below for steam. Results will be slightly different but still good.

My loaf is flat. What went wrong?

Usually one of three things: a sluggish leaven that wasn’t at peak when you used it, an under-fermented bulk, or shaping that didn’t build enough tension. Make sure your starter is genuinely active, watch for real signs of life at the end of bulk (jiggle, bubbles, puffy feel), and shape with confident even tension.

Related recipes

You might like these too:

• Sourdough fruit bread
• Sourdough monkey bread
• Orange and chocolate sourdough
• Sourdough starter maintenance

Fig and Walnut Sourdough

Elien Lewis

This fig and walnut sourdough is soft and tender, with a delicious crunch of walnuts and sweet figs. It’s the perfect bread to serve with a hunk of artisanal cheese! Makes 1 loaf.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Fermentation and Cold Proof 18 hours hrs

Total Time 19 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Bread, Sourdough

Cuisine Sourdough

Servings 10

Calories 222 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Starter/Leaven

• 25 g sourdough starter
• 50 g bread flour
• 50 g water

Dough

• 320 g bread flour
• 80 g whole wheat flour
• 295 g water
• All the sourdough starter Approx. 100g
• 7 g salt
• 80 g dried figs
• 60 g walnut halves

Instructions

 

• Mix the starter ingredients in a jar, cover loosely, and leave to peak (4 to 6 hours).
• Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until fragrant. Cool and break into rough pieces. Chop the figs. If figs are hard, soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, drain, and pat dry before chopping.
• Combine the flours and water into a shaggy dough. Cover and autolyse for around 30 minutes.
• Add the leaven and squish in with wet hands. Add the salt and mix in.
• Over the next 3 hours, do a set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. After about four sets, add half the figs and walnuts, fold in, then add the rest and fold in.
• Leave the dough to finish bulk in a warm spot (ideally 25°C / 77°F) until bubbly, puffed, and jiggly, another 1 to 2 hours depending on room temperature.
• Turn out the dough gently, pat into a rectangle. Fold the bottom third up to the middle, fold the right side in, then the left side in, then bring the top third down over everything to make a parcel. Flip seam-side down and gently roll towards you on the bench to build surface tension.
• Place seam-side up in a floured banneton. Cover and cold proof in the fridge for 8 to 16 hours.
• Preheat the oven and a Dutch oven to 230°C / 450°F for at least 30 minutes. Flip the dough into the hot Dutch oven (or onto baking paper to lower in). Score.
• Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes until deeply browned. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Fig soaking: If your figs are hard and dry, soak them first. Soft figs can go in as they are. Drain and pat dry well if you do soak.

Watch the dough, not the clock. Fermentation times shift with kitchen temperature. Trust the visible signs (bubbles, jiggle, puffed dough) over the times listed.

Cool fully before slicing. Sourdough finishes baking as it cools. Slicing warm gives you a gummy crumb.

Variations: This base works with other fruit and nut combinations: cranberry and pecan, cherry and chocolate, or raisin and walnut. Keep total mix-ins to around 140g.

Storage: Cut-side down on a board for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 275mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

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