Beetroot and walnut bread made with dried sourdough starter. Fantastic, although the color didn’t fully convince me; the flavor, however, completely satisfied me and the walnuts add even more balance and crunch. I won’t deny that beetroot is not my favorite vegetable, and perhaps in bread I found a way to fully enjoy it, because I know for sure that beetroot is really healthy and has many properties, like vitamins A, B and C. It contains iron, potassium and magnesium, is rich in water, low in calories and very nutritious. Truly ideal for everyone: you can buy it fresh and boil it to use in salads or soups. Raw, instead, it’s even better for preserving nutrients that would be lost in boiling water.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 321.11 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 53.73 (g) of which sugars 3.81 (g)
- Proteins 10.30 (g)
- Fat 7.98 (g) of which saturated 0.13 (g)of which unsaturated 0.54 (g)
- Fibers 3.07 (g)
- Sodium 731.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 105 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups Type 0 wheat flour
- 1 cup boiled beetroot
- 2/3 cup water
- 1.2 oz dried sourdough starter
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup walnuts, shelled (shelled)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
Tools
- Stand mixer
- Food processor
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cutting board
- Knife
Steps
For convenience, I used pre-boiled beetroot that is easily found commercially. Of course, if you prefer, you can use fresh beetroot and cook it yourself.
I put the beetroot in the food processor and pureed it.
You can also add the juice that comes in the package if you bought pre-cooked beetroot.
I pour the beetroot purée into the stand mixer and add the dried sourdough starter.
I also add the flour with the sugar and start the mixer. I add the water, in which I have already dissolved the salt.
I mix everything with the dough hook and let it rest for a few minutes. I make a cross cut, cover with cling film and let it rise for 2 hours.
I crush the walnuts and, when I reach the required weight,
I put them in a small pot with cold water.
Once it reaches a boil, after 5 minutes of cooking I turn off the heat and let them drain.
I coarsely chop the walnuts on the cutting board.
Here is the colored beetroot bread dough ready after 2 hours of rising.
At this point, I roll out the dough and add the walnuts in the center.
I begin to incorporate the two ingredients,
making several turns and kneading vigorously.
If you wish, you can make a single loaf or, as I did, 4 rolls.
I made a couple more folds and then divided the dough into 4 pieces and placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes.
This is the result after half an hour: the beetroot and walnut bread has risen again.
I bake the bread in the oven at 392°F for 30 minutes.
This is the result after baking: rolls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The beetroot and walnut bread is ready and I must say it fully convinced me!
Delicious on its own with a drizzle of olive oil or to accompany side dishes and main courses.
