This artichoke and parmesan sourdough loaf is delicious eaten by itself, toasted, or with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Why artichokes in bread? I just love artichokes on pizza and thought they would be delicious in sourdough as well. This artichoke bread was inspired by the artichoke bread from a small grocery store in Pescadero, California, where cyclists often stop on their rides for a sandwich or refreshment.
This recipe is adapted from the Tartine Country Bread from Tartine Bread. It is a very good book for learning about the sourdough making process because it is very detailed with many photos of each step.
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Some notes before getting started:
it is really important your starter is well-fed before you start this loaf. To make your starter active and happy, I recommend feeding it a few times until it is doubling or tripling in volume every 12 hours or sooner. I feed by starter 1:1:1 starter:whole wheat:water to keep it active, but rye flour also works well.
For the artichokes, I used frozen artichoke hearts and thawed them. Fresh artichokes would work well, but make sure to cook them properly first.
Equipment:
For most of my recipes, it is important to use a Dutch oven or similar device to bake your dough. This helps capture the steam so your bread will rise well. I also like using a large container with a lid so I don’t need to wash so many dishes. For my full list of baking tools, check out this post here.
Time to bake the artichoke and Parmesan sourdough!
Artichoke and Parmesan Sourdough
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- large bowl or container
Ingredients
For the leaven (levain)
- 67 g sourdough starter (active) Feed your sourdough starter so it is very active and doubling or tripling in size. When it is near its peak height, it is ready to use.
- 67 g water
- 67 g whole wheat flour
For the dough
- 200 g bubbly and active leaven from above
- 1000 g bread flour (I used 550 g Central Milling Organic High Mountain and 450 g Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft Plus)
- 750 g water
- 20 g sea salt
- 300 g artichoke hearts, cooked and coarsely chopped I used the frozen artichoke hearts from Trader Joe's and thawed them for 1 minute in the microwave
- 30 g grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare the leaven
- Mix your the ingredients for the leaven together in a small container such as a glass jar. Leave the leaven mixture at room temperature until it is very bubbly and doubled or tripled in size. This should take about 5-12 hours depending on how active your starter is and how warm your home is.
- If the leaven is not bubbly and active after 12 hours, repeat the process again by feeding it in a 1:1:1 ratio (by weight) with more whole wheat flour and water (otherwise, skip this step). Here is an example of how bubbly your leaven should be (although your quantity of leaven will be less than what is shown here).
Mix the dough
- Once your leaven is very bubbly and active, transfer it to a large container or mixing bowl. Add 720 g water and stir to disperse the leaven in the water.
- Add 1000 g bread flour. Mix by hand until it forms a shaggy dough. It will not be a smooth dough yet at this point.
- Let the mixture sit at room temperature for an hour. The flour will absorb the water during this time.
- Then, add the 20 g salt and remaining 30 g water. Mix gently into the dough by hand until incorporated. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for about 50 minutes to an hour.
Stretch and fold the dough
- Next, perform one set of stretch and folds. Here is an example of how I stretch and fold the dough by lifting up the edges and folding them into the middle.
- Cover the dough and put it into the refrigerator for 12 – 24 hours depending on your schedule. This will help the dough build flavor.
- After 12-24 hours, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour.
- Then, once the dough is at room temperature or close to it, do another set of stretch and folds. Repeat the stretch and folds every 45 minutes to an hour for the next 2-5 hours until the dough is stretchy and billowy. The length of time will depend how warm your kitchen is. My dough took almost 4 hours and my kitchen was 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shape and add the artichokes and Parmesan
- Next, remove your dough from the container or bowl and place it on your countertop.
- Then, divide the dough into two. A bench scraper is helpful, but not essential.
- Stretch the dough pieces out into large squares or rectangles (it doesn't have to be perfect). Then, sprinkle the artichokes and parmesan over the dough. Fold up the sides of the dough over the toppings to capture them in the dough, then form into a taut ball. Let the loaves rest on the counter for 20- 30 minutes. Transfer the loaves into a floured bowl or banneton, seam side up. Cover and proof in refrigerator for 12 – 24 hours. Here is an example of how I shape my dough (although the ingredients are different in this case, the process is the same).
Bake the artichoke and Parmesan sourdough loaves!
- Preheat your oven and Dutch oven (if using) to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once your oven is preheated, remove a loaf from the refrigerator and continue to preheat your oven for another 20 minutes to make sure it is very hot.
- Then, slash one loaf of dough across the top, transfer it to the Dutch oven and cover. Bake for 25 minutes. Then, uncover and decrease the oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 30-40 more minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Repeat for the second loaf.
- Let the loaves cool down for a few hours (or longer) before slicing, otherwise the inside will be gummy.
Notes
I hope you enjoy this artichoke and parmesan sourdough loaf! Please let me know what you think in the comments. Happy baking!
If you liked this recipe, check out my Parmesan, Paprika and Black Pepper Sourdough recipe.