Sourdough Fruit Bread
This sourdough fruit bread has lots of dried fruit and spice and has a tender and soft texture made with a lightly enriched dough.
I’ve already got a sourdough cinnamon raisin bread on the blog, but this fruit sourdough is a bit different. For starters, it has more spices and not just raisins. I like to add in all sorts of dried fruit, like apricots, cherries, currants, cranberries, blueberries, and more! This pictured fruit loaf has cherries, raisins, and apricots, but you can use whatever dried fruit you’ve got – dried apple is great, too!
The dough is based on my sourdough hot cross buns recipe. Its enriched with egg and butter for great flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts for this fruit bread recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is what you will need
- Strong all-purpose flour or bread flour
- An active sourdough starter – Learn to make a homemade sourdough starter if you don’t have one yet!
- Whole milk
- Soft brown sugar
- Large egg
- Spices – cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Salt
- Butter – slightly softened.
- Vanilla essence
- Orange zest and juice
- Dried fruit – I like a mix of dried fruit. Use anything from dried apricots, cherries, currants, cranberries, blueberries, and apples. I use dried, not fresh, fruit in this bread.
Equipment
- This sourdough bread recipe can be made with or without a stand mixer.
- It’s baked in one large 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Baker’s schedule
This sourdough recipe has a few baking times to suit your schedule! Feel free to experiment to find the time that works best for you.
Option 1
- The night before – Feed sourdough starter
- Day 1 – 9 am. The following morning, mix the dough
- 9:20 am – Bulk fermentation at a warm temperature for approximately 4-6 hours until the dough has bulked out by at least 50%.
- 2:30 pm – Cold proof until the evening.
- 8:30 pm – Shape and rise overnight at room temperature. This works if your kitchen doesn’t exceed 65°F/ 18° C overnight, or you’ll risk the dough over-proofing. On a hot night, it’s best to follow option 2.
- Day 2 – 8 am – The next morning, bake.
Option 2
- Day 1 – 8 am– Feed sourdough starter
- 2 pm – Mix the dough
- 2:20 pm –Bulk ferment in a warm place for approximately 4-6 hours until the dough has bulked out by at least 50%.
- 6:30 pm – Cold proof until the morning
- Day 2 – 8:00 am – The next day, shape and let the bread rise until doubled in a warm spot, around 4-6 hours.
- 1 pm – Bake
Method
- Feed the starter and let it rise. The amounts to feed it will depend on whether you are feeding your starter overnight or during the day.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flour, spices, vanilla, eggs, orange juice, milk, brown sugar, salt, and starter. Turn the mixer on medium speed and mix the dough for around 2 minutes.
- Add in the butter a few cubes at a time and keep mixing for around 8-10 minutes until the dough is strong and smooth.
- Add in the dried fruit and orange zest and mix until combined.
- Pull the dough onto a lightly floured workspace and shape it into a ball.
- Place it in a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm spot (ideally around 77°F/ 25° C) and let it bulk out by around 50-60%. You can create a warm and humid spot for this bulk rise by placing the bowl in a turned-off oven with a bowl of hot water. Replace the water as it cools.
Mixing by hand
- Add flour, spices, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, milk, brown sugar, salt, and sourdough starter in a large mixing bowl.
- Use a fork to combine it into a shaggy dough first, then switch to using your hands and form it into a thick dough.
- Add softened butter and use your hands to squish everything together until the butter is incorporated. This part is quite messy.
- Pull the dough onto a clean work surface and slap and fold it for around 8-10 minutes until it’s smooth and glossy.
- A sticky dough is easiest to handle when you use quick movements.
- Once the dough is smooth and strong, stretch it into a square and add on the dried fruit and orange zest.
- Fold the dough over the fruit to tuck it in. Roll the dough around on the bench, gently kneading to incorporate the fruit.
- Transfer the bread dough to a clean bowl. Place in a warm spot (ideally around 77°F/ 25° C) and let it bulk out by around 50-60%.
Cold proof
- Once the dough has bulked, cover it and place it in the fridge for 5-16 hours until you’re ready to shape the dough.
Shaping
- Pull the cold dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. It will be very stiff. Roll it out into a 7-inch wide and around 9-inch long rectangle.
- Roll the rectangle up tightly lengthwise.
- Place the dough in a parchment paper-lined 9×5 inch loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rise until it doubles and the top of the dough reaches past the top of the pan.
Baking
- Bake the sourdough loaf for 40-45 minutes until deep golden brown on the top. The internal temperature of the loaf should be between 88-94°C/190-200°F.
- Remove the bread from the pan an let it cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!
Related recipes
If you loved this bread, you might like these too!
- Sourdough Monkey Bread
- Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
- Chocolate Chip Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
- Easy Sourdough Ciabatta Rolls
Sourdough Fruit Bread
This sourdough fruit bread has lots of dried fruit and spice, with a tender and soft texture.
Ingredients
Starter
- 30g sourdough starter
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 60g water
Dough
- 450g all-purpose or bread flour (with a protein level of at least 11%)
- 75g soft brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 180g whole milk
- 120g active sourdough starter
- 60g fresh orange juice
- 1 large egg
- 60g butter, room temperature, cubed.
- 200g mix of dried fruit (cherries, raisins, apricots, cranberries, apple, etc)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Instructions
- Feed your starter and let it rise until doubled.
- Add flour, spices, vanilla, eggs, orange juice, milk, brown sugar, salt, and the doubled starter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on medium speed and mix the dough for around 2 minutes.
- Add in the butter and mix for around 8-10 minutes until the dough is strong and smooth.
- Add in the dried fruit and orange zest and mix until combined.
- Pull the dough onto a lightly floured workspace and shape it into a ball, tucking in any loose fruit.
- Place it in a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm spot (ideally around 77° F/ 25° C) and let it bulk out by around 50-60%. You can create a warm and humid spot for this bulk rise by placing the bowl in a turned-off oven with a bowl of hot water. Replace the water as it cools.
Cold proof
- Once the dough has bulked, cover it tightly and place it in the fridge for 5-16 hours until you're ready to shape.
Shaping
- Pull the cold dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. It will be very stiff. Roll it out into an 8-inch wide and around 9-inch long rectangle. Roll the rectangle up tightly lengthwise into an 8-inch log.
- Place the dough in a parchment paper-lined 9x5 inch loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rise in warm spot until it doubles and the top of the dough reaches the top of the pan. This can take 4-6 hours, depending on temperature. See the notes for an overnight rising baking schedule.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 180°(350°F).
- Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes until deep golden brown on the top. The internal temperature of the loaf should be between 88-94°C/190-200°F.
- Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving,
Notes
Baker's Schedule
OPTION 1
- The night before – Feed sourdough starter (at a 1:3:3 ratio)
- Day 1 – 9 am. Mix the dough
- 9:20 am – Bulk fermentation at a warm temperature for approximately 4-6 hours until the dough has bulked out by at least 50%.
- 2:30 pm – Cold proof until the evening.
- 8:30 pm – Shape and rise overnight at room temperature. This works if your kitchen doesn’t exceed 65°F/ 18° C overnight, or you’ll risk the dough over-proofing. On a hot night, it’s best to follow option 2.
- Day 2 – 8 am – The next morning, bake.
OPTION 2
- Day 1 – 8 am– Feed sourdough starter
- 2 pm – Mix the dough
- 2:20 pm –Bulk ferment in a warm place for approximately 4-6 hours until the dough has bulked out by at least 50%.
- 6:30 pm – Cold proof until the morning
- Day 2 – 8:00 am – The next day, shape and let the bread rise until doubled in a warm spot, around 4-6 hours.
- 1 pm – Bake
Mixing the dough by hand
The dough can be kneaded by hand using a slap-and-fold method. Combine flour, spices, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, milk, brown sugar, salt, and sourdough starter in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to combine it into a shaggy dough first, then switch to using your hands and form it into a thick dough.
Add softened butter and use your hands to squish everything together until the butter is incorporated. This part is quite messy. Pull the dough onto a clean work surface and slap and fold it for around 8-10 minutes until it's smooth and glossy. A sticky dough is easiest to handle when you use quick movements. Once the dough is smooth and strong, stretch it into a square and add on the dried fruit and orange zest. Fold the dough over the fruit to tuck it in. Roll the dough on the bench, gently kneading to incorporate the fruit.
Alternatively, you can stretch and fold the dough instead. Everything together into a thick and sticky dough. Over the next two hours, perform around six sets of stretches and folds. After this, continue with the bulk ferment.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 19gProtein: 8g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
