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Dill Pickle Sourdough Bread Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 505 reviews

This Dill Pickle Sourdough Bread recipe combines tangy dill pickles and pickle juice with a classic sourdough base to create a flavorful, crusty loaf with a moist crumb. The inclusion of dark rye flour adds depth and complexity, while the methodical stretch and folds and cold proofing develop a beautiful texture and crust. Perfect for serving sliced with butter or as a sandwich bread, this loaf brings a delightful pickle twist to traditional sourdough baking.

Ingredients

Scale

Liquid and Starter

  • 180 g warm water
  • 150 g pickle juice
  • 100 g active sourdough starter

Flours and Salt

  • 400 g bread flour
  • 100 g dark rye flour
  • 5 g fine sea salt

Inclusions

  • 150 g dill pickles, finely diced

Other

  • Flour for dusting work surfaces (preferably rice flour for final dusting)

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine 180g warm water and 150g pickle juice. Whisk in 100g active sourdough starter until mostly combined. Add 400g bread flour and 100g dark rye flour, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with your hands to incorporate all flour. Sprinkle 5g fine sea salt over the dough.
  2. First rest: Cover the bowl and set aside for 45-60 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
  3. First stretch and fold: Using damp hands, grab the dough, stretch it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, fold, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat 4 times. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Prepare pickles: Dice 150g dill pickles finely and pat dry with paper towel to reduce excess moisture.
  5. Add pickles and subsequent stretch and folds: Add the diced pickles to the dough and perform the stretch and fold to incorporate them. Rest for 30 minutes, then perform 2 more sets of stretch and folds, totaling 4 sets. If pickles make dough wet and sticky, generously flour work surface and dough and gently knead to bring dough together.
  6. Bulk ferment: After the final stretch and fold, cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment in a warm place for 2 hours to develop flavor and gluten.
  7. Shape the dough: Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out with the smooth side down (sticky side up). Fold dough sides into the middle, then roll tightly from the bottom to form a batard or tuck ends under for a boule. Let rest covered for 20 minutes.
  8. Increase surface tension: Place your hands underneath the dough, use pinkies to apply gentle pressure, and drag the dough along the work surface to increase surface tension without tearing the dough.
  9. Proof in banneton: Dust top with rice flour, use a bench scraper to flip dough seam side up into a banneton. Cover and proof at room temperature for 2 hours.
  10. Cold proof: Cover the banneton with a reusable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or for the proving period) to slow fermentation and develop flavor.
  11. Preheat oven: Place a Dutch oven, cloche, or baking dish in the oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C).
  12. Prepare for baking: Remove dough from fridge, invert banneton onto parchment paper. Score dough with a lame or sharp knife—typically a deep curved slash works well for inclusions.
  13. Bake covered: Carefully remove the preheated Dutch oven, use parchment paper as a sling to transfer dough into it. Cover and bake at 450°F for 30 minutes.
  14. Bake uncovered: Remove the lid and bake uncovered at 450°F for an additional 10-15 minutes until crust is a rich caramel brown and internal temperature reaches 205-210°F.
  15. Cool: Remove loaf from Dutch oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing to set crumb and texture.

Notes

  • Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before beginning the recipe for best rise.
  • Dicing the pickles finely and drying them helps prevent excess moisture from weakening the dough.
  • Stretch and folds help develop gluten and evenly distribute inclusions without overworking the dough.
  • Cold proofing enhances flavor complexity and improves dough handling.
  • Using a Dutch oven traps steam for a crispy crust and better oven spring.
  • Allow the bread to cool fully to avoid gummy texture in the crumb.

Keywords: Dill Pickle Sourdough Bread, sourdough bread, pickled bread, homemade bread, rye sourdough, fermented bread, crusty bread, artisan bread

Find it online: https://recipeswithmia.com/dill-pickle-sourdough-bread-recipe/