Beetroot & toasted walnut sourdough

Beetroot bread is nothing new but I like to add walnuts to the dough for added crunch and the lovely flavour they give, which is a great complement to the slight earthiness you get from the beetroot here. I gently toasted the walnuts here to really bring out the flavour.

Beetroot & walnut sourdough

The beetroot here is not over-powering, in terms of both colour and flavour it brings: the vibrancy of the initial dough reduces somewhat as the dough bakes looking, I think, less “off-putting” than some of the more garishly pink beetroot loaves you sometimes see.

It is quite a wet dough because of the inclusion of the beetroot, but with slacker doughs such as this, the stretch and fold method is much easier than full-on kneading.

Beetroot & walnut sourdough

About the “stretch and fold” technique

I have waxed lyrical before about the stretch and fold technique: an alternative to traditional kneading, this is simple approach that is excellent for slacker doughs; the gluten develops fully during the process,the dough gets sifnifiant aeration during the process and the result is bread with an excellent structure.

More information about the “stretch and fold” is on my main sourdough post here

Serving ideas

This is wonderful served just as it is with butter and with soup and toasted and spread with butter is a joy – as is the case with all sourdoughs!

Mini sourdough beetroot bread sandwiches

I love this particular bread for open sandwiches: it is particularly excellent with a roast beef and horseradish cream topping, or topped with with salmon, lemon mayonnaise and spring onions.

However, mini loaf versions of this sourdough are wonderful sliced horizontally and then filled for more substantial sandwiches.

Beetroot & walnut sourdough: makes 2 medium loaves

• use the ingredients for the basic dough on my main sourdough recipe*: here
• 180g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
• 100g walnuts, roughly chopped (lightly toasted for extra flavour ideally)

(1) Mix all the ingredients together as in my main sourdough recioe above. flour, beetroot and walnuts together in a bowl.

vibrant dough; the colour lessens during the bake

(2) Follow the recipe up to the shaping stage, going for whatever shape you prefer for each piece of dough.
NB: this is also great shaped into mini loaves and put in mini loaf tins – ideal split vertically down the centre and filled for sandwiches

Lakeland 12-hole mini loaf tins

(3) Pop the shaped dough into two bannetons that have been well dusted with rice flour or fine semolina, with the seams facing upwards. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours until you want to bake. For mini loaves, bake for about 20-25 minutes

(4) Bake as in the main recipe.

Beetroot & walnut sourdough

For a non-sourdough version:

Make up the initial dough with a total of 750g strong white flour, 7g easy-blend dried yeast and between 380-400ml water instead of the starter. Incorporate the walnut and beetroot with the flour at the start, as in the recipe above.

Author: Philip

Finalist on Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC Television 2018). Published recipe writer with a love of growing fruit & veg, cooking, teaching and eating good food. View all posts by Philip