Gingerbread Sourdough

Gingerbread Sourdough – A Warm and Festive Holiday Loaf

This gingerbread sourdough is one of the most special loaves you can bake during the holiday season. Naturally leavened and filled with warm spices and subtle sweetness, it’s a unique twist on classic sourdough. Soft, fluffy, and full of cozy flavor, it’s the perfect bread to share with family and friends.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Gingerbread Sourdough

This is warm and comforting all wrapped up in a festive sourdough loaf. This bread has such a unique flavor that you can only get with a homemade loaf, simply because it is not likely you can go to a store and order a “gingerbread sourdough loaf” so this recipe is very special!

🍲 Ingredients

Sourdough Starter – bubbly, active sourdough starter that’s been previously fed and it at it’s peak when using.

Flour – I use Kirkland’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour for all of my recipes because it’s affordable and good quality! Use what you have on hand, as long as it is unbleached.

Water – Filtered water is always best for sourdough.

Salt – Use salt for the dough, and flaky sea salt for the topping.

Molasses – Dark molasses adds richness and depth. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can use light molasses or honey.

Honey – I like the raw honey from Costco!

Ginger – Ground ginger is the spice that makes this sourdough loaf special

👩‍🍳 How to Make Gingerbread Sourdough

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your sourdough starter, water, molasses and honey until your starter has dissolved and the ingredients are incorporated.
• Add in your flour, salt, and ground ginger to the bowl and mix together until a shaggy dough forms.
• Let rest for 45 minutes.
• After resting, perform your first set of stretch and folds by lifting one side of the dough up and towards the middle, rotating the bowl each time until a semi – smooth ball forms. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
• After resting, perform 2 – 4 more stretch and folds every 30 minutes to 1 hour apart. This builds gluten strength in the dough so this is an important step.
• After all your stretch and folds are done, cover the dough with a damp tea towel or bowl cover and leave the dough on the counter to rest overnight. 8 – 10 hours.

The next morning

• The next morning, your dough should be bubbly and doubled in size.
• Turn your dough over onto a clean work surface, stretch the dough into a small rectangle and shape into the size of your banneton. Oval (batard) or round (boule). Lightly flour the top and place seam side up into your banneton.
• Leave in your fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• When you’re ready to bake, preheat a Dutch oven at 450 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Remove your dough from the fridge and turn over onto a piece of parchment paper.
• Score the top of the dough with your bread lame or a sharp knife. This helps the dough expand in the oven.
• Carefully place your dough into a piping hot Dutch oven. Replace the lid and bake for 23 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 23 – 25 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.
• Remove from your Dutch oven and place on a cooling rack for at least an hour until completely cooled through. If you cut into your bread too soon the middle may turn “gummy”.
• Slice and serve with butter, honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before you start. Feed it 4-6 hours before baking or check that it has risen and is ready to use.
• Allow for a longer bulk fermentation to develop flavor, especially if your kitchen is cooler.
• If you want to be accurate with your bread baking, use a thermometer and bake until the internal temperature reaches about 200-210°F (93-99°C)
• If you want more spice and flavor, use a combination like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for the gingerbread flavor. You can adjust the quantities to taste.

🗒 Variations

Flavored sourdough bread is one of the best ways to enjoy sourdough, while experimenting with flavors while you bake. Here are some of my most popular sourdough inclusion recipes!

• Spinach and Artichoke Sourdough Bread – Acts Of Sourdough
• Blueberry + Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Loaf – Acts Of Sourdough
• Pesto Mozzarella Sourdough Loaf – Acts Of Sourdough
• Roasted Garlic + Olive Sourdough Loaf – Acts Of Sourdough
• French Onion Sourdough Loaf – Acts Of Sourdough

🗒 Substitutions

• Whole Wheat Flour: Replace all or part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for added nutrition and flavor. Keep in mind, it may make the bread denser.
• Molasses: If you want a deeper flavor, you can replace part or all of the brown sugar with molasses, though this will also increase the moisture content.
• Honey: Brown sugar or maple syrup can be substituted for honey, but you may need to adjust the liquid content in your recipe.

🗒 Best served with

• Holiday brunch foods.
• Charcuterie board additions
• Honey, butter or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
• A warm cup of coffee

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Cool Completely: After baking, let the bread cool on a wire rack for a few hours before slicing. This helps set the crumb and prevents it from being doughy.

Wrap and Store: Store leftover gingerbread sourdough bread wrapped in plastic or a bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze it for longer storage.

🤔 Common Questions