This apple sourdough bread is a cozy twist on classic sourdough, featuring chunks of fresh apple that melt into the dough during baking. The result is a subtly sweet, naturally leavened loaf that’s perfect for fall mornings or anytime you’re craving something comforting and wholesome.
Recipe: $2.40 | Per Serving: $0.15 | Yields: 16 slices
It’s a deliciously resourceful way to use up apples that are a little past their prime or to highlight the best of the season’s harvest. Whether you’re just getting into sourdough or you’re eager to explore new flavor pairings, this apple sourdough loaf offers a soft, tender crumb infused with gentle spice and natural sweetness.
Crafted with active sourdough starter, this bread delivers that signature tangy flavor, perfectly balanced by juicy apple pieces and warm undertones of cinnamon or nutmeg. It’s a cozy, satisfying bake that’s just as good for breakfast as it is for snacking or serving alongside a hearty fall meal.
For more ideas like this, check out my Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins or Sourdough Apple Muffins.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Balanced flavor: The tartness of the sourdough pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the apples.
- Moist texture: Apples add natural moisture, making the crumb soft and satisfying.
- Versatile base: Easily adaptable with nuts, spices, or different apple varieties.
🥘 Ingredients
Active sourdough starter: This gives the bread its rise and characteristic tang. Make sure it’s bubbly and recently fed.
Bread flour: Provides the structure needed for a tall, chewy loaf.
Chopped apples: Adds sweetness and moisture; use firm varieties like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
📖 Variations
Pears: If you're looking to switch things up, pears make a wonderful substitute for apples. They offer a milder sweetness and a similar soft texture when baked. Choose firm, ripe pears like Bosc or Anjou for the best results. You can also experiment with a mix of apples and pears to create a more complex flavor. For added depth, consider sprinkling in a bit of ground ginger or cardamom along with your usual cinnamon.
🔪 Instructions for Apple Sourdough Bread
Step 1: THE NIGHT BEFORE: Prepare your levain by mixing together 50g active sourdough starter with 50g bread flour and 50g water in a bowl or jar. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours). (Image 1).
Step 2: IN THE MORNING: In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g bread flour and 350g water. (Image 2). Mix until no dry flour remains. (Image 3). Cover and let it rest (autolyse) for 1 hour.
Step 3: Add the prepared levain and 10g salt to the dough. (Image 4). Mix thoroughly until well incorporated. (Image 5).
Step 4: Cover the bowl and let rest for 4 hours, but perform 3 stretch and folds 30 minutes apart during the first part of the 4 hours.
Step 5: After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, do your first set of stretch and folds. Do this by lifting half of the dough in the bowl and folding it over onto itself, (Image 7), give the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until you've done it 4 times. Cover and let rest.
Step 6: In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add diced apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (Image 9).
Step 7: Cook until the apples are tender and the mixture is slightly caramelized (about 5-7 minutes). (Image 10). Let it cool completely.
Step 8: After the 4 hours, before the cold chill, gently fold the cooled apple mixture into the dough until evenly distributed.
Do this by laying the dough out into a large rectangle about 12x16 inches big. (Image 11).
Spread half of the COOLED apple mixture over the dough. (Image 12).
Fold in half and add a little more apple filling over the top. (Image 13).
Fold in half again, it should look like a wedge. (Image 14).
If you have a small amount of apple filling left, put it on top of the wedge (Image 15), and try folding again, this time it will be tight but use your fingers to pinch the seams closed. (Image 16).
Step 9: Shape the loaf for proofing. Grab the furthermost pieces of loose dough and bring them up and over the seam you created. (Image 17). You want to bring opposite sides over on another to try and seal in all the gaps. Pinch the dough as needed to hold it in place.
Step 10: Place the dough, smooth side down into a floured proofing basket. If you don't have one, a parchment lined bowl works too. (Image 18). Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge overnight (or for 8-12 hours).
Step 11: IN THE MORNING: Preheat your oven to 475°F with a Dutch oven inside. Once preheated, carefully remove the Dutch oven.
Step 12: Remove your bread dough from the fridge. (Image 19). Place a piece of parchment paper (or on a silicone bread sling) over the bowl of chilled dough and invert it onto the paper.
Step 13: Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or lame. (Image 20). Transfer the dough (with parchment) into the Dutch oven. (Image 21).
Step 14: Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown. (Image 22).
Step 15: Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. I recommend 3 hours or until cooled to the touch.
Slice and Enjoy!
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Choose firm apples. For best texture, use firm apples that won’t turn to mush. This bread toasts beautifully and pairs well with honey, butter, or even a sharp cheese.
- Note: I recommend using rice flour on the proofing basket but bread flour on your work surface. This is because the bread flour will dissolve into the bread and not create weird pockets of air, while the rice flour will prevent sticking thanks to its non-gluten structure.
- Scoring Tip: If you find your dough hard to score neatly before baking, remove it from the oven after 5-10 minutes of baking and then go over your score marks again. This will give you deeper cuts for the dough to expand.
- Make Ahead: You can cold-proof this dough overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor and easier scoring.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Store at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze in an airtight bag. Toast from frozen as needed.
Reheating: Toast slices in a toaster or oven at 350°F for 5–7 minutes for a warm, crisp edge.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
Try adding nuts. Add 100g of chopped pecans during the second set of stretch and folds for crunch and flavor. Instead of pecans, try walnuts or hazelnuts for a different nutty crunch.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Homemade sourdough bread usually stays fresh for about 3 to 5 days when kept at room temperature. How long it lasts depends on things like the moisture in the dough and the humidity in your kitchen.
To keep your loaf from drying out too quickly, store it in a bread box or wrap it loosely in a clean kitchen towel inside a paper bag. This helps balance airflow and moisture without trapping too much humidity.
Yes, this sourdough bread has a subtle apple flavor—not overpowering, but definitely present. The apple pieces melt slightly into the dough as it bakes, adding natural sweetness and moisture. You’ll get little bursts of apple in some bites, especially if you use a flavorful variety like Honeycrisp or Fuji.
Absolutely! If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can still get a great crust by baking it "open." Place your shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet or preheated baking stone.
To create steam, the key for a crusty exterior, add a casserole dish or metal pan filled with hot water to the bottom rack of your oven as it preheats. This mimics the steamy environment of a Dutch oven and helps your sourdough rise beautifully while baking.
❤️ More Delicious Sourdough Recipes
If you tried this Apple Sourdough Bread, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Apple Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Silicone Bread Sling *or parchment paper
Ingredients
Levain:
- 50 g active sourdough starter ($0.05)
- 50 g bread flour ($0.09)
- 50 g water ($0.00)
Dough:
- 500 g bread flour ($0.86)
- 300 g water ($0.00)
- 10 g salt ($0.01)
- All of the levain
Apple Mixture:
- 1 to 1¼ cups diced apples, measured after peeling and dicing ($0.91)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice ($0.10)
- 1 Tablespoon butter ($0.12)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ($0.08)
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ($0.02)
Instructions
- THE NIGHT BEFORE: Prepare your levain by mixing together 50g active sourdough starter with 50g bread flour and 50g water in a bowl or jar. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours).
- IN THE MORNING: In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g bread flour and 350g water. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and let it rest (autolyse) for 1 hour.
- Add the prepared levain and 10g salt to the dough. (Image 4). Mix thoroughly until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl and let rest for 4 hours, but perform 3 stretch and folds 30 minutes apart during the first part of the 4 hours.
- After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, do your first set of stretch and folds. Do this by lifting half of the dough in the bowl and folding it over onto itself, give the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until you've done it 4 times. Cover and let rest.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add diced apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Cook until the apples are tender and the mixture is slightly caramelized (about 5-7 minutes). Let it cool completely.
- After the 4 hours, before the cold chill, gently fold the cooled apple mixture into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Do this by laying the dough out into a large rectangle about 12x16 inches big.
- Spread half of the COOLED apple mixture over the dough.
- Fold in half and add a little more apple filling over the top.
- Fold in half again, it should look like a wedge.
- If you have a small amount of apple filling left, put it on top of the wedge, and try folding again, this time it will be tight but use your fingers to pinch the seams closed.
- Shape the loaf for proofing. Grab the furthermost pieces of loose dough and bring them up and over the seam you created. You want to bring opposite sides over on another to try and seal in all the gaps. Pinch the dough as needed to hold it in place.
- Place the dough, smooth side down into a floured proofing basket. If you don't have one, a parchment lined bowl works too. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge overnight (or for 8-12 hours).
- IN THE MORNING: Preheat your oven to 475°F with a Dutch oven inside. Once preheated, carefully remove the Dutch oven.
- Remove your bread dough from the fridge. Place a piece of parchment paper (or on a silicone bread sling) over the bowl of chilled dough and invert it onto the paper.
- Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or lame. Transfer the dough (with parchment) into the Dutch oven.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. I recommend 3 hours or until cooled to the touch.
- Slice and Enjoy!
Notes
- Apple Tip: Use firm apples to avoid mushy texture.
- Measuring Tip: If measuring the weight of the apples, you'll want to use about 130-140g of apples.
- Flour Tip: Use rice flour in the proofing basket to prevent sticking; use bread flour on the work surface to avoid air pockets.
- Scoring Tip: Struggling to score? Bake 5–10 minutes, then re-score for deeper cuts.
- Make Ahead: Cold-proof overnight for better flavor and easier scoring.
Nicole Durham says
This sourdough combines the flavors of apple pie and bread in every warm chewy bite!