Christmas Sourdough Flavours: 12 Festive Loaf Ideas

Any good sourdough loaf can become a Christmas loaf with the right fold-ins. These are the festive flavours we bake most, all based on a standard loaf made with about 500 g flour. The amounts below are what we fold into one loaf; add them during the bulk ferment, at the second or third set of stretch and folds, or spread them over the dough when you laminate it.

12 festive sourdough flavours

1. Cranberry and orange

120 g dried cranberries soaked in orange juice, plus the zest of 1 orange. Bright, festive and good with turkey sandwiches.

2. Cranberry and walnut

80 g cranberries and 70 g toasted walnuts. The classic cheeseboard loaf: see our cranberry and walnut sourdough recipe.

3. Dark chocolate and cherry

80 g chopped dark chocolate and 70 g dried sour cherries. Almost a dessert, and excellent toasted.

4. Stilton and walnut

100 g crumbled Stilton and 60 g toasted walnuts, folded in at the last set of folds so the cheese stays in pockets.

5. Gingerbread spice

1½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of clove, 30 g black treacle in the water and 60 g chopped stem ginger.

6. Mince pie loaf

150 g mincemeat swirled through during shaping. It is wet, so hold back about 15 g of the water.

7. Fig and port

120 g chopped dried figs soaked overnight in 40 ml port, drained well. Rich and very good with pâté.

8. Chestnut and sage

100 g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped, and a small handful of chopped fresh sage. A savoury loaf that makes excellent stuffing once stale: see our sourdough stuffing.

9. Caramelised onion and Gruyère

1 large onion cooked down slowly until jammy and cooled, plus 80 g Gruyère in cubes.

10. Orange and sultana, panettone-style

120 g sultanas, 40 g candied peel and orange zest in a plain dough: a little taste of panettone without the three-day project.

11. Clementine and cardamom

The zest of 3 clementines and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Light, fragrant and lovely for Christmas breakfast.

12. A green Christmas loaf

A matcha dough rolled up with a plain one, with 60 g dried cranberries for a red and green swirl. Start from our matcha swirl sourdough, and our matcha sourdough guide explains how to keep the green bright.

Tips for festive fold-ins

• Soak dried fruit. Cover it with warm water, juice or alcohol for at least an hour and drain it well, or it pulls water out of the dough and burns on the crust.
• Toast the nuts. It makes a big difference to the flavour. Let them cool before adding.
• Keep to 20–30%. About 100–150 g of extras per 500 g flour. More than that and the loaf usually struggles to rise.
• Go easy on spice. Ground spices above about 1–2 teaspoons can slow the rise, so allow a little more time.
• Bake a little cooler. Sugary fillings catch, so drop the oven by about 10°C once the lid comes off.

For full recipes, see our Christmas sourdough recipes: panettone, stollen, a Camembert wreath, stuffing and the Boxing Day sandwich.

FAQ

How much fruit or nuts can I add to a sourdough loaf?

About 20–30% of the flour weight, so 100–150 g for a loaf made with 500 g flour. More than that and the loaf usually struggles to rise and holds together less well.

When should I add inclusions to sourdough?

During the bulk ferment, usually at the second or third set of stretch and folds, or spread over the dough when you laminate it. Adding them at the start makes the dough harder to develop.

Do spices slow down sourdough?

Strong spices like cinnamon and clove can, especially above about 1% of the flour. Keep ground spices to 1–2 teaspoons per 500 g flour and allow a little more time for the rise.

What is the easiest Christmas sourdough flavour for a beginner?

Cranberry and orange, or cranberry and walnut. Both are simple to fold in, do not affect the rise much and go with almost everything on a Christmas table.