Apple Hazelnut Sourdough

Remember how I told you I won a sourdough bread baking contest? Well, it wasn't with this bread, but this was one of the breads I tried out during that time. I didn't submit it because I was pretty sure they'd never want to produce anything with nuts due to so many people having allergies, but the bread came out great, and I love it. I hope you'll try it! It DOES take a long time, but if you plan ahead, it's pretty effortless.

The dough is pretty sticky, which is why I opted to make loaves using a tin - but feel free to shape it into rolls, just be prepared to use a bit of flour.

You can leave out the yeast if you have a REALLY active sourdough, but I personally prefer to use a bit of yeast to make sure the bread rises well.

Apple Hazelnut Sourdough

Step 1:
150 g bubbly, active sourdough starter
500 ml water
200 g rye flour
200 - 250 g bread flour
350 g "rågsikt", a Swedish mixture with about 60% wheat, 40% rye
10 g fresh yeast

Lightly mix all the ingredients into a dough, and leave to rest for two hours.

Step 2:
The dough from step 1
15 g salt
150 g grated apple
150 g toasted hazelnuts

Mix into the dough, and knead really well - at least ten minutes using a stand mixer, and longer by hand. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or box, cover wth a lid or plastic, and leave to rise overnight in the fridge, for 12-16 hours.

Step 3:
Take the dough out of the fridge, and shape it. You can make one large free-form loaf, rolls, or simply bake it in a lightly oiled tin.

Leave to rise at room temperature for two hours.

Step 4:
Heat the oven to 250°C. Put your bread in, and lower the heat to 200°C. The time will vary depending on how large you made your bread, but check the inside with a thermometer. The bread should have a core temperature of 98°C. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Recipe in Swedish:
Surdeg med äpple och hasselnötter