Dried Plum, Crystallized Ginger, Five-Spice Sourdough

Name: Dried Plum, Crystallised Ginger, 5-Spice Sourdough
Ingredients: 75% Bread Flour; 20% Whole Wheat; 5% Whole Rye; 80% Hydration; 20% Levain; 2.1% Salt; 20% Dried Plums (dry weight but soaked before inclusion); 10% Crystallised Ginger; 1% Chinese Five Spice

(Fall 2026 edit)

A warmly spiced loaf built for cooler weather: soaked dried plums, crystallized ginger, and a whisper of Chinese five-spice, folded through a rye-flecked dough.

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Plum, Ginger & Chinese Five-Spice Sourdough

Warming Spice For Cooler Days

This one leans deliciously into fall and winter flavors and was a seasonal crowdpleaser with our bakery customers: The soaked dried plums turn jammy and almost caramelized in the crumb once baked, which plays off the warmth of the Chinese Five-Spice. The crystallized ginger pieces bring little bites of sweet heat. And a little whole rye in the flour blend gives the crumb a slightly toothier chew.

^{This recipe was updated for FALL 2026 to include weights as well as formula and full method including machine mixing.}

Baking and Enjoying This Recipe

What Makes This Loaf Different?

You Get To Change Minds: dried plums are just dried prunes with a PR spin doctor! Most people balk at the idea of prunes. Once your loved ones or customers have tasted this loaf, you can decide whether to tell them or not. If you choose to, you may have healed their prune trauma forever!
Warming Aromatics For The -Ber Months: from September to December, as Fall blends into Halloween then Thanksgiving and Holidays, we all need a little extra warmth. The sweet zing of crystallized ginger and a fragrant touch of Chinese Five-Spice give this loaf a cosy warmth without leaning in to pumpkin spice - again.

Tips for Success

When you soak the dried fruit, use just enough water to cover it - no more. Once soaked, strain the excess and use it as the base for your hydration water.
Avoid chopping the ginger too finely if you want the texture and warmth of the chunks in a bite.
The timings in the recipe aren’t exact because dough does what dough wants to do, and small environmental differences can change how your dough behaves over someone else's, even following the same recipe. Read your dough and do what it's asking for.

Pairing Ideas

This one's built for the season it evokes: good alongside a strong cheese or charcuterie board, or toasted with butter for a spiced start to a cold morning.