Firecracker Sourdough Bread

Colorful firecracker sourdough bread without any touch of sweetener is terrific addition while celebrating 4^th of July.

It is hard to think of July 4^th celebrations without fireworks. This firecracker sourdough bread made with naturally coloring ingredients, with a touch of edible food color.

What is naturally colored sourdough bread?

Sourdough breads  colored with natural ingredients like butterfly pea flower for blue color, turmeric for yellow, cocoa powder for brown,  carrot for orange color. Spinach for green color and prickly pear for pink color.

How to make this Firecracker Sourdough Bread ?

You need following ingredients to make this bread.

Active sourdough starter : I have used 100% hydration  Sourdough starter.

Artisan bread flour : You can use any kind of bread flour.

Rye flour : Dark rye flour is good for nutritional content.

Spelt flour : Orange spelt flour is used in this recipe.                      

 Salt : Not only control the fermentation but also adds flavor.

Water : 84% hydration is used  in the recipe.

Butterfly pea flower (for blue color).

Beetroot powder ( indent to get red but turned out to be pink).

Two drops Edible food color(red , optional).

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

First you need to make an active starter. Make it  double in volume before adding it into the dough.

Then make butterfly pea flower water and beetroot water.

Make butterfly pea flower tea using butterfly pea flower

Separately autolyse, add starter to all the three doughs. Dough without any color, one with butterfly pea flower, and one with beetroot powder. Add two drops of red color to beet root powder dough.

In a large bowl add both bread flour, rye flour and spelt flour and autolyze the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Incorporate the starter and then add salt.

After few stretches, fold the dough.

Laminate all the three doughs.

After 1 hour shape the dough.

Proof overnight and then scores and bake.

Boil the butterfly pea flower in water to make butterfly pea flower tea

Dissolve beet root powder in water to make beet root powder water.

Bread flour, rye flour and spelt flour

Bread flour, rye flour and spelt flour with butterfly pea flower tea

Beetroot powder mixed with water

Three colored dough

Scored dough

Mixed well with starter, salt and water

Butterfly pea flower dough for blue colored dough with sourdough starter.

Beet root dough, add two drops of edible red food color

Dough ready for shaping

After baking

For detailed recipe check the recipe card.

Variations

If you want more color use edible food color, I found that beetroot powder or beetroot juice will not be able to retain the color if baked at higher temperatures.

But it will work in medium heat about 350F.

You can also add sweetener into the dough. However, you will not taste any butterfly pea flower or beet root taste.

Equipment

Use a good dough whisk and Pyrex glass bowl for mixing and the dough. Once it is baked and scored use a Dutch oven to bake this sourdough bread. That way you don't need to worry about the steam.

Storage

This bread will stay fresh for 4 days at room temperature. For long time storage you can slice them individually and freeze it. When it ready to serve thaw and re-heat it

Print Recipe

5 from 226 votes

Firecracker Sourdough Bread

Colorful firecracker sourdough bread without any touch of sweetener is terrific addition while celebrating 4^th of July.

Prep Time5 hours hrs

Cook Time45 minutes mins

8 hours hrs

Total Time13 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: #firecrackersourdoughbread, #sourdoughbread

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Equipment

• Pyrex bowl
• Dough whisk
• Dutch oven
• Red food color
• Butterfly Pea flower
• Beet root powder

Ingredients

• Sourdough starter
• 15 g sourdough starter I used 100% hydration 50: 50 all-purpose flours : whole wheat flour
• 40 g ⅓ cup/bread flour
• 10 g 1 tbsp./rye flour
• 50 g ¼ cup /water
• DOUGH
• FOR WHITE DOUGH
• 175 g 1 ¼ cup Bread flour
• 15 g 1tbsp/Rye
• 10 g 1 tbsp./Spelt
• 15 g 2 tbsp.;/ Starter
• 4 g 1 tsp/ Salt
• 168.8 g ¾ cup water
• FOR BLUE COLOR DOUGH
• 175 g Bread flour
• 15 g 1 tbsp./Rye flour
• 10 g 1 tbsp./Spelt flour
• 15 g 2 tbsp./Starter
• 4 g 1 tsp/Salt
• 168 g ¾ cup /Butterfly pea flower water
• FOR BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER WATER
• 7 g 1 tbsp. / butterfly pea flower dried
• 200 g 1cup/ water
• FOR RED COLOR DOUGH
• 175 g 1 ¼ cups/ Bread flour
• 15 g 1 tbsp./Rye flour
• 10 g 1tbsp/Spelt flour
• 15 g 2tbsp/ Starter
• 4 g 1tsp/Salt
• 168 g ¾ cup Beet root water
• FOR RED COLOR WATER
• 15 g 1 tbsp./Beetroot powder
• 168.8 g ¾ cup/water
• 2 drops Red food color optional

Instructions

• HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH STARTER
• In the morning make your dough combine 2 tablespoons (15-20 grams) of unfed sourdough starter with 50g of water 40 g of all-purpose flour and 10g rye flour. Mix until there are no dry bits of flour, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit out for 4-5 hours or until it doubles in volume.
• AUTOLYSE THE DOUGH
• Mix all the flours in water in a large bowl. And mix by hand until there are no dry bits. Knead for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes for white dough and 30 minutes for blue colored dough and red color dough
• MAKE DOUGH
• When sourdough starter is ready incorporate into the autolyzed dough
• Then after 30 minutes add salt and rest of water. Mix well and cover the dough again and set aside
• STRETCH AND FOLD
• Then stretch and fold the dough every 1 hour for until 2 hours. This means grabbing the underside of the dough and stretching it up and over the rest of the dough. Do few of these turns, each time you are handling the dough.
• LAMINATE THE DOUGH
• One hour after last stretch and fold do a lamination of the dough. Means spread the dough into thin sheet. Then incorporate three doughs together.
• If you are planning for 1 coil fold do that 2 hour of lamination. If you are doing 2 coil folds give 1 hour’s interval.
• SHAPING THE DOUGH
• 1.Then transfer the dough lightly floured workspace and shape them into round Boule. Fold the third of the dough closest to you inward, and then stretch the dough out to the sides. Fold the right, and then left sides in toward the center. Fold the top of the dough inward, and then wrap the bottom part of the dough over it all. If you want, you can make pre-shape and set aside for 15 minutes and then make a final shape.
• Work this into a round shape, and place seam side up in a proofing basket lined well with flour.
• COLD PROOF
• After transferring to Banneton, Let rise the dough overnight in the refrigerator. You can keep this cold retard up to 14 hours.
• SCORE AND BAKE
• When you are ready to bake preheat oven to 475°F/ 246°C.
• Remove the dough from the proofing basket and score and transfer to Dutch oven and close the lid and immediately place the top back on and return to the oven.
• At 475°F/ 246°C cook the bread for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 450°F/ 232°C for 15 minutes with lid.
• After 10 minutes remove the top of the Dutch oven and rotate the pan. Continue to bake the bread for another 15 minutes, until the crust is deeply caramelized. Give 15-20 minutes extra if you want more crusty bread.
• If you want crackling crust after switching off the oven keep oven door ajar and keep the bread inside.
• Once bread comes out of oven cool completely in the wire rack and cut it into slice and enjoy with butter

Video

Notes

Beetroot powder will not retain the color, so add two drops food color if you want. 

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.