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Fig & Fennel Sourdough (no-knead, overnight method)

An easy overnight, no knead sourdough loaf that's lightly sweet and spicy. Eat sliced and spread with butter or eat with cheese. Lovely toasted too.

Can also be made with instant yeast: see Recipe Notes.

Course Bread
Cuisine World
Keyword bread
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Proving Time 17 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 18 hours 40 minutes
Servings 1 small loaf
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 2 rounded tsp fennel seeds
  • 400 g strong bread flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 250 g/ml water
  • 50 g lively sourdough starter
  • 120 g dried figs

Instructions

The evening before baking

  1. Put the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast until fragrant, stirring often.

    Using a pestle and mortar or similar, lightly crush them (can be kept whole if preferred).

  2. Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and stir in the fennel seeds.

  3. Whisk the starter into the water and pour into the flour mixture.

    Stir well to bring together into a rough, wet dough. Add a splash more water if needed.

  4. Cover the bowl and leave overnight or 14-16 hours.

    Tip: to slow things down, put in the fridge.

The next day

  1. Snip off any tough stems from the dried figs then chop into sixths or eighths.

  2. The dough should be well risen and bubbly: if not then leave for an hour or more longer.

  3. Lightly flour the work surface then scrape the dough onto it. Lightly fold and turn a few times to bring it into a smooth ball.

    Pat out into a rough rectangle then place one third of the figs over the dough.

    Fold over the sides to cover the figs then add another third.

    Fold again before adding the remaining figs.

    Keep folding until the figs are incorporated through the dough and you have a ball again.

  4. Flour a round banneton or cloth-lined bowl and add the ball of dough, rounded top facing downwards. Sprinkle a little flour over then cover.

    Set aside to prove for approximately 90 minutes: bread is ready to bake when the depression left by a finger pressed into the dough slowly rather than quickly springs back. If it springs back immediately then leave to prove for longer.

    Meanwhile: preheat the oven to its highest setting and put on the middle shelf a cast iron pot or Dutch oven, including its lid.

  5. When ready to bake, turn the oven down to 240C / 220 Fan / Gas 9.

    Remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid and carefully flip the dough from the banneton or bowl into the pot so the rounded side is uppermost. Put on the lid.

    Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes without removing the lid.

  6. After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 220C / 200 Fan / Gas 7.

    Remove the pot from the oven, tip the bread out of it, then return the loaf to sit directly on the oven shelf.

    Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the bread is cooked through (it should sound hollow when tapped underneath).

    If necessary, reduce the oven temperature to stop the crust over browning before the bread has finished baking.

  7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

    Use within 2-3 days, or can be frozen once completely cold (slicing before freezing means you can take out just as much as you need).

Recipe Notes

To make with instant yeast instead of a sourdough starter

  • replace the starter with 1 tsp active dried yeast and stir it into the flour with the salt and fennel seeds.
  • use 300 ml of water instead of 250 ml
  • proving time is likely to be shorter: 12-14 hours for the initial rise and 30 minutes for the final proof before baking.