I lost count of how many loafs of bread I’ve baked lately. They are quite a few! Every time I learn something new, about my starter, about the process, about baking and more. Sometimes I fail so bad, sometimes the result is just “not bad”, sometimes is really good. It is a magic long process, different time after time, but always fascinating. 

I found the recipe of this country walnuts bread in the wonderful Italian blog www.ricetteevicende.it. If you are Italian, or you can read Italian, go to visit this blog, it is full of poetry, and love for food. 

I kept the same proportion of flours, water and starter, I’ve just reduced the amount to have a smaller loaf. Instead, I changed the process, because with this scheme of working I achieved the best results lately. It is long, no doubt, but it works good with my starter, that is not so explosive as I’d like.

I hope you’ll give a try too, this bread is really delicious! 

Walnuts Sourdough Bread

    • 188gr strong white flour (for me 14% protein)

    • 112gr wholegrain spelt flour

    • 75gr sourdough starter

    • 225ml water room temperature

    • 7gr salt

    • walnuts (two handfuls)

Working schedule:

    • Autolysis. In a big bowl put the starter, the water and the flours. Stir well together with a spoon or spatula, until the flour is completely hydrated. Cover the bowl and set aside for two hours.

    • Salt. Add the salt on the top of the dough and with wet fingers start to work the dough to incorporate the salt. Work for a couple of minutes. Cover the bowl and wait for 45 minutes or one hour.

    • After the rest, work again the dough for a couple of minutes with wet hand. This is important to give more strength to the dough and better develop the gluten structure.  

    • Lamination. Splash with bit of water the table surface and carefully extend the dough with wet hands, starting to pull out from the centre of the dough and not from the edges. Do it carefully, slowly, keep in mind to do not tear the dough. You should obtain a big rectangle. Spread uniformly the chopped walnuts. Fold inside the short edges, then fold again two times over itself. Shape the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl to rest for 45 minutes.

    • First and second fold coil. With wet hands, reach under the dough and pull the dough up slowly and evenly, detaching it from the side further away from you. Perform in the same way for the other side of the bowl, and then perform again in order to have a nice packet at the end of the folding process. Leave to rest for 45 minutes, then do the second fold coil and let it rest for 45 minutes.

    • Pre-shape and final shape. Using a bowl scraper, gently remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, bring the side of the dough to the centre, then bring the other side to the centre, then the bottom to the centre and shape into a bowl (using the bowl scraper). Dust with flour and let it rest for 10 minutes. Use the scraper to flip the dough over onto a lightly floured surface. Starting from one of the sides (left or right), stretch a bit and bring to the centre. Do the same with the other side. Roll the bottom toward the centre, tucking to create tension, until the seam side is down. Flour the proofing basket generously. 

    • Overnight proof. Place the dough in order to have the seam side up. Place the whole basket in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator to proof for 8 hours to 12 hours before baking. 

    • Baking. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C with a dutch oven inside, or stone with a big pan (for boiling pasta). We will bake the bread with steam for first twenty minutes. Remove the loaf from the refrigerator. Cut a piece of parchment paper and carefully flip your loaf onto the parchment, keeping the seam side down. Score the top of the loaf with a blade to allow steam to release and the loaf to fully expand while baking. Place the loaf on the stone and cover with the pan. Cook for twenty minutes, than remove the pan and cook for 30 minutes. The crust will be crispy and coloured. Let the bread rest in the oven off for twenty minutes more, to allow the middle of the bread to dry completely. 

      Wait at least one hour before slicing.