Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Loaves
Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread
July 16, 2019
| Recipe by Bake with Paws
Updated: May 1 2025
By Bake with Paws
If you're a sourdough enthusiast and love the zesty sweetness of cranberries and orange, this Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread will become your new favorite. This recipe takes the traditional sourdough to new heights with the bright, fruity flavor of fresh orange zest and tangy cranberries, creating a loaf that's perfect for breakfast, snacking, or even as a side to your holiday meals.
Why This Recipe Works:
- Sourdough Base: The use of a sweet stiff starter results in a milder, less tangy flavor compared to traditional sourdough. This creates a smoother, sweeter base that complements the natural sweetness of the orange and the dried cranberries. The stiffness of the starter also helps with the bread’s rise, resulting in a lighter, more airy texture.
- Moisture & Softness: The high fat content in the dough helps keep this bread soft and moist, even after a couple of days. Combined with the use of both orange juice and zest, the bread maintains its tender texture.
- Versatility: This bread is great on its own, but you can also use it to make sandwiches, toast it for breakfast, or serve it alongside a cheese platter.
Key Ingredients:
Sourdough Starter:
If you're familiar with sourdough bread-making, you know that a strong starter is the key to great flavor and rise. For the best results, use a well-maintained starter that's bubbly and active.
Fresh Orange Zest & Juice:
The combination of both zest and juice infuses the dough with a wonderful citrus fragrance and tang. Freshly squeezed juice is essential to bring out the fullest flavor.
Dried Cranberries:
Dried cranberries work best in this recipe. They hold their shape during baking and provide a tart burst of flavor that contrasts beautifully with the sweetness from the orange.
Step-by-Step Instructions How To Make Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread
INGREDIENTS (Yield: 1 loaf)
Sweet Stiff Starter (50% Hydration):
60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration)
180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
75g water
30g sugar
Main Dough:
140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
All stiff starter (above)
20g brown sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbsp (20g) milk powder
45g egg, whisked (from 1 egg)
15g milk
50g orange juice (about 1 orange)
Zest from 1 1/2 orange (can add more)
50g butter, room temperature
45g dried cranberry
Egg Wash:
1 egg + 1 tbsp water
Utensil:
450g loaf pan (21.3 X 12.2 X 11.5 cm / 8.4" X 4.8" X 4.5")
METHOD:
- Stiff Starter (to prepare 8 -12 hours before)
- Dilute starter with water, mix in bread flour by hand to become a dough.
- Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 25 - 26C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 8 - 12 hours depending on your starter and ambient of your place.
- Kneading Dough:
- Put all ingredients (except butter and dried cranberry) into the stand mixer bowl. Include all the stiff starter.
- Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 1 minute or until all incorporated.
- Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 (approx.) minutes or until the dough comes together and become elastic. The dough at this stage is sticky and wet. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until dough comes together and reach window pane stage. Once achieved window pane stage, add in dried cranberries and knead for another minute to incorporate the berries evenly into the dough. During the whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
- First Proofing/Resting The Dough:
- In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 60 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. The dough did not rise a lot in 60 minutes.
- To shape:
- Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide into 3 equal portions. Approximately 244g per portion. Total dough is 732g.
- Form each portion to a ball. Flatten with rolling pin into a dish.
- Fold right to centre and fold left overlap it. Roll out with rolling pin into long rectangle shape. Roll up the dough like Swiss Roll until a small log is formed.
- Place all dough in the prepared loaf pan.
- Final Proofing:
- Let it proof at a warm place until the dough reaches the height of the pan. This one took approximately 3 hours at room temperature of 28C - 30C. It may take longer to proof depending on your ambient temperature and your starter.
- To bake:
- Preheat the oven at 190C (top and bottom heat) or 170 (fan-forced mode) 10 - 15 minutes before baking.
- Brush with egg wash.
- Bake at preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove bread from oven and let it cool completely on rack before slicing.
Sweet Stiff Starter
Main Dough
More Ways to Customize Your Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread
- Add Nuts: A handful of walnuts or pecans would complement the cranberries beautifully.
- Sweeten It Up: If you prefer a sweeter bread, add a tablespoon or two of honey to the dough.
- Citrus Twist: Try substituting the orange zest with lemon or lime for a refreshing twist.
Tips for Perfect Results
- Sourdough Starter:
- A healthy starter is essential for successful bread baking. To ensure your bread rises well, it's important to feed your starter regularly and use it (the levain) at its peak. A consistently fed starter will be more active and reliable. If the mother starter isn’t strong, the dough may still struggle to rise properly, even if the levain is used at its peak. For more information, click the links: "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance".
- Gluten Development:
- Essential for soft, airy bread, gluten is created when flour hydrates. To develop it, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. The windowpane test checks readiness—dough should stretch thin without tearing. From my experience, high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.
- Kneading:
- Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).
- Flour & Hydration:
- Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
- Dough Temperature:
- Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.
- Proofing:
- Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:
- If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
- If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
- There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.
- Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:
- If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.
- Baking & Oven Temperarate:
- Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.
Conclusion
This Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread is perfect for any occasion where you want a festive, flavorful loaf that’s a little different from the typical sourdough. Whether served at a holiday gathering, as part of a brunch spread, or as a snack with a pat of butter, this bread is sure to impress. Try it today and let the sweet-tart flavors fill your kitchen with warmth and delicious aromas.
If you bake this bread, I’d love to see it! Tag @bakewithpaws on Instagram or leave a comment below if you have any questions about this recipe.
Labels:
Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Loaves,
Beautiful loaf. I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteThank you for your comment. Please let me know after trying. I hope you will like it.
Happy baking :)
Why is the levain ratio is different from other recipes?
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
DeleteGood question. It is because I left it fermented for 12 hours overnight. 1:3:3 ratio will take longer time for the levain to reach triple. By the time I wake up in the morning, I can do my baking.
If you don't want to prepare overnight, you can do in the morning and using 1:1:1 ratio, in between 3 hours then it will reach the triple.
Cheers:)
Do I read correctly? 265 of starter related to the flour used looks really a lot!
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your question and clarification. Yes, it is correct. I usually used 70 - 75% of levain in my soft sourdough baking. The reason is because I wanted it to rise in shorter time. Thanks :)
DeleteDo I read correctly? 265 of starter related to the flour used looks really a lot!
ReplyDeleteHi,I dont understand what it mean by sourdough 100% hyderation, can explain.. thks
ReplyDeleteHi there, Thank you for your question. It means we feed the sourdough starter with flour and water at equal weight. You may google search to get more details if you still don't understand.
DeleteCheers :)
Hello! Is it possible to make this bread without the levain?
ReplyDeleteHi, yes.. You can use my Japanese Soft White Bread recipe. Replace half of the milk with orange juice.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, is there are reason why cranberries are incorporated this way and not kneaded direct into the dough? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for asking. To prevent the cranberries from breaking into pieces. I think you still can add in the last 1 minute. But, please turn down your mixer to low.
DeleteCheers :)
Thanks, think I will try kneading it into dough in the last minute or so. Thanks!
DeleteMy pleasure.. Happy baking :)
DeleteHi. Thanks for a great post. Just wondering do u have a recipie for making starter dough please cos hoping to make this bread. Looks so fluffy and soft. Thanks. Chloe
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you for asking. Actually, I have this recipe using instant yeast that I just shared last week.
Deletehttps://www.bakewithpaws.com/2020/06/orange-cranberry-soft-bread.html
For sourdough starter, please follow this link. I learnt from here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6pGkOuZnrk
Cheers :)
Can i leave the milk powder out?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for asking. Yes, you can omit milk powder.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, can the dough knead using bread machine. Thanks
DeleteYes.. But, please follow your bread machine kneading instruction.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi! It says that the amount of levain we get will exceed the amount needed in the recipe and to just use what the recipe calls for, but the recipe itself doesn't even list levain. Unless I'm missing it))) So how much levain out of the 160 grams we get actually goes into the dough? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for reading this recipe. Sorry for confusion. Please use all the levain of 160g.
DeleteCheers :)
Thank you so much for your response and this amazing recipe! I was so impatient to try it out that I just went ahead and used it all))) this bread is amazing and I have levain maturing overnight so I can bake it again tomorrow! Sooooo delicious, thank you!
DeleteMy pleasure to share.. You are clever to use all.. lol.. Glad it turns out good for you. Thank you for trying and your kind feedback.
DeleteCheers and happy baking.. Stay safe :)
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteIs it ok to hand knead? And for how long if ok to hand knead?
Hi, thanks for reading. Yes, you can use hand knead if you know. But, I never used hand knead. So, I am not sure how long it will take.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, can I do the second proofing overnight? Inside the fridge? For that, I need to decrease the amount of levain?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for asking. You can try. But, I am not sure if it can rise in the fridge. or you can prepare at night and let it rise in the aircond room overnight then bake in the morning.
DeleteI cannot give you the exact answer. You need too try your own as it is much depend on your stater.
Cheers :)
I used the first yudane method and this turned out pretty well! Will probably throw in some nuts next time too. I think the pan I used was a little too big though - will double the recipe next time to fit my loaf pan.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for trying and your feedback. May I know what is your pan size?
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, what can I use instead of egg?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your interest in this recipe. You can replace egg with milk with the same amount. However, I found that sourdough soft bread recipe that without egg can be slightly sour.
DeleteYou can try and let me know ya.
Cheers :)