Lemon Blueberry Sweet Sourdough Bread

What the heck is this?

So I was messing around with my sourdough starter one day (you know, like the pandemic never ended) and thought, “Why am I only making savory loaves?” That’s when this beautiful monster was born. It’s a sweet sourdough bread loaded with bursts of juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor, but still has that amazing sourdough tang and chewy texture we all became obsessed with. It’s basically what would happen if a classic sourdough loaf and a blueberry muffin had a really good-looking baby.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Let me tell you why this bread is about to become your new weekend project:

• That sourdough tang pairs INSANELY well with sweet-tart lemon and blueberries. Trust me, it’s a flavor combo you didn’t know you needed.
• It makes your house smell like a fancy bakery for hours.
• The texture is ridiculous – chewy, soft interior with a crackling crust.
• Your starter needs to be fed anyway, so might as well make something different!
• It looks impressive as hell when you slice into it and see those purple blueberry swirls.
• Works for breakfast with some butter, as a snack, or even as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Your Instagram will thank you for the photos (those blueberry bursts are photogenic AF).

The Good Stuff You’ll Need

For the Levain (Starter):

• 75g active sourdough starter (the bubblier, the better)
• 75g all-purpose flour (I just use regular old Gold Medal, nothing fancy)
• 75g warm water (about 80°F/27°C if you’re being persnickety about it)

For the Dough:

• All of your levain from above
• 400g all-purpose flour
• 50g sugar (can go up to 75g if you want it sweeter)
• 8g salt (about 1½ teaspoons if you don’t have a scale)
• Zest of 2 lemons (seriously, use fresh lemons – that bottled stuff is NOT the same)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 230g warm water
• 25g unsalted butter, softened (that’s about 2 tablespoons)
• 200g fresh blueberries (frozen work too, but don’t thaw them first or you’ll have purple dough)

For the Topping (Optional but recommended):

• 1 egg white for egg wash
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or regular granulated sugar
• Extra lemon zest
• A handful of sliced almonds if you’re feeling fancy

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Let’s Do This

Day 1: Build Your Levain (5 minutes + overnight rest)

1. Mix your starter, flour, and water in a jar or small bowl. It should look like thick pancake batter.
2. Cover it loosely and let it hang out at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or until it’s doubled and bubbly. I usually make mine before bed so it’s ready in the morning.

Day 2: Make the Dough (30 minutes + lots of waiting)

Morning: Mix the Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine your bubbly levain with water and lemon juice. Stir to break up the levain.
2. Add flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Mix until you have a shaggy mess. It’ll look rough and you might panic a bit – that’s normal.
3. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This is called the autolyse and it’s just letting the flour hydrate. Go have some coffee.
4. Come back and add the softened butter. Work it in with your hands by squishing and folding. It’s messy. Embrace it.
5. Once the butter is incorporated, it’s time for the fun part. Transfer the dough to a clean countertop and knead for about 5-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should pass the “window pane test” – if you stretch a small piece, it should form a thin membrane before breaking.

Bulk Fermentation (Afternoon)

1. Put your dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise at room temperature for about 4-5 hours. During this time, you’ll do some stretches and folds.
2. Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, do a set of stretch and folds. Grab a side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3 more times. This builds structure.
3. After your last stretch and fold, carefully fold in the blueberries. Try to distribute them evenly, but don’t manhandle the dough too much or you’ll turn everything purple.
4. Let the dough continue to rise until it’s nearly doubled and looks puffy. This could take another 2-3 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Shaping (Evening)

1. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Try not to deflate all those beautiful bubbles.
2. Shape it into a round (boule) or oval (batard) by gently pulling the edges into the center, creating surface tension.
3. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a floured banneton (fancy bread basket) or a regular bowl lined with a well-floured kitchen towel.
4. Cover it and either:
   • Let it rise at room temp for 2-3 hours until it passes the “poke test” (when you poke it, the dough should slowly spring back but leave a slight indentation)
   • OR put it in the fridge overnight for a slower rise (this develops more flavor and is easier to schedule)

Day 3: Baking Day! (1 hour)

1. About an hour before baking, place your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C).
2. When ready to bake, carefully take your cold dough from the fridge (or room temp dough) and turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper.
3. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar, extra lemon zest, and sliced almonds if using.
4. Score the top with a razor blade or sharp knife. Get creative! A simple “X” works, or you can go wild with designs.
5. Carefully lower the parchment with dough into the hot Dutch oven. Be careful, that pot is HOT!
6. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Reduce temperature to 425°F (220°C), remove the lid, and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
8. HERE’S THE HARDEST PART: Let it cool for AT LEAST 1 hour before cutting. I know it’s torture, but if you cut it too soon, it’ll be gummy inside.

Serving Suggestions

• Slice it thick, toast it lightly, and slather with salted butter. Simple but perfect.
• Spread some mascarpone or cream cheese on it for a cheesecake vibe.
• Use it for the most epic French toast you’ve ever had in your life.
• Cube it up, toast it, and use it for a summery bread pudding.
• If it starts getting stale (after day 2-3), make lemony blueberry bread crumbs for topping yogurt or ice cream.
• It’s amazing with tea or coffee for breakfast, or with a dessert wine after dinner.

Switch It Up

Got the sourdough bug? Try these twists:

• Orange Cranberry: Swap lemon zest for orange and blueberries for dried cranberries soaked in orange juice.
• Cinnamon Apple: Replace lemon with cinnamon and blueberries with diced apples tossed in cinnamon sugar.
• Chocolate Cherry: Add cocoa powder to the dough and use fresh or dried cherries instead of blueberries.
• Lemon Poppyseed: Keep the lemon, skip the blueberries, and add 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds to the dough.
• Honey Lavender: Replace sugar with honey and add 1 tablespoon of dried culinary lavender. Skip the blueberries or keep them – both work!

Bread-Saving Tips

• If your blueberries are very juicy, toss them with a tablespoon of flour before folding them in. This helps prevent the dreaded “purple dough syndrome.”
• This bread is best eaten within 2-3 days. Store it cut-side down on a cutting board, or wrap in a clean kitchen towel.
• Don’t store it in the fridge – that dries it out faster. But you can freeze slices wrapped individually for up to 3 months.
• If you have a bread machine, DON’T use it for this recipe. Sourdough needs the long fermentation and gentle handling.
• Make sure your starter is really active before beginning. It should at least double within 6-8 hours of feeding.

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Questions People Actually Ask

Q: I don’t have a Dutch oven. Can I still make this?
A: Absolutely! You can use a baking stone with a metal bowl as a cover, or even just a regular baking sheet with a roasting pan over it to create steam. The crust won’t be quite as crackling, but it’ll still be delicious.

Q: Can I use whole wheat flour?
A: You can replace up to 25% of the flour with whole wheat. Any more than that and you’ll need to adjust hydration (add more water) because whole wheat absorbs more liquid.

Q: My dough is super sticky. Did I screw up?
A: Probably not! Sweet doughs with fruit tend to be stickier. Use wet hands instead of floured hands when handling it, and resist the urge to add too much extra flour or you’ll end up with a dense loaf.

Q: How do I know when my starter is ready to use?
A: It should be bubbly and at least doubled in size. The float test is helpful – drop a small amount in water and if it floats, it’s ready to go.

Q: Can I make this without a starter?
A: That would be a different recipe entirely. The starter is what makes it sourdough! If you don’t have one, you can make a quick bread with lemon and blueberries, but it won’t have that distinctive sourdough flavor and texture.

Q: My blueberries burst and made the dough purple. Is it ruined?
A: Not at all! It might not be as pretty when sliced, but a purple-swirled loaf tastes just as amazing. Call it “Blueberry Galaxy Bread” and pretend you did it on purpose.

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