Bread

Bread Maker Sourdough with Inclusions recipe

Name: Bread Maker Sourdough with Inclusions
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 17 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 5 g sourdough starter; 50 ml water; 50 g bread flour (I use 35 g white, 15 g rye); 80 g fed sourdough starter; 200 g strong white bread flour (plus 1 tsp for dusting); 200 g strong wholemeal bread flour; 7 g salt (I use kosher. Reduce for table or sea salt); 10 g sugar; 10 ml oil (I use olive); 260 ml water; ½ tsp dried yeast (I use Allinson's); 50 g cheddar cheese, cubed; 75 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped; 80 g fed sourdough starter; 400 g golden wholegrain bread flour (plus 1 tsp for dusting); 7 g salt (I use kosher. Reduce for table or sea salt); 10 g sugar; 10 ml oil (I use olive); 280 ml water; ½ tsp dried yeast (I use Allinson's); 50 g cheddar cheese; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (less if using dried); 2 banana shallots, sliced and sautéed in oil

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Start-to-finish bread maker sourdough loaves with savoury inclusions. The shallot and rosemary loaf is the nicest smelling bread I've ever made.

Prep15m
Stand12h
Cook5h
Total17h 15m

bread-maker cheese fibre sourdough

For me, this is as low-effort as sourdough gets. The bread maker does all of the work - you won’t need to shape, or bake in an oven. What makes these loaves really special, though, is the inclusions. I’ve got a Panasonic YR2540 (affiliate link), which has a raisin and nut dispenser, but you don’t need one. The inclusions can be added by hand. In fact, this might be preferable as the dispenser sometimes deposits ingredients down the side of the bread pan. Not a big deal, unless they hit the heating element*.

The recipe uses a traditional sourdough starter, but I’ve included dried yeast too. I’ve experimented with minimal ingredients, but yeast lets me use a standard 4 to 5 hour bread maker programme and gives consistent results. For the best possible shape, I add oil and sugar, but feel free to leave them out.

I’ve listed two suggestions for inclusions but add whatever you fancy. Ideally, the total weight will be below 150 g, but go for more if you’re feeling brave. I’d like to give a hearty recommendation for shallot and rosemary. The smell of bread baking is always a treat, but this loaf reached brand-new heights. It was so intoxicating that I ignored my own advice and sliced it while it was still warm. No regrets.

Savoury sourdough is incredibly versatile: toast, soups, sandwiches, eggs. Use any combination of bread flour - I go for at least 50% wholemeal. If I’ve got golden wholemeal, I’ll use 100%. All-white works beautifully too, and that’s what I use for the chocolate chip version of this loaf.

★ ★ ★

* If an ingredient sticks to the element, you’ll smell it burning. This happened to me, and I’d advise the following:

Leave the programme running
Remove the bread pan
Dislodge the ingredient with a wooden spoon; don’t remove it in case you burn yourself
Put the bread pan back and continue as normal

If you stop the programme, you’ll need to use the “bake-only” function. My machine wouldn’t start until it had cooled to below 40°C, which took at least 15 minutes (it displayed a U50 error). If you leave the burning ingredient on the element, you’ll likely end up with a big scorch mark. Mine was minimal, but it won’t wash off. It’s only cosmetic, but I’m glad I intervened quickly.

Notes

Feeding the starter

I feed my sourdough starter overnight, using a 1:10:10 ratio so it rises slowly. By the morning, it will have peaked and fallen. It’s not necessary to use the starter at its peak. If you want a faster rise, use a different ratio. 1:1:1 (35 g each of starter, water, flour) will peak in about 4 hours for me.

Be mindful of your bread pan

Some people believe that sourdough can wear down non-stick coatings over time. It's not a given, but bread pans are expensive to replace. If you’re concerned, there are plenty of non-sourdough recipes on this blog.

Recipe

Bread Maker Sourdough with Inclusions

Prep15m
Stand12h
Cook5h
Total17h 15m

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Sourdough starter

5 g sourdough starter
50 ml water
50 g bread flour (I use 35 g white, 15 g rye)

Sun-dried tomato and cheddar

80 g fed sourdough starter
200 g strong white bread flour (plus 1 tsp for dusting)
200 g strong wholemeal bread flour
7 g salt (I use kosher. Reduce for table or sea salt)
10 g sugar
10 ml oil (I use olive)
260 ml water
½ tsp dried yeast (I use Allinson's)
50 g cheddar cheese, cubed
75 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped

Caramelised shallot, rosemary and cheddar

80 g fed sourdough starter
400 g golden wholegrain bread flour (plus 1 tsp for dusting)
7 g salt (I use kosher. Reduce for table or sea salt)
10 g sugar
10 ml oil (I use olive)
280 ml water
½ tsp dried yeast (I use Allinson's)
50 g cheddar cheese
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (less if using dried)
2 banana shallots, sliced and sautéed in oil

Method

Sourdough starter (see notes)

Add 5 g of starter, 50 ml of water and 50 g of bread flour to a jar. I use 35 g of white flour and 15 g of rye. Stir well, loosely cover, and leave somewhere warm to rise. This 1:10:10 ratio rises slowly - perfect for overnight.

Sun-dried tomato and cheddar loaf

Put the regular blade into the bread pan. Add 200 g of white bread flour, 200 g of wholemeal bread flour, 7 g of salt, 10 g of sugar, 10 ml of oil (I use olive), 260 ml of water and 80 g of fed sourdough starter into the bread pan, then place it into the bread maker.
Add ½ teaspoon of yeast to the yeast dispenser.
Dust 50 g of cubed cheddar with 1 tsp of flour. Add to the raisin and nut dispenser along with 75 g of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Select the whole wheat raisin setting (or whole wheat if not using the dispenser).
The programme will take 5 hours. No dispenser? Add the inclusions three quarters of the way into the knead. Once the programme is complete, shake the loaf onto a rack and allow to cool before slicing. If your finished loaf won't come out of the bread pan, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then try again.

Shallot, rosemary and cheddar loaf

Put the regular blade into the bread pan. Add 400 g of golden wholemeal bread flour, 7 g of salt, 10 g of sugar, 10 ml of oil (I use olive), 80 g of fed sourdough starter and 280 ml of water into the bread pan, then place it into the bread maker.
Add ½ teaspoon of yeast to the yeast dispenser.
Dust 50 g of cubed cheddar with 1 tsp of flour. Add to the raisin and nut dispenser along with 1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary and 2 banana shallots (sliced and sautéed in oil). Select the whole wheat raisin setting (or whole wheat if not using the dispenser).
The programme will take 5 hours. No dispenser? Add the inclusions three quarters of the way into the knead. Once the programme is complete, shake the loaf onto a rack and allow to cool before slicing. If your finished loaf won't come out of the bread pan, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then try again.