Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Bread

[splatgirl]

Just an update...I did another batch of the Nancy Silverton recipe last week except as pure sourdough, no IDY. Worked exactly the same, just took a couple of hours longer to proof, as I expected. I'm sure the IDY in the original recipe is for convenience sake, but being a purist it bugged me and the sourdough police say that adding IDY to any sourdough will kill or inhibit the sour flavor. I'm not sure I could tell the difference, but one does not question the sourdough police, right?

[eddieparker]

I have had success with fruit breads and I imagine adding chocloate and cherries would be very simliar. See below recipe from one I found on teh web. You can use warm water instead of milk if you liike
I wouldnt be worried about the sugar as sourdough likes it
See this receipe and try making the dough and then adding cherry and chocloate parts att the fruit stage and go from there
You will need to adjust the amounts back to end up with a loaf of the size you prefer
Make sure you use a twice refreshed starter (ie. to get 200g starter start with 15gms starter and add 30 gms water and 30 gms flour (strong bakers) and rise for 4-6 hours(weather and temp dependent) and then add 65gms each of water and flour again and rise for 4-6 hours or overnight

Let me know if you need more help and I will try it also
Cheers

Sourdough Fruit Loaf
mix dough
200g starter (40%) [my starter is 100% hydration, and recently is 1/3 rye]
162g tepid (soy) milk (32%) [I am sure that you could use cow juice, but I don't drink or cook with the stuff]
162g tepid water (32%)
20g golden syrup (4%)
stir liquid ingredients together, add
500g white flour (100%)
10g salt (2%)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
mix until roughly comes together, leave for 10 minutes
knead for 10 seconds on an oiled surface, leave for 10 minutes
knead 10 seconds, leave for 10 minutes
knead 10 seconds
bulk fermentation
cover and leave for 1 hour
stretch and fold
leave for 1 hour
stretch and fold, leave for 1 hour
add fruit
250g dried fruit (I used currants sultanas and a few apricots)
toss briefly in a small amount of flour
press gently on dough with tips of fingers until flattened (aim is not to squeeze air out of it). stretch out the sides until it is in a large rectangular shape (say 40cm by 50cm)
scatter floured fruit over the surface of the dough.
Starting with far end roll tightly the dough towards you
When you have a cylinder of dough, fold one end in over the the other (1/3 of the way along). Fold the other end over the top.
Leave for 1/2 to 1 hour
shape
gently stretch and mould dough into desired shape, trying not to let all the fruit break through to the surface and fall out all over the bench [I had to be more gentle with shaping than I would usually be]
prove
place dough seam side up in banneton, or lined basket
leave for 3-4 hours
bake
pre-heat oven [I baked this loaf at a slightly cooler temperature than I would usually, but this seemed to work better for the fruit loaf]
invert dough onto peel (or piece of cardboard with semolina scattered on the top)
slash
slide the loaf onto over stone, or baking tray
190C for ~45 minutes. Steam for the start if you feel like it.