This recipe for sourdough walnut bread has been updated and rewritten. For those who prefer to follow the old recipe, there is a link in the recipe notes.

As I write this, the snow falls outside the window.
Winter is here, just like it was two years ago when I first published this recipe about sourdough walnut bread.
I remember that I complained that my starter was grumpy.
It tends to be that at this time of the year.
It’s too cold, and the air is too dry.

But stop baking bread just because it’s winter is, of course, out of the question.
So I baked a couple of sourdough walnut bread with some good results.
I was particularly pleased with the crumb.

Note how the walnuts give the crumb a purple color. I have read somewhere that you can reduce it by boiling the walnuts before mixing them into the dough. I have never tried that because I really don’t care. This is a natural process, and I think it makes the bread more interesting.

So I was happy with the crumb, but there was a problem.
I was not happy with the overall shape of the loaf, but I published the recipe anyway. But every time I looked at it, I wanted to improve it.
After two years, I decided it was time to do something about it.

When it came to the ingredients, I only changed the amount of levain.
That change was, however, quite dramatic. I decreased it from 320 grams to only 100 grams.

But why did I used that much levain in the first place?
Well, as I mentioned, my starter was not in a good mood, and I tried to compensate for lack of strength with a higher amount.
However, there is a problem with that approach.
You load the dough with a large amount of flour that has partly already been broken down in the levain.

It’s a better strategy to focus on getting a strong levain instead.
And that’s what I did in this updated version.

ABOUT FLOUR AND STARTER

For this recipe, I have used the following types of flour

I have used a sourdough starter based mostly on wheat flour, with hydration of 100%.

MIXING THE LEVAIN

I mixed a levain with a ratio of 2:2:1. That means 50 grams wheat flour + 50 grams water + 25 grams mature sourdough starter.
I let it ferment at room temperature, about 72°F/22°C, overnight, or 8 hours.

When it was time to bake, its volume had almost tripled in size.
A good sign.

MIXING THE DOUGH

I mixed all the flour with the water and let the dough autolyse for an hour.
During wintertime, I use to heat the water to 102-104°F/39-40°C. Most of the time, I will end up with a final dough temperature of around 80°F/27°C.
That will make it easier for the levain to start the fermentation process.

I added salt and levain and stretched and folded the dough until the levain was incorporated.
After that, I let it rest for 15 minutes.

After the rest, the dough felt more smooth and less sticky. The flour had absorbed more water and, the dough was easy to handle, considering having hydration of 77%.

I kneaded the dough by repeating stretch and folds for a minute.
You can see in this video that the dough starts to become quite resistant in the end.

TOASTING THE WALNUTS

Most types of nuts have one thing in common. They taste so much better if you toast them. They get a much richer and deeper nutty flavor that you don’t want to miss.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Spread the walnuts on parchment paper and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch them not getting burned. Because most nuts have one thing more in common. They taste shit if they’re burnt.
Chop the walnuts roughly when they have cooled.

BULK FERMENTATION

At the beginning of the bulk fermentation, I gave the dough two stretch and folds. The dough felt a bit tense, so I waited 30 minutes before I performed the last stretch and fold. At this point, it was also time to add the walnuts.
After that, I left the dough to ferment in the oven with the lamp lit only for 4 hours. The temperature was about 79ºF/26ºC. When the dough is ready, it should have increased 50-70% in volume.

SHAPING

I dumped out the dough on a lightly floured working surface and shape it into a round.

After 30 minutes of bench rest, I shaped the dough into a batard and placed it into a lined and floured banneton for the final rise.
You can see the whole shaping process in the video I mentioned earlier.

PROOFING

I have tried proofing this loaf both at room temperature and in the fridge.

Proofing in the refrigerator always gives more taste. But if you are in a hurry, you will get great results at room temperature as well.

My kitchen had a temperature of 72ºF/22ºC, and the dough needed 1,5 hours before it was ready.

When I choose to proof in the refrigerator, I let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. After that, I place it into the fridge for about 10 hours.

Always be prepared to adjust proofing time if required. It doesn’t matter what recipe you are following. Your dough and the surrounding conditions will always be a bit different, and that affects your results.

Observe and touch the dough instead of looking at the clock. The finger poke test is a good indicator.

BAKE

I Preheated the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC, with a combo cooker inside.
If you don’t have a combo cooker or dutch oven, a baking stone or even an oven sheet works fine.
I baked this walnut bread for 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, I removed the upper part of the cooker. I also lowered the temperature to 430ºF / 220ºC.

WAS THIS SOURDOUGH WALNUT BREAD ANY GOOD?

Bread and nuts almost always go well together, and this sourdough walnut bread is no exception. The hint of sourness from the bread and the rich nutty walnut taste is a perfect combo.
Try it with a slice of good quality salami. But I have to warn you. You may end up devouring the whole bread.