Funfetti Sourdough Bread
This colorful Funfetti Sourdough Bread is delicious and festive! Filled with rainbow sprinkles and a hint of vanilla, it’s the perfect celebration loaf for birthdays or any special occasion. Ideal for beginners and advanced bakers alike!
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) Sourdough starter
- 80 g (⅔ cup) flour
- 80 g (⅓ cup) water
Bread Dough
- 450 g (3 ¾ cups) Bread Flour
- 50 g (⅓ cup) Whole Wheat Flour
- 360 g (1 ½ cups) water
- 1 Tablespoon (15g) Vanilla Extract
- 100 g (½ cup) Sourdough Starter
- 10 g (1 ¾ tsp) salt
- 90 g (½ cup) Rainbow Sprinkles
Instructions
Feed Your Sourdough Starter
- Feed your starter: The night before, or roughly 6 to 12 hours before you plan on mixing the dough, you’ll need to feed your sourdough starter. Reserve 20g of active sourdough starter, and add 80g of water and 80g of flour. Mix together and let sit until it roughly doubles in size and is ripe and bubbly. I like to feed my starter at night and mix the dough in the morning!
Mix The Dough
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sourdough starter and water and whisk together. Pour in the bread flour, salt, and vanilla extract, and mix together until a dough forms. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.
Bulk Fermentation and Add Sprinkles
- First rise (Bulk fermentation): Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until it increases in volume by roughly 50%, is jiggly when shaken, and has air bubbles on the surface. During the bulk fermentation, you will perform 4 sets of stretch and folds to build strength in the dough and incorporate the sprinkles.
- Stretch and folds and add sprinkles: After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, perform your first set of stretch and folds. Lightly wet your hands, gently lift one edge of the dough, stretch it upward until you feel slight resistance, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides (this is one set). Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, sprinkle about ⅓ of the sprinkles evenly over the surface of the dough. Perform another set of stretch and folds to incorporate them. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Repeat this process two more times, adding the remaining sprinkles in thirds, for a total of 4 sets of stretch and folds.Continue to let the dough rise until it has increased in volume by roughly 50%, jiggles when shaken, and has air bubbles on top.
- Shape the dough: Once your dough is done with the bulk fermentation, it’s time to shape! First, prepare your proofing basket by lining it with a towel or liner and lightly dusting it with flour. Lightly flour your work surface and the top of the dough, then flip the dough out so the floured side is down, forming a loose rectangle. To shape the dough, begin by folding the bottom third up toward the center. Fold the left side into the middle, then fold the right side over it so they slightly overlap. Next, fold the top edge down just past the center, then bring the bottom edge up and over to seal. Flip the dough so the seam is facing down on the counter. With lightly floured hands, gently pull the dough toward you against the work surface to create surface tension and form a tight round. Use a bench scraper to carefully transfer it into a floured proofing basket, seam-side up. If you’d like a visual reference, this is a helpful video from The Perfect Loaf demonstrating the technique.
- Cold proof (second rise): Cover the dough and transfer to the refrigerator to cold proof overnight, or up to 48 hours. This process helps to develop flavor, and allows time for the starter to break down the flour and release the nutritional and gut-healthy benefits of sordough fermentation!
Day 2: Preheat, Score and Bake
- Preheat: The next morning, or when you’re ready to bake your funfetti sourdough, place your Dutch oven with the lid on into the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30–60 minutes. A fully heated Dutch oven is key for a strong oven spring, so don’t skip this step.
- Score: Remove the dough from the fridge and place a piece of parchment over the top. Carefully flip the dough out onto the parchment. Using a bread lame or sharp knife, score at about a 45° angle, cutting just beneath the surface skin of the dough. One long score along the side works beautifully to let the loaf expand.
- Bake: Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven, take off the lid, and use the parchment to lower the dough inside. Cover and bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and lower the temp to 450°F, then bake an additional 10–15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown or the internal temperature reaches 208–210°F. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely (1–2 hours) before slicing to reveal those colorful funfetti sprinkles.
- Enjoy! Enjoy your delicious homemade funffetti sourdough bread with any of your favorite toppings like, whipped brown butter or cream cheese!