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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Soft Whole Wheat Walnut Pecan Sourdough Boule

A tender, soft-crusted whole wheat boule packed with toasted walnuts and pecans, with a nutty, gently sweet crumb from molasses and a touch of butter.

Soft Whole Wheat Walnut Pecan Sourdough Boule

Ingredients

  • 3¼ cups380 gWhole wheat flour
  • 1 cup120 gBread flour
  • 1¼ cups300 gWaterlukewarm
  • ¼ cup (60 ml)60 gWhole milkroom temperature
  • 4 oz110 gActive sourdough starter (100% hydration)at its peak
  • ⅔ cup chopped70 gWalnutstoasted and roughly chopped
  • ⅔ cup chopped70 gPecanstoasted and roughly chopped
  • 2¾ tsp20 gMolasses
  • 2 tbsp25 gUnsalted buttersoftened, divided
  • 1¾ tsp10 gSalt

Steps

  1. About 8 to 12 hours before mixing, give your sourdough starter its usual 1:1 feeding (equal weights of its feeding grain and water) and leave it at about 75°F (24°C); it peaks, doubled and bubbly, in 4 to 8 hours. Use the sourdough starter at its peak.
  2. Toast the walnuts and pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant, then cool and chop roughly.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, bread flour, water and milk until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
  4. Add the sourdough starter, molasses and salt, and squeeze them through the dough until fully combined.
  5. Add half of the butter and work it in until the dough is smooth again. Keep the remaining half of the butter for the crust.
  6. Bulk rise at about 75°F (24°C) for 4 to 5 hours. During the first 2 hours do 4 sets of stretch-and-folds with wet hands, 30 minutes apart; on the second set, scatter the walnuts and pecans over the dough and fold them in. The dough is ready when it has risen about 50%, looks domed and shows bubbles at the edges.
  7. The dough is about 74% hydration, counting the water in the milk and starter, with about 2% salt.
  8. Turn the dough onto a lightly dampened counter, pre-shape into a round with wet hands, rest 20 minutes, then shape a tight boule and set it seam-side up in a parchment-lined bowl.
  9. Cover and cold proof in the fridge for 10 to 14 hours; it's ready when a damp fingertip poke springs back slowly.
  10. Put a Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C) for 45 minutes.
  11. Turn the boule out onto its parchment, score the top, and lower it into the hot Dutch oven. Bake covered 20 minutes.
  12. Uncover, reduce to 425°F (220°C) and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until deep brown and 205°F (96°C) in the center.
  13. Brush the hot crust with the remaining half of the butter, then wrap the loaf loosely in a clean towel to soften the crust as it cools.
  14. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before cutting into 12 slices.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Tree nuts, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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