Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread

This Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread is studded with sweet dried cranberries and fresh orange zest for a bright, citrusy twist on classic sourdough. It’s an easy, beginner-friendly sourdough inclusion that’s perfect for the holiday season.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 12

Cook Time 45

Cool Time 2

Total Time 1 14 45

Servings slices

Calories 206kcal

Author Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN

Equipment

Kitchen scale
Mixing bowls
Bowl scraper
Straight-sided container (optional)
Proofing basket or bowl lined with tea towel
Lame or sharp knife
Bread sling or parchment paper
6-quart dutch oven

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups (300 grams) water
½ cup (100 grams) active sourdough starter
2 tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 oranges)
2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh orange juice (from about 1 orange)
4 cups (480 grams) bread flour
3 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt measure in grams or reduce to 1 ¾ teaspoons if using Morton's brand or table salt
1 cup (120 grams) dried cranberries or 1 cup (100 grams) fresh cranberries
Rice flour for proofing basket
2 ice cubes for steam

Instructions

Feed your sourdough starter 6–12 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be bubbly, active, and at or near its peak when you’re ready to use it. In a cooler kitchen (60–65°F), this may take closer to 12 hours, while a warmer kitchen (around 75°F) may take about 6 hours.
In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, active sourdough starter, orange zest, and orange juice until the starter is mostly dissolved. Add the bread flour and salt and mix until no dry flour remains and a sticky dough forms. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
1 ¼ cups (300 grams) water, ½ cup (100 grams) active sourdough starter, 2 tablespoons orange zest, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh orange juice, 4 cups (480 grams) bread flour, 3 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Lightly wet your hands and gently flatten the dough. Sprinkle about one-quarter of the cranberries over the surface. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides, adding another quarter of the cranberries with each fold. Once all of the cranberries have been added, gather the dough into a loose ball, place it seam-side down, and cover. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the stretch-and-fold process 3 more times, resting the dough for 15 minutes between each round, for a total of 4 rounds.
1 cup (120 grams) dried cranberries
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it has nearly doubled in size, looks noticeably puffy, and has bubbles throughout. This can take anywhere from 4–12+ hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the strength of your starter.

A straight-sided container makes it much easier to see how much the dough has risen during bulk fermentation.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently stretch it into a large rectangle. Fold one short side toward the center, then fold the opposite short side over it, like folding a letter. Fold the two long sides toward the center in the same way. Flip the dough seam-side down. Using your hands or a bench scraper, gently pull the dough toward yourself across the work surface to create surface tension and shape it into a smooth, tight ball.
Lightly dust a proofing basket with rice flour. You can also use a bowl lined with a clean tea towel. Transfer the dough to the basket seam-side up, pinching the seam closed if needed. Cover and refrigerate for 12–16 hours.
Rice flour
Place a lidded Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Once the oven reaches temperature, let the Dutch oven continue heating for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a bread sling and score the top with a lame or sharp knife. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Add the ice cubes for steam, then carefully lower the dough into the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 5–10 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and reaches your desired level of doneness.
2 ice cubes
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe?Let me know! Comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram @everydayhomemadebyashley.