I am very excited about this bread, because I came up with the formula myself. Well, that is not completely true, as we all follow the footsteps of more experienced folks. Sometimes a dear Grandma, a favorite cookbook author or celebrity chef (excuse me while I try to control my eye roll, the word celebrity does that to me. Every. Single. Time). Back to the bread in question. I had hazelnuts in my mind and thought they would be wonderful added to a rustic sourdough bread. I also had a small amount of blue cheese in the fridge (Bleu d’Auvergne, to be precise), and decided that they could interact nicely with the hazelnuts in the bread environment. I used a very basic recipe that did not need any special type of starter. A little spelt flour for added pizzazz. And there you have it, a sourdough bread to call my own. But I would be thrilled if you make it in your kitchen too…
HAZELNUT BLUE CHEESE SOURDOUGH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
125 g sourdough starter (at 100% hydration)
250 g water, warm to the touch
300 g bread flour
75 g spelt flour
7 g salt
60 g roasted hazelnuts, chopped in large pieces
50 g blue cheese (I used Bleu d’Auvergne)
Add the active starter to a large bowl, mix it with the water until it dissolves more or less smoothly. Add the flours and briefly do a few kneading moves to form a shaggy mess. Cover loosely with plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt over the dough and incorporate by kneading lightly and folding the dough on itself. You can keep the dough in the bowl, or transfer to a surface. After 20-30 seconds of kneading/folding, cover the dough again and let it sit for 40 minutes.
Add the hazelnuts and blue cheese to the dough and repeat cycles of quick kneading/folding two more times, spacing them by 45 minutes. If the dough doesn’t seem to have enough strength, incorporate one more cycle of folding. After the final kneading cycle, let the dough sit for 20 to 30 minutes, shape it as a round or oval loaf, place it in a banneton with the seam side up and leave it at room temperature 30 minutes longer. Place it in the fridge overnight, lightly covered with a plastic wrap (oil the surface that will be in contact with the dough).
Remove the dough from the fridge 1 hour before baking, while the oven heats to 450 F. If using a Dutch oven, place it in the cold oven as you turn it on. Invert the bread out of the banneton (the easiest way to do it is over a parchment paper on a flat baking sheet), quickly slash it and place it in the Dutch oven. To generate steam, cover the pan with the lid that you rinsed under the sink, allowing some water to be retained on the surface. Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes, remove cover, and allow it to fully bake (reducing the temperature to 425F if the bread seems to be browning too fast) for about 15 minutes longer. Remove to a rack to cool completely before slicing.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: The blue cheese I used was quite strong, and until I tasted a slice of this bread I was quite worried. The smell as it baked was so intense, I thought that adding the cheese was overkill. Well, I was wrong. No need to worry at all. The cheese pretty much melted throughout the crumb, and gave it sort of background of flavor, almost smoky, although it could be the roasted hazelnuts speaking. Hard to tell. I love the way the crumb delicately involved each piece of nut, like little eggs in a nest. And the taste? Incredible. I had to pat myself in the back for this bread, even if my parents insisted that modesty is one of the most important qualities of a human being. A pat in the back is not that bad, right? It’s not as if I’m bragging to the world about it… what? Is that what blogging is about? But, but, but… will you look at this crumb?
If that’s not a pat-in-the-back crumb, I don’t know what is…
ONE YEAR AGO: My First Truffle Adventure: Poulet Demi-Deuil
TWO YEARS AGO: My Rio de Janeiro: A Cookbook Review
THREE YEARS AGO: Hearts of Palm Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
FOUR YEARS AGO: Watercress Salad
FIVE YEARS AGO: Curried Zucchini Soup
SIX YEARS AGO: Chocolate Bread
Sing it from the rafters. Be proud. You created an amazing loaf of bread. One I would be proud to call my own. The crumb with the hazelnuts nestled in the holes is total gorgeousness. You’ve created a masterpiece!
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Thanks, Karen! Coming from you, a compliment on bread makes me…. do the happy dance! 😉
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Oh wow, Sally, what a wonderful loaf!
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Thank you Liz! Glad you liked it!
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Yes yes yes! Keep on patting that back! It’s fabulous!!! Gorgeous crumb and I love the hazelnuts peeking out, just lovely 🙂
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I also could not believe how cute the hazelnuts look in the crumb!
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They do 😉
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What a wonderful recipe. Sounds superb, and a beautiful looking loaf!
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It is delicious, so yes, I had to be proud of this one!
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That looks great! I could go for some right now!
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you and me both! Wait, I’ve got some in the freezer! wanna come over? 😉
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Just saw your reply from last month! I could STILL use some of that hazelnut bluecheese sourdough!!!
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Every time you make bread it is better than the previous one. This hazelnut and blue cheese bread sounds fabulous!
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trust me, I make some so-so productions too – I call them “pancake city” – sometimes the oven spring is not that great, but… makes the winner loaves even better!
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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Thank you!
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I have just gone gluten free, and this is so hard to look at. I would just love to eat the whole loaf. I hope this is a temporary change, because I just love fresh bread, especially sour dough, and this looks awesome.
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I am sorry…. for your gluten problem. I am sure it is hard to think and look at a regular bread.. but health comes first!
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This looks sooooo good!!!
XoXo,
Tamara
http://www.loveofmode.com
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thank you, Tamara!
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Wow, what a gorgeous sour dough loaf!
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Looked pretty nice, I must admit… there I am, getting all full of myself again (sigh)
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Looks good!
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tasted great too! even if I say so myself (but hubby agrees!)
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This looks gorgeous! I’ve been kicking myself for not having sourdough starter around and here I am again. I’ll have to fix that very quick because this looks too good!
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Go for it! There is always a bit of an inertia to get the sourdough going, but it’s so worth it!
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Gosh, Sally. You keep reaching into your flour bin and pulling out fantastic loaves. This one with the hazelnuts spread throughout the crumb is fantastic! I can only imagine how tasty it was, given the combo of hazelnut with blue cheese. It’s pinned! Thanks!
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If there’s anything that will put a smile on my face it’s one of your bread posts. I can almost smell them through the computer. This one in particular sounds fantastic! I can imagine the smokey flavor. It would be fantastic I bet with some smoked salmon (at least that’s what I imagining). And it’s all the more special because it’s your very own formula. Love it!!!!
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I’ve been looking for a good rustic sourdough boule to bake. Don’t know why I didn’t come here first. Google led me to you. 🙂
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PS: Is that your starter next to the unbaked boule?
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Yes it is! Glad you found me through google… I am feeling empowered now! 😉
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