Sourdough Nettles Bread - Healthy & Nutritious

by Feli Chic'Cuisine

Sourdough bread is known for its health benefits and delicious taste. But what happens when we incorporate nettles, a plant packed with essential nutrients? Well, we achieve a delightful and nutritious combination!

Not only is the taste remarkable, but also the health benefits that this bread provides. With each slice, you will enjoy a delicious snack but also receive a valuable dose of essential nutrients for your body.

Nettles are plants renowned for their abundance of proteins, vitamins, and minerals such as vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. Typically harvested during the spring and summer when the plants are young and vibrant, nettles offer a multitude of health benefits.

Instead of boiling, the nettles are finely chopped and incorporated directly into the dough. With the addition of nettles, the bread retains its moisture, yielding a springy texture without becoming overly dense

In addition to this recipe, I've included a teaspoon of natural spirulina to enhance nutrient content and give the bread a green hue, symbolizing nature's resurgence with its vibrant freshness.

It's a valuable addition that complements the taste and nutritional advantages of nettle bread, offering a delightful and healthy culinary experience.

Spirulina is a micro-algae prized for its high protein, fiber, essential vitamins, and mineral content. Its rich chlorophyll content gives the bread a pleasing green color, accentuating the flavor and freshness of the natural ingredients.

Before you start baking sourdough, make sure you have an active sourdough starter - a mix of flour and water that's alive and ready to go.

When mixed, this blend starts fermenting, capturing wild yeasts and bacteria from the surroundings. A part of this mixture is then used to raise your bread dough.

To ensure your starter stays healthy, it needs regular feedings of flour and water to maintain its vigor for optimal leavening.

To activate my starter, I take out roughly half of the existing starter and replace it with an equal amount of flour and water in the jar.

After thoroughly whisking the mixture until it's smooth, I leave it to rest at room temperature or in a warm location (ideally between 75-80º F / 24-26º C) until it develops bubbles and shows signs of activity

Then, once it's lively and bubbling, it's ready to be used as a starter for baking your delicious sourdough bread or any other fermented treats you desire.

The Nettle Bread Recipe is simple, requiring no kneading but a little extra time. I recommend making it in the evening and allowing it to rest overnight. This gives it time to relax and lets the gluten develop, leading to a wonderfully light and airy texture.

Rather than boiling, I finely chop the nettles and mix them directly into the dough. By adding nettles, the bread keeps its moisture, resulting in a springy texture without becoming too dense.

The Nettle Bread Recipe is simple, requiring no kneading but a bit more time. Therefore, I suggest preparing it in the evening and letting it rest overnight to relax and allow the gluten to develop, resulting in a beautifully airy texture.

With minimal effort, you can still achieve a delicious loaf of bread with a beautifully airy texture and crisp crust.

To honor this humble yet remarkable plant, let's embark on a culinary adventure with this nettle bread recipe—a harmonious blend of nutritional excellence.

Prepare the dough

Baking time

The Nettle Bread Recipe is easy and doesn't require kneading, but it does benefit from a longer resting time. I recommend preparing it in the evening and allowing it to rest overnight. This relaxation period helps develop gluten, resulting in a wonderfully airy texture.

Sourdough Nettles

Bread Recipe

Sourdough Nettles Bread offers a distinctively delicious flavor, blending sourdough tanginess with earthy notes from the nettles. The outcome is a bread with a rich, complex taste that's hearty and deeply satisfying.

PREP TIME: 1 day  | BAKING TIME: 1 h    

TOTAL TIME: 1 h | SERVES: 1 loaf 

Ingredients

Method

Prepare the dough

1. In a big bowl, mix together Wholemeal bread flour, white flour water. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Then cover and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Incorporate the salt, active sourdough starter, finely chopped nettle, and spirulina if you use) into the dough mixture. Ensure all ingredients are well combined.

3. Using your hand in a fork-like manner, gather the dough by gently stretching it from the edges and folding it towards the center. Repeat this motion 3-4 times.

4. Sprinkle wheat flour evenly over the dough to maintain moisture on the surface. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. Continue to stretch and fold the dough three additional times, at 20-minute intervals, without kneading. Ensure the dough maintains a soft and sticky consistency. Wetting your hand with water can facilitate the folding process.

6. Sprinkle wholemeal flour evenly over the dough, then cover it with a towel and leave it to rest 6 to 12 or overnight at room temperature. This allows the dough to develop its gluten.

Prepare for baking

7. Generously dust a proofing basket or bowl with flour. Turn the dough onto a surface generously sprinkled with flour. Shape it into a round, gently folding the edges toward the center without kneading or deflating the dough. The dough will be quite soft.

8. Carefully transfer it to the prepared basket or bowl, sprinkle with flour, and let it rest for an hour. During this time, you'll notice air bubbles forming from the fermentation process.

9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°C / fan 230°C / gas mark 10. Place a cast iron pot with a lid inside the oven to heat up.

Baking

10. Remove the cast iron from the oven with caution as it will be hot. Line it with baking paper. Then, carefully place the loaf upside down into the hot pot.

11. Using a razor blade, make a slash in the dough or create decorative patterns. Put the lid on and bake for 35 minutes. Then bake uncovered for 15 minutes more.

12. Let it cool before slicing. Enjoy with butter, fresh cheese, goat cheese, or vegetable tapenades for a delightful culinary experience.

Enjoy!

“Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort​"― Norman Kolpa​​

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