CRANBERRY, PEPITA, POLENTA SOURDOUGH

Name: Cranberry, Pepita, Polenta Sourdough
Yield: 1 x 800g loaf
Ingredients: 80% Bread Flour (11.5-12.5% protein); 20% Whole Wheat; 67% Water; 20% Levain; 40% Polenta (see Polenta Recipe & Method below); 25% Cranberries (dry weight, then soaked and strained); 8% Pepitas (roasted and salted); 2.2% Salt; 40g Cornmeal (coarse); 100g Water (cold); Combine in saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly, until it reaches a thick paste consistency. (About 15-20 minutes) Reserve and allow to cool.; 244g Bread Flour (11.5-12.5% protein); 61g Whole Wheat; 204g Water; 61g Levain; 122g Polenta (see Polenta Recipe & Method above); 76g Dried Cranberries (dry weight, then soaked and strained); 25g Pepitas (roasted and salted); 7g Salt

This ridiculously soft loaf is layered with tart dried cranberries, toasted pepitas, and a polenta soaker for full flavor and toothy texture — perfect for Fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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Thanksgiving's Triple Whammy

Cheeseboard, Stuffing & Leftover Sammiches

This loaf was designed with Thanksgiving in mind. Slice it for the cheeseboard (the polenta soaker gives it the softest crumb), use it as the bread in your dressing* or pile your Thanksgiving feast leftovers - turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, the lot - between two slices for the perfect leftover sandwich.

* Bakers Club members can find our epic Festive Cranberry Sourdough Sausage Stuffing recipe in the Members Only recipes collection.

Baking and Enjoying This Recipe

What Makes This Loaf Special?

Built-In Polenta Soaker: a coarse cornmeal-and-water paste keeps the crumb soft and adds real texture.
Genuinely Festive: sweet cranberries and salted pepitas make this as pretty on the table as it is good to eat.

Tips for Success

Hand or Machine Mix: We've written this recipe two ways: a full hand-mixing method and a stand-mixer method, so you can bake it however your kitchen is set up. Both get you to the same soft, inclusion-studded loaf.
Prep Ahead: your cranberries need to be soaked for at least 2 hours, and at room temperature by the time they go into the dough. Your polenta also needs a couple of hours to cool.
Watch Your Bulk Window: expect 5-7 hours of total bulk fermentation (from the point the levain goes in to the start of shaping), and...
Push Fermentation: the dough can handle it - an overproofed loaf has better flavor and texture than an underproofed, so don't be afraid to let bulk run long. Just remember warmer dough runs faster, cooler longer.
Rest Before You Shape: give the dough a full 1-1.5 hours after its last fold before shaping, so it's fully relaxed going in.
Bake Low and Slow(er): because of the inclusions, this loaf likes a slightly lower oven temperature and a slightly longer bake than a plain loaf — this one was baked at 450°F, covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 15-20.

Pairing Ideas

Fancy Leftover Sandwich: for an elevated version, lightly toast the bread, spread with a generous smear of 'Thanksgivingaise' (stir a little gravy and cranberry sauce in with some mayo), layer with turkey, bacon and lettuce.
A Cheese Board: the sweet-tart cranberries and roasted pepitas play well with a Vintage Cheddar, a creamy Brie or a white Stilton.