Walnut Cranberry Wheatberry Bread

Yet another nut and berry loaf. I baked a few experimental loaves around the end of 2024 then I forgot about it until I pulled a piece from the freezer and realized it was delicious. The wheatberries really help the texture.

The recipe can be prepared from unfed starter and doesn't require much direct attention.

Total Preparation Time

Total preparation time is around 16 hours (mostly waiting).

10 minutes arranging ingredients
3 minutes mixing levain
8 hours waiting on the levain
3 minutes mixing
8 hours rising

Ingredients

Levain

Flour - 46g
Sugar - 9g
Water - 46g
Starter - 18g

Dry

Flour - 425g
Salt - 8g

Wet

Water - 275g

Mixins

Cranberries - 100g
Walnuts - 62g
Wheatberries - 30g (dry weight)

Method

Mix levain and let sit overnight
Cook wheatberries. I cook them for 4 minutes in a pressure cooker but whatever works to make them plump, not chalky
Combine everything and mix the dough until it's stretchy
Stretch and fold after 20min
Rise 4 hours
Work the glutin again, forming it into a loaf and put into a greased and floured cast iron pan, cover with a pie plate
Rise 2 hours
Cook at 450F (232C) for 24 minutes, uncover and cook 4 minutes more

Notes

I'm still dialing in the cook times. Cooking at 450F for 30min produced a burnt top. Maybe it should be 450 covered for 25min?

I've been testing doing the final rise in the cast iron pan. Previously I'd pre-heated the pan (to 450) and dropped the dough into this. The resulting loaf won't stick to the pan, but the process is dangerous, and I'm not sure if it makes the crust any better.

I'm covering it with a pie plate to keep the top from drying out, but this could backfire if it rises enough to stick to the top. So far this hasn't happened.

Wet: 46+9+275 = 330
Dry: 46+9+425 = 480
= 68.75% hydration (seems a little dry, but the dough has a good elasticity.  The cooked wheatberries add moisture.

Prepared

241204 - First preparation, too wet, overproofed
?????? - Tried with 471g flour (calculated at ~70% hydration)
?????? - Baked in cold over at 450 uncovered and the top was burnt
250216 - I baked covered with a cake pan and the bread rose until it pressed into the lid