Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Phew! That title is a mouthful, but this bread is so good, it is hard to "name" it without including all of it's delicious ingredients!

This recipe is from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads and was such a success I had to share it! I lightly adapted it and made mine half sourdough/half yeast driven (and will explain where I veered from his original below) and added a bit of whey to the biga and soaker, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and have included the recipe in almost verbatim format below. I had my first slice this morning and it has been such a joy to eat it toasted up with cream cheese on top for breakfast (Lloyd loved it too! He wasn't interested in his oatmeal as long as my breakfast was visible!) We will be making this again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

Please keep in mind that this bread will take at least two days to make (and the doughs can sit in the fridge for longer if something comes up - mine ended up waiting an extra day while we went on an unexpected hike!); the first day to make the biga and soaker, which soak the flour overnight, and the second day to assemble and bake the bread. Actual processing time is very minimal though!

PS - Keep an eye out for one of my most treasured gifts from this past Christmas - Grandma Norma's rolling pin! Don't you adore it's green handles?

Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan Cinnamon Swirl Bread
makes 1 large loaf
lightly adapted from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads

Soaker

1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup milk, buttermilk, yogurt or nut milk (if I use milk, I add 1.5-2 teaspoons of whey to it to help in the soaking process. Yogurt and buttermilk already have whey.)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other dried fruit

Combine the flour, salt and milk in a bowl and mix for about 1 minute until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Add cranberries and use wet hands to knead the dough until evenly incorporated.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. If it will be more than 24 hours, place the soaker in the refrigerator; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.

Biga

1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (I substituted 6 Tablespoons of freshly fed sourdough starter. If using starter, the dough will be very tacky. If using active dry yeast rather than instant, use 1/3 teaspoon of yeast mixed in a bit of warm water to bloom first before adding to dough)
6 Tablespoons milk, buttermilk, yogurt or nut milk (if I use milk, I add 1.5-2 teaspoons of whey to it to help in the soaking process. Yogurt and buttermilk already have whey)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

About two hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly, but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

Final Dough

All soaker
All biga
7 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
5/8 teaspoon sea salt
2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (I substituted 1 Tablespoon of active dry yeast, bloomed slightly in warm water prior to adding to dough)
1-1/2 Tablespoons honey OR 2 Tablespoons brown sugar or Muscovado sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, or walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (3 generous Tablespoons brown or Muscovado sugar plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon) for spiral swirl

Using a metal pastry scraper, chop the soaker and the biga into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some of the extra flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other.)
If mixing by hand, combine the soaker and biga pieces in a bowl with the 7 Tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey and cinnamon. Stir vigorously with a large spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not, add more flour or water as needed. If using a stand mixer, put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 Tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey and cinnamon. Mix with the paddle attachment on slow speed for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-doughs become cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Sprinkle the nuts over the surface of the dough and knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft, supple and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for for approximately 45-60 minutes until it is about 1-1/2 times its original size.

When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with about 1 Tablespoon of extra flour and gently transfer the dough to the floured work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try to not to rip or tear the dough). Roll the dough out to an 8-inch square approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface, pressing into the dough, and roll it up into a tight loaf. Place the dough into a greased bread ban (it can also be based as a freestanding loaf on a sheet pan or baking stone). Mist the top of the dough with pan spray, (I found that I did not have to mist it as I had plenty of oil left over on the dough from the greased bowl) cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45-60 minutes until the loaf crests above the pan.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pan on the middle shelf and immediately lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 25 to 40 minutes (mine took 30 minutes) until the loaf is a rich brown on all sides, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom and registers at least 195 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!!