Apple Brie Balsamic Stuffed Sourdough
This Apple Brie and Balsamic Sourdough Loaf is the perfect bread for fall. Sweet apples, creamy brie, and tangy balsamic glaze are tucked into sourdough for a loaf that feels a little fancy without adding a lot of extra work.
Serve it warm alongside your favorite soup, add it to a fall charcuterie board, or slice it up as an easy appetizer when friends and family come over. It’s sweet, savory, cozy, and such a fun way to change up your usual sourdough loaf. :)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sweet apples balance the rich, creamy brie.
- Balsamic glaze adds the perfect sweet and tangy finish.
- It turns a basic sourdough loaf into something special.
- It's perfect for fall gatherings, holidays, or a cozy soup night.
- No complicated shaping required.
Apple Brie & Balsamic Stuffed Sourdough Loaf
Makes: 1 loaf
Ingredients
For the sourdough dough:
- 100g active sourdough starter - previously fed and bubbly
- 350g warm water - filtered water is best
- 500g all-purpose or bread flour- organic is a preference, but always choose unbleached
- 10g salt
For the filling:
- 1 medium apple, very thinly sliced
- 4–5 oz brie cheese, cut into small pieces
- 1–2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
What Kind of Apple Is Best?
Choose a crisp apple that will hold its shape during baking. Honeycrisp is my first choice because it has a great balance of sweetness and tartness.
Granny Smith is a great option if you want more tartness, while Pink Lady or Fuji will give the loaf a slightly sweeter flavor.
Avoid very soft apples because they can release too much moisture into the dough.
Should I Leave the Rind on the Brie?
Yes! The rind is completely edible and there is no need to remove it.
Cutting the brie while it is cold also makes it much easier to handle. If your brie is getting too soft while you're preparing the loaf, pop it into the refrigerator for a few minutes before cutting it.
Tips & Tricks
Don't overfill the loaf. It can be tempting to add extra brie, but too much cheese can leak out while the bread bakes.
Keep the filling away from the edges. Leave a small border around the dough when adding the apples and brie. This makes it much easier to seal the loaf.
Use cold brie. Brie straight from the refrigerator is much easier to cut and distribute throughout the dough.
Expect a little cheese to escape. If you see a crispy bit of brie caramelizing along the edge of your loaf, don't worry. That's one of the best parts!
Let the loaf cool before slicing. Cutting into the bread immediately can make the crumb gummy, especially with the added moisture from the apples and cheese.
Optional Add-Ins
This loaf is delicious as written, but you can easily make it your own. Try adding:
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- A drizzle of honey
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
- Thinly sliced prosciutto for a savory variation
For an extra fall-inspired version, try adding a handful of toasted pecans and finishing the baked loaf with both honey and balsamic glaze.
How to Serve Apple Brie Sourdough
This bread is especially good served slightly warm, so the brie is soft and creamy.
Serve it alongside butternut squash soup, tomato soup, or a big fall salad. You can also cut it into smaller slices and serve it on a charcuterie board with extra apple slices, nuts, cured meats, and a small bowl of balsamic glaze.
It would also make a beautiful bread to serve at Thanksgiving or bring to a fall gathering.
How to Store Leftovers
Because this loaf contains brie cheese, I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator rather than leaving the bread at room temperature for an extended period.
For the best texture, reheat individual slices in a toaster oven or at 350°F for several minutes until warmed through. The crust will crisp back up, and the brie will become soft again.
Make It a Sandwich
Leftovers make an incredible grilled cheese.
Layer a slice with a little extra brie, thinly sliced turkey or chicken, and arugula. Grill until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted, then finish with another drizzle of balsamic glaze.
It's basically fall between two slices of sourdough.
Apple Brie Balsamic Stuffed Sourdough
Courtney Moody
8
30 minutes
60 minutes
299
American
This Apple Brie & Balsamic Stuffed Sourdough Loaf is the perfect combination of sweet, savory, creamy, and tangy. A classic sourdough loaf is filled with grated apples and pockets of melty brie, then finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze after baking. It’s the kind of loaf that feels a little fancy without adding much extra work. Serve it warm alongside soup, add it to a fall charcuterie board, or slice it up for an easy appetizer when friends and family come over!
Ingredients
100 g active sourdough starter
350 g warm water
500 g bread flour
10 g salt
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1 medium apple, grated
4–5 oz brie cheese, cut into small pieces
1–2 tbsp balsamic glaze
Directions
Feed your starter, and when your starter has doubled assemble your dough.
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Start by mixing your starter, water, together in a large mixing bowl until your starter has dissolved turns into a milk liquid. Add in your flour and salt and mix together until a shaggy dough forms.
Cover with a damp tea towel or bowl cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
After resting, pull one side of the dough up and towards the middle, rotating the bowl and repeating each time for 30 to 60 seconds until a semi – smooth dough forms. Cover and let rest for one hour.
Repeat the stretch and folds 3 more times every 30 minutes – 1 hour apart.
Cover your bowl with a damp tea towel and let rest on the counter to bulk ferment for 6 - 8 hours or until doubled in size. This may vary depending on the temperature of your home.
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The next morning, transfer your fermented dough to clean workspace.
Slightly stretch your dough out into a rectangle shape.
Start by placing pieces of brie all over the dough, and then sprinkling the grated apple over the brie and covering the surface. Finish by drizzling the balsamic glaze over the top.
Fold the dough into thirds, add more brie, apple and glaze, and then gently roll or tuck it into a round loaf. Try to keep as much of the filling tucked inside as possible.
Use your bench scraper to transfer the dough into a floured banneton seam side up. Let rest in the banneton for 10 minutes.
After resting, stitch the center of the bread dough from the top all the way to the bottom.
Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
Evenly sprinkle ¾ of the apple mixture all over the surface of the dough. Fold one of the longer sides of the rectangle up and towards the middle, do the same with the other side and meet it towards the center.
Sprinkle the remaining apple mixture over the seam of and roll the dough up.
Using the palms of your hands, push the dough up and pull the dough down on your workspace to create tension. Be careful with the step, creating too much tension will cause the surface of the dough to rip.
Use your bench scraper to transfer the dough into a floured banneton seam side up. Let rest in the banneton for 10 minutes.
After resting, stitch the center of the bread dough from the top all the way to the bottom.
Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
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When you’re ready to bake, place your Dutch oven into your home oven and preheat it to 450 degrees for at least 20 minutes.
Once you’re ready, carefully transfer it onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a bread lame, score the top of the dough into whatever design you like best.
Using oven mitts, take the preheated Dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid. Carefully lift the loaf with the parchment paper and place it inside. Replace the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread reaches 200°F
Once baked, remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with additional balsamic glaze if desired before serving.
