How to make an Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough

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This Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough Bread is lightly spiced and slightly sweet. Crusty and delicious, it makes such a wonderful cold weather meal!

Ways to Eat Tea and Date Sourdough

This Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough is a lovely, aromatic, slightly sweet loaf.  It can be enjoyed in so many ways:

• Topped with coconut or peanut butter and drizzled with honey.  A dash of cinnamon on top.
• Made into a cheese toasted sandwich with your favourite chutney or relish.
• A thick layer of Nutella or chocolate peanut butter, with sliced strawberries on top.
• Spread with whipped feta, honey and strawberries.

This Autumnal Sourdough has a lovely rich date flavour, and could be enjoyed for Breakfast, lunch or even dessert.  The tea is very subtle, and is enhanced by the vanilla and mixed spice.

Tips for making the best Tea and Date Sourdough Loaf

Soaking the dates in the tea overnight really draws out the sweetness of the dates, and infuses into the tea liquid which means you get that date flavour in every slice.    

The dates need soaking, to soften and expand, otherwise you get tough little morsels throughout the dough which is not enjoyable!  Soaked dates also have a caramelly texture when baked in a loaf like this.  Oh so delicious!

Doing this the night before means you can extract the maximum flavour from the dates, and it means one less step to do the next day.  You can just mix, and walk away!

This loaf would also be wonderful with almond essence in place of vanilla, for a Christmas – inspired loaf.

What Ingredients do you need for this Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough?

• 100g dates
• 1 tablespoon mixed spice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 English Breakfast tea bags
• 375g water
• 100g Sourdough Starter
• 500 g Flour
• 10 g Salt.

How do you make the Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough?

This fruity flavoured Sourdough Bread needs a couple of extra steps the night before to get all the spiciness and fruitiness infused into the loaf.

The Night Before:

Feed starter. Handy tip: use the discard to make this cake here.

In addition to feeding your starter, place dates, vanilla, spice, and teabags in a large mixing bowl.  Pour over the boiling water.  Wait 4 minutes, and remove the tea bags.

Let it strain overnight.  The dates will release a lovely sweetness into the liquid, which is why you will not need to add honey or sugar to this dough.

The Next Day:

It’s breadmaking day! On this day you will make, stretch, and prove the dough.

To make the dough, add sourdough starter and salt to the date mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add flour and mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Make sure there are no damp bits of flour.

Leave to rest for half an hour.

Stretch and Fold

For the next 2 hours, do 4 stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart.

After the final stretch and fold, you will notice that the dough is completely different. It will be far more elastic, strong, and it will stretch further without breaking.

Bulk Ferment

Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for a minimum of 6 hrs (be careful not to over-prove at this stage.  If it is warm, leave for a maximum of 8 hrs, just to be safe).

It is crucial not to over-ferment the dough at this stage. I have ruined many a loaf by leaving it for too long. Nothing can undo an over-proved loaf.

I recommend centering your breadmaking timeline around this bulk fermentation segment, simply because it is so crucial. Find a time where you know that you will be able to get to it once the 6 hours are up. Choose a day where you know that you don’t have any engagements or other errands to run (or if so, can be completed within the 6 hours).

I’m lucky, because I do not have to be elsewhere for work…but I have no excuse if my dough is over-proved!

Shape

Tip the dough out onto the bench.  With wet hands, stretch the dough out as far as it will go without tearing.  Then, bring each corner to the centre of the dough.  Flip it over cup your hands at the top of the dough and pull it across the bench towards you.  This should make the surface of the dough nice and taut.

Turn it back over and rest for 40 minutes on the bench.

Repeat this step, but leave the taut surface of the dough remaining upwards.

Overnight Ferment

Line your proving bowl with a tea towel, and dust with flour.  Transfer the dough, with the taut surface facing down into the bowl.

Leave overnight in the fridge.

Bake

An hour before you want to start baking, preheat a casserole dish/dutch oven in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius. 

After 45 minutes, carefully transfer dough to a sheet of baking paper.  Score the tight surface of the dough to any extent your artistry desires. Transfer to the (hot) casserole dish, putting the lid firmly on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until you receive the colouration you desire.  Anything less than 45 minutes will probably be undercooked.

Autumnal Tea and Date Sourdough Baking tips:

• I actually leave the lid on for the full 45 minutes baking time, but it does get a bit flat on top!  The reason I do this is to ensure the dough is cooked throughout.  I find it still gets good colour with the lid on the whole cooking time.
• If you desire, you could take the lid off after 30 minutes and bake with the lid off a further 15-20 minutes, to give the bread a deeper colour and a crisper crust.  You do you!
• It’s easier to cut the dough after waiting for a few hours – you will get more slices out of your loaf.  But sometime it is hard to resist a warm, thick slice of crusty bread and melted butter!