Sourdough Currant and Marzipan Loaf

As a boy I used to enjoy Krentenbrood (currant loaf) in the Netherlands. That loaf is a white bread made with yeast. I especially looked forward to the almond paste marzipan running through every slice. It is a bread and not a stollen though some of the ingredients are the same. This recipe, Krentenbrood met zuurdesem, is a sourdough bread that is influenced by the flavours of that bread, Kamut flour and speculaas spices combine to give a light brown colour when baked. Eat at breakfast or lunch with just butter or sprinkle with hagelslag (chocolate vermicelli/sprinkles)
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Cuisine Dutch

Equipment

  • large mixing bowl
  • Dough Whisk
  • Spatula
  • Large loaf tin

Ingredients
  

For the Leaven

  • 100 g White Sourdough starter
  • 50 g Strong white flour
  • 50 ml Lukewarm water

For the Dough

  • 125 ml Lukewarm water
  • 125 ml Milk or Whey
  • 200 g Strong white flour
  • 175 g Khorasan/Kamut flour can subsitute strong white flour. If substituting for all strong white flour then add an extra 25g flour
  • 25 g Unsalted butter melted
  • 30 g Brown sugar
  • 3 tsp Speculaas spice mix *
  • 6 g Salt
  • 50 g Glazed cherries
  • 30 g Currants raisins or sultanas (or mix them up!)
  • 100 g Marzipan

Instructions
 

Set the leaven

  • The sourdough starter should be quite active. If it has been kept in the fridge, then when taken out, it should have been fed twice in the previous 24 hours
  • Put the sourdough starter in the mixing bowl and add the 50ml water. Use a dough whisk (or forks) to mix the starter into the water.
  • Add the strong white flour and whisk again. Cover with a cloth and leave for 4 hours.

The Autolyse

  • Add 250 ml lukewarm water and olive oil to the leaven and mix the leaven with the dough whisk.
  • Add the flour, sugar, spices and melted butter and then mix with spatula until the flour and water are combined. If not all the flour is combined or the dough is too dry then add a little of the extra water. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Proofing

  • Salt: Sprinkle the salt on the surface of the dough and with your hand wet with cold water, squeeze your hand through the dough 4 times. Leave covered for 1 hour.
  • Stretch and fold: With wet hands, pull the dough from underneath, stretching and folding over the top. Turn the bowl 180º and repeat. Turn the bowl another quarter of a turn and repeat the stretching of the dough from underneath to top, and finally turn the bowl 180º and repeat. This tightens the dough and you will feel the dough become more difficult to stretch. You may choose to turn and stretch twice more depending on the feel of the dough. Leave covered for 1 hour.
  • Cut the glazed cherries into quarters. Add the cherries and sultanas and repeat this stretching and folding each hour, 2 more times.

Shaping

  • Roll the marzipan roughly into a cylinder slighly shorter than the length of the loaf tin.
  • Empty the dough onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough roughly into an oblong the length of the loaf tin and twice as wide.
  • Place the marzipan cylinder near the edge and roll the dough to enclose it. Roll the opposite side to meet the marzipan covered and turn the dough so that the marzipan is now on top. Seal the join
  • Grease the loaf tin and dust with flour. Transfer the dough to the loaf tin with marzipan closest to the top.
  • Cover the loaf tin with a linen cloth or cotton cover and place in the fridge. It will rise slowly overnight.

Baking

  • In the morning, take the loafdough out of the fridge and heat the oven to 200ºC
  • Flour the visible surface of the dough with white flour. Use a grignette/lame or sharp knife to slash your desired pattern into the surface of the dough and put the loaf tin in the oven.
  • Bake for 37 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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