Coffee and Date Sourdough
The most delicious sourdough bread loaf, lightly spiced with ginger and nutmeg and studded with sweet dates that also features the signature chewy crust! We added some spelt flour for the extra nutrition and nuttier flavour profile! It is more versatile than you may think: a slice of Coffee & Date Sourdough with some butter makes a perfect breakfast! What is more, it goes beautifully with some cheese and charcuterie!
Ingredients
- 300 g strong bread flour
- 100 g spelt flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 30 g caster sugar
- 200 ml milk
- 200 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 30 ml espresso cooled down
- 30 g butter softened
- 150 g pitted dates each chopped into 3 pieces
Instructions
Day 1:
- Mix the strong bread flour, spelt flour, ginger, nutmeg, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl of your stand mixer (or any other bowl if kneading by hand).
- Pour in the active sourdough starter, milk and cold espresso coffee.
- Using a dough hook attachment in your stand mixer, knead for about 5 minutes. Then bit by bit add the softened butter and keep on kneading until all the butter is incorporated into the dough, at least another 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not too wet.
- Tip the dough onto a clean lightly dusted surface and form a ball.
- Place the ball into a clean bowl and cover it with a tea towel or cling film. Leave to rise until doubled in size in a warm spot (it normally takes about 5-6 hours, but highly depends on the temperature and your starter).
- When the dough rises, tip it onto a surface and stretch it out into a rectangle with your hands. Scatter half of the dates. Fold the top third into the centre and then the bottom third over the top (like a letter or a pamphlet). Stretch the dough again and scatter the rest of the dates and fold the dough into a pamphlet again. This is done to distribute the fruit.
- Now shape the dough into a tight round ball.
- Place it in a well-floured proving basket or a bowl lined with a tea towel and cover the top with a tea towel. Leave it at room temperature for 2 hours, then pop in the fridge to cold-proof overnight (or up to 16 hours).
Day 2:
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 240° C Fan and put an ovenproof dish full of water on the bottom shelf. Place a cast-iron skillet or a baking tray you will be baking on in the oven to preheat too.
- Take the cast iron pan/ tray out of the oven. Taking care not to burn yourself, invert the ball of dough out of the proving basket onto the hot cast iron pan/ tray. Dust the top of the loaf with flour. Work quickly to slash the loaf using a razor or a very sharp knife, making sure you don't accidentally touch the hot pan.
- Cook for 20 minutes in the centre of the oven. Then turn the heat down to 200°C and bake for another 12-15 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- Once baked, transfer the loaf onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 6gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 303mgPotassium: 226mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 39IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!