Orange Cranberry Sourdough Bread with Pistachios

A sliced loaf of bread with visible nuts and dried fruit sits on a wooden cutting board, next to a knife, an orange, scattered pistachios and cranberries, and a small dish of butter with a knife.

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Orange Cranberry Sourdough Bread with Pistachios

Learn how to make Cranberry Sourdough Bread with pistachios and orange zest. This festive loaf combines tangy sourdough starter with sweet dried cranberries, pistachios, and bright orange flavors for a stunning rustic loaf. Plus it's absolutely perfect for the holidays.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Rise Time18

Total Time19 5

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Equipment

Ingredients

50 g active bubbly starter ¼ cup
350 g water 1 ⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons
150 g whole wheat flour 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
350 g all-purpose flour 2 ⅔ cups
10 g fine sea salt 1 ½ tsp
75 g chopped dried sweetened cranberries ½ cup
75 g chopped pistachios ¾ cup
1 large orange zest and juice

Instructions

Make the dough by adding the starter and the water to a large bowl. Use a fork to whisk them together well.
50 g active bubbly starter, 350 g water
Add the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt, and use the fork to combine well. Stir until the mixture comes together into a rough dough and you’ve incorporated the flour well. You can finish mixing by hand to incorporate all of the flour as needed.
150 g whole wheat flour, 350 g all-purpose flour, 10 g fine sea salt
Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for 30-90 minutes, depending on your schedule.
While the dough is resting, feed your starter, and store it according to your preference.
Add the chopped dried cranberries and pistachios to a small bowl and add 30-45 grams (roughly 2-3 tablespoons of juice from half a large orange), and the orange zest to the bowl and stir to combine. Let this rest while the dough rest.
75 g chopped dried sweetened cranberries, 75 g chopped pistachios, 1 large orange
After the dough has rested the first 30-90 minutes, add the dried cranberries mixture to the bowl, and use your hands to gently pull the edge of the dough from the side of the bowl and push it down into the middle of the bowl. Do this, rotating around the bowl, until the dough starts to look smooth and comes together in more of a ball. This should take about a minute of going around the bowl 4-5 times, pulling and tucking into the center. This will evenly incorporate the fruit and nuts as well.
Cover the bowl with your damp towel, a lid, or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for 8-18 hours at room temperature, about 70℉ (21℃). The dough will be slightly risen and puffy.
After the bulk rise, gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Tuck the edges of the dough into the center and work around the edges until you’ve tucked them all in. Flip the dough ball over. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
Using your hands, cup the side of the dough farthest from you, pinkies against the counter, and gently pull the dough ball towards you, letting its grip on the counter pull it into a tighter ball. Rotate the dough slightly, and repeat around the edges until you’ve formed a tight ball.
Prepare a bread proofing basket by dusting it well with flour.
Place your dough ball, smooth top down, into your prepared basket, and cover with a damp towel.
Let the dough rest for 2-4 hours, at room temperature, or until it’s spread out a bit and looks puffy. It will not double in size but should near the top of the proofing basket.
Preheat your oven to 425℉ (218℃).
Gently turn your bread dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. With your hand, gently spread out any flour that has accumulated on top of the dough.
Score the top of the loaf in a pattern of your choosing or simply make a long slash down the middle.
Use the corners of the parchment paper to lift the dough into your dutch oven. Place the lid on the dutch oven.
Place the dutch oven in the hot oven, and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid, and return the dutch oven to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-30 minutes.
When done, the bread will be dark and sound hollow when tapped.
Remove the pan from the oven, and then remove the bread from the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Sourdough bread is best eaten the day of, though leftovers make great toast.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

If you’d like more of an orange flavor, you can add the zest of a second orange when you add the zest of the first.
Chop up the fruit and nuts well so that they don’t weigh down your dough.
I used raw pistachios because that is what I could find but I do think this would be delightful with roasted and/or roasted and salt pistachios, that shouldn't be an issues.
You don't have to use whole wheat flour here if you don't have it on hand. Using just all-purpose or using just bread flour will also work great. I just like the little bit of a rustic taste with the nuts and fruit.

Cool House Lesson: I just moved into a new-to-me house (that is 115 years old!) and it has granite countertops. I am finding that the cold stone sucks the heat out of my sourdough and makes it rise so slowly. If you are finding your sourdough isn't rising well, try putting a wood cutting board down under your bowl or letting it rise somewhere like on the stove top or fridge. Just a thought for you from my new experience, especially in the colder months if your home is chilly or drafty, especially overnight.

Sourdough Resources: I have loads and loads of sourdough resources! If you have questions or need some help, you can find more information about sourdough here!

Nutrition

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