Fig Forest Crust

A juicy, compact master loaf with deep sourdough aroma, sweet figs, and crunchy walnuts – matured quietly, baked powerfully.

Instructions

1. Day 1, morning: Mix the sourdough starter with 40 g of Swiss semi-white flour, 40 g of water, and the 20 g of starter. Cover and let it mature for 6-8 hours at room temperature until visibly risen.
2. Day 1, evening: From the matured starter, build the main sourdough: mix 80 g of the active starter with 120 g of Swiss semi-white flour, 120 g of rye flour, and 200 g of water. Cover and let it mature for 10-12 hours at room temperature until the sourdough is airy, aromatic, and slightly domed.
3. Day 2, morning: For the seed soaker, mix the diced figs and walnuts with 180 g of water and let soak for 2-4 hours. Then drain well. Important: This seed soaker is only added at the very end to the fully kneaded dough.
4. Day 2, noon: For the main dough, briefly mix 350 g of Swiss semi-white flour, 30 g of rye flour, 160 g of water, and 400 g of matured sourdough, then let rest covered for 30 minutes.
5. Then add the salt and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth, tight, and elastic. The gluten structure should be well developed; the dough should appear compact and juicy.
6. Now, only in the last 1-2 minutes, gently fold in the drained fig-walnut seed soaker on the slowest speed or by hand, ensuring the pieces remain whole and are evenly distributed.
7. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container and let it mature for 2.5-3 hours at room temperature. During the first 90 minutes, stretch and fold the dough every 30 minutes to build stability.
8. Then gently pre-shape the dough into a round, let it rest for 20 minutes, and then shape it tightly into a round or oval loaf.
9. Place the loaf seam side up in a well-floured proofing basket, cover, and let it cold retard for 14-18 hours at 4-6 °C in the refrigerator. This long, cool fermentation deepens the acidity, binds moisture, and makes the crumb particularly juicy and compact.
10. Day 3: Preheat the oven with a cast iron pot or baking stone to 250 °C. Turn the loaf directly from the refrigerator onto parchment paper or into the hot pot, score it, and create a strong steam or close the pot.
11. Bake for 20 minutes at 250 °C, then lower the temperature to 215 °C. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is deeply developed and the loaf appears well baked.
12. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack, ideally for at least 2 hours. This allows the juicy, compact crumb to set properly and the flavor to round out.