Maple Nut Sourdough Bread

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and Maple Nut Sourdough is the perfect way to celebrate. This bread makes the best slightly sweet bread that tastes just like maple and walnut. Make this bread for a perfect breakfast side, or a sweet treat anytime of day.

As I have grown into making more and more bread, I have loved coming up with new flavors for the seasons. November is a month that often gets “forgot” about or is full of pumpkin or Christmas flavors. This bread, however, brings out the most delightful flavors of fall. This bread is made with maple and walnuts and tastes just like fall/early winter.

Best ways to enjoy Maple Nut bread:

There are many ways to use up sourdough bread that you make. Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat maple nut sourdough bread.

1. Warmed or toasted with butter- the most simple yet most flavorful way in my opinion! We love eating it like this for breakfast.
2. Warmed or toasted with a nut butter and honey- You can add a little extra protein to this bread by spreading it with a nut butter of choice. We love putting organic peanut butter on our bread.
3. French toast- because this bread is made with everything maple, it makes the best french toast. Simply mix up some eggs, milk and cinnamon, dip the bread, and cook on in a pan until both sides are browned and the middle is cooked through.

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Ingredients for Simple Sourdough Bread

Active starter- this is undeniably the most important step when making sourdough bread. You will want a very active and mature starter. You can do this by making one yourself by following a simple recipe, ask a friend for some, or order a starter online. With any of them, make sure your starter is doubling in size within 12 hours before starting to bake with it. A mature starter should float in water. That is a quick and easy test to make sure your starter is ready. 

Flour- also a crucial step in the process is a good flour. I tend to use Kirkland organic all purpose flour, or King Arthur bread flour. However, there are SO many flours to try from. My suggestion is to make sure that it is a high protein flour (at or above 11%). This will make for a light and fluffy loaf!

Salt- while any salt will work, I tend to use a mineral salt to make the bread more nourishing. My favorite salt is Redmond Real Salt.

Water- any water will work! I like to use warm water so that my dough starts at a slightly warmer temperature while fermenting. 

Olive oil- while you could use any olive oil, I tend to go for Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make sure there are no seed oils mixed in. 

Maple Extract- this is what deepens the flavor of the bread!

Pure Maple Syrup- A delicious way to sweeten the bread and add more maple flavor while also adding nourishment. Make sure it is pure maple syrup and not flavored.

Chopped Walnuts- These make the whole bread come together!

Supplies

Whisk– This is my favorite!

Lame– Here is the one I have. A sharp knife will also work for basic scores

Mixing bowl- Any will work

Banneton Basket– here is the one I have. You can also use a bowl lined with a tea towel

Dutch Oven– Here is one similar to the one I have

Parchment paper- any will work, I prefer unbleached.

Step by Step Instructions

*Before starting maple nut sourdough bread, make sure to feed your starter 4-12 hours before to ensure you have the best starter for your bread. Also make sure your starter has doubled in size before starting.

Begin by adding your warm water and active sourdough starter to a bowl. Using your whisk, mix the starter in the bowl until it is incorporated and nice and bubbly. 

Then, add your salt and olive oil. Some people will do this later in their recipes, but I have found it it one less thing I have to remember and still works! Make sure they are fully mixed in before adding your flour. 

Next, add maple syrup and maple extract to dough. Continue stirring until well combined.

Slowly add flour. I usually add flour cup by cup mixing completely each time. That last cup will make the dough look rather shaggy and clumpy. As long as the flour is completely mixed in, that is okay. It will look more like bread dough after the few stretch and folds. 

Cover bowl with wet tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, begin to stretch and fold the bread. You will do this by grabbing a side of the bread and pulling it up as far as it will go without tearing. Continue your way around the dough stretching and folding about 4 times.

Place tea towel back on bowl and allow to sit for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, stretch and fold once more.

Place tea towel back over bowl and put in a warm place for 8-12 hours. You will want to watch to see when your dough has doubled in size. This is important because under-proofed and over-proofed bread can lead to a not so pretty loaf (but still edible). 

When does has doubled in size, pull out of bowl and begin shaping. After pulling your dough out into a rectangle, you will want to add the chopped walnuts.

After walnuts are added, finish shaping. For more pictures on how to shape sourdough bread visit my Simple Sourdough Bread recipe

Next, slightly flour top of dough and place top down in a banneton basket or a bowl lined with a tea towel. Put saran wrap over the top and place in fridge for 2 hours (or up to 24hrs). 

When ready to bake, preheat oven with empty dutch oven inside to 500 degrees. 

After oven has finished preheating, remove dough from fridge and place on a square piece of parchment paper. (top side up) 

Begin scoring bread in your favorite score. I find a simple swirl score looks pretty for this bread. See picture below.

Pull dutch oven out of the oven and place dough in (with parchment) and put lid back on. Place in the oven, turn oven down to 450 and bake for 25 minutes. 

Finally, take lid off, return dutch oven to the oven for 20 minutes or until browned to your liking.

Take out of oven and place on a cooling rack for one hour. Slice, butter, and enjoy this maple nut sourdough!

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Yield: 1 Loaf

Maple Nut Sourdough Bread

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Addtional Time 15 hours

Total Time 16 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or oil of choice)
• 3 cups all purpose or bread flour
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine warm water and sourdough starter. Stir until bubbles begin to form.
2. Add salt and oil and continue stirring until evenly mixed. Next, add maple syrup and maple extract and stir until combined.
3. Add flour slowly stirring to combine. Once all flour is in bowl, knead with hands until it appears all flour is incorporated. The dough may look a little sticky, add more flour if thats the case. It should look a little shaggy but well incorporated.
4. Cover bowl with damp tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough by pulling a corner up and placing that dough into the middle of the dough. Work all the way around the dough making sure to stretch and fold as you go. You should stretch and fold dough about 4 times. Cover bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.
6. Stretch and fold dough one more time. After this stretch and fold your dough should look more smooth and more like bread dough.
7. Cover with damp tea towel and let sit in a warm place for 8-12 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
8. Pull dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Begin stretching the dough until it forms about a 8 inch by 10 inch rectangle.
9. Place chopped walnuts all over the dough rectangle.
10. Fold top of dough into the center, and then fold the bottom of the dough into the center and resting on top of the previous fold.
11. Shape dough into a boule shape. If the walnuts are all on the top, keep working until most walnuts move to the middle of the bread.
12. Dust the bread with flour and place top down in a banneton basket or bowl lined with a tea towel. Cover with saran wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours or until ready to bake. (No longer than 24hrs).
13. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place empty dutch oven in the oven while preheating.
14. Pull bread out of fridge and gently place on a square piece of parchment paper. (Top facing up)
15. Using a sharp knife or lame, score bread with your favorite score. I like to use a simple swirl score for this bread.
16. Pull hot dutch oven out of oven and place bread on parchment paper inside. Place lid back on dutch oven and put back into the oven.
17. Turn oven down to 450 degrees and bake bread for 20 minutes with dutch oven lid on. Take lid off, return dutch oven to oven and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes. Loaf should be browned to your liking.
18. Set loaf on a wire cooling rack to cool for 1 hr before slicing. Enjoy!

Notes

Make sure to cover sourdough with a damp teal towel while fermenting to ensure bread does not dry out and develop a crust.

Baking bread on parchment will help ensure your loaf of bread does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Place a empty cookie sheep below dutch oven to help keep the bottom from burning.

If dough is too stick, just ad a little more flour at a time.