Pain de Pecan (Toasted Pecan Sourdough Bread)

This pain de pecan begins with a combination of white and whole wheat flours, and is studded with toasted whole pecans. 

This bread, loaded with toasted pecans, is tasty with just butter or toasted with butter. It also makes nice cinnamon toast or grilled cheese.

It’s been a while (too long!) since I’ve made a sourdoough bread, a wonderful spelt and poppyseed loaf, but since then, time got away from me. I’ve been keeping my starter in the fridge, feeding it every week or two to keep it happy. 

Fortunately, when I decided to make this pecan sourdough bread, it just took a couple of feedings and my starter was ready to go. 

P.S. If you find yourself on a sourdough bread hiatus, there are plenty ways you can use some of your starter before refreshing it. I’ve used it for making onion rings, muffins, brownies, pancakes, cookies, and lots and lots of crackers. 

Ingredients You Will Need: 

Sourdough Starter/Levain: Your starter should be 100% hydration, meaning that it contains half flour and half water, by weight. You starter should have been fed within the last 24 hours. 

Water: I use bottled drinking water or filtered water, but I’m sure tap water is fine. To get rid of any chlorine in tap water, measure the water and let it sit out for a few hours. You can also boil it for 15 minutes. 

Flours: Two thirds bread flour and one third whole wheat flour. 

Salt: I used flake sea salt, but you can use kosher or table salt as well. It’s best to weigh your salt because salt can vary in size. 

Toasted Pecan Halves: Get the biggest pecans you can find. I toasted my pecans on a hot cast iron skillet, but you can also toast them on a sheet pan in the oven. Just watch them closely and remove them from the heat when they are slightly browned and fragrant. 

Process to Make this Pain de Pecan:

First, mix the levain/starter, flours, and water together and let sit for about 40 minutes. Then, add the salt and knead it in by hand or machine for about eight to ten minutes, adding the pecans at the end of the kneading process. 

Next, let the dough rest and rise for about two hours and thirty minutes, stretching and folding the dough every thirty minutes three times. The dough should double in size. 

After that, preshape the dough into a boule or batard, cover it, and let it rest on the counter for twenty minutes. Then, shape the final loaf and place it into a banneton or bowl to rise for about two hours. 

Heat your oven to 500 degrees F with a Dutch oven on the center rack. To bake the loaf, transfer the dough to the heated Dutch oven and bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes more, until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F. 

Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack. 

Equipment You May Need:

Cast Iron Dutch Oven: These come in handy for capturing steam to help the loaf rise before the crust sets. You will also get a crispier crust. You can also bake the loaf on a baking stone and add steam to your oven via a steam pan placed under the stone, and/or by spraying the oven early in the baking process. 

Banneton Bread Proofing Basket: You can use a round one for a boule or one that is elongated for a batard. You can also line a medium bowl with a floured tea towel and use that for letting the shaped loaf rise. 

Kitchen Scale: This is necessary for accurate measuring of the ingredients. 

Recipe Variations:

You can substitute white whole wheat, whole spelt flour, or even barley flour for the whole wheat flour. You can also substitute walnuts for the pecans. 

More Recipes using Pecans:

Pecan pralines

Chocolate pecan butter cups

Pecan tassies

Shortbread cookies

Pear, Pecan, and Parmesan Salad

Sweet potato pecan cookies

Sourdough muffins

Cheddar cheese and pecan crisps (crackers)

More Recipes Featuring Pecans from the Sunday Funday Group: