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Earl Grey Sourdough Bread Recipe with Apricots

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Sourdough bread flavored with earl grey and studded with dried apricots for a lovely loaf of bread with a hint of floral, bergamot and dried apricots.

This sourdough bread has a lovely subtle and floral flavor from Earl Grey and the dried fruit rehydrated beautifully here, and turned almost jammy. You won't be disappointed with this beautiful sourdough loaf.
loaf of earl grey sourdough bread cut in half and stacked on top of each other
loaf of earl grey sourdough bread cut in half and stacked on top of each other

This bread has a lovely crust, a good crab, and is moist and flavorful. The Bergamont in the Earl Grey is not as strong and pungent as you would think, and just like when used for the Earl Grey Banana Bread, it gives off a subtle almost flowery flavor. The dried apricots rehydrate beautifully here, and turned almost jammy.

Once you master a basic sourdough bread recipe, its fun to add flavor! This bread is great because it adds flavor both through liquid and inclusions. If you haven’t tried adding flavor through liquid before, I recommend checking out my sourdough beer bread. If you want to practice adding inclusions into your bread, this jalapeño cheddar sourdough is a great place to start, but I am also a huge fan of this cranberry walnut sourdough bread!

New to sourdough? Read my ultimate guide to sourdough for beginners to get all the answers to your questions in easy to understand ways!

earl grey sourdough bread sliced into slices but still put together in loaf
ingredients for earl grey sourdough bread on marble counter with text overlay

Overview of this recipe

Here is a brief rundown for how to make this bread. For the full set of directions, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.

Mix the dough.

  1. Make the tea and let it steep until it is room temperature.
  2. Mix the dough together just until everything is combined.
  3. Let the dough rest and autolyse for 10 minutes.
  4. Knead until it comes together for about 5 minutes.
  5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it sit for two hours.

Stretch and fold with bulk ferment

  1. Stretch and fold the dough, by pulling a section of the dough up high and then folding it over to the other side of the bowl.
  2. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and then repeat the stretch and fold action.
  3. Continue until you have done four sets of stretch and folds, rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
  4. Recover the dough and let it sit for another two hours.
  5. Add the dried apricots to the dough and do another set of stretch and folds.
  6. Recover the dough and place the bowl in the fridge overnight.

Shaping

  1. In the morning, pull the dough from the fridge and turn it out on the counter.
  2. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and form into a circle.
  3. Place the dough in a banneton basket and allow it to come to room temperature.

Baking

  1. Heat the oven and a dutch oven to 450 F.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score as desired with a sharp knife.
  3. Place the bread into the hot dutch oven with the lid on for 10 minutes.
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 F and bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Allow the bread to cool for 2 hours before slicing.

Storage info

Store this bread in a paper bag or wrapped in a tea towel at room temperature to help it stay fresh. You can also store it cut side down on a wooden cutting board for a day or two.

Do not store in a plastic bag or container as it could trap condensation and make the bread moldy. Also do not store the bread in the fridge as it will make the bread go stale really fast.

two slices of earl grey sourdough bread on plate spread with butter and stacked on each other

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image promoting sourdough course book
loaf of earl grey sourdough bread cut in half and stacked on top of each other

Earl Grey Sourdough with Apricots and Cranberries

This sourdough bread has a lovely subtle and floral flavor from Earl Grey and the dried fruit rehydrated beautifully here, and turned almost jammy. You won't be disappointed with this beautiful sourdough loaf.
4 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 13 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 186kcal
Author: Jenni

Ingredients

  • 300 grams water room temperature
  • 1 TBSP Earl Grey tea (affiliate link) leaves 1 bag
  • 500 grams bread flour flour
  • 5 grams ground cinnamon
  • 7 grams salt
  • 200 grams sourdough starter 100% hydration and mature
  • 20 grams honey or maple syrup
  • ½ cup dried apricots diced

Instructions

  • Boil the water and pour over the tea leaves. Allow to cool to room temperature. Keep the leaves in the tea.
    300 grams water, 1 TBSP Earl Grey tea leaves
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and cinnamon.
    500 grams bread flour flour, 7 grams salt, 5 grams ground cinnamon
  • Pour the tea (and leaves), sourdough starter and honey into the flour mixture and start mixing, until everything is just mixed in.
    200 grams sourdough starter, 20 grams honey
  • Allow the dough to sit for 10 minutes to autolyse.
  • Knead the dough for 5 minutes on the counter with a little flour just until it comes together into a smooth dough.
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow to sit, covered, at room temperture for 2 hours.
  • Do four sets of stretch and folds. Grab a section of dough and pull it high above the bowl, and then fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the stretch and fold action. Repeat two more times, until you have done four stretches and folds, rotating the bowl 90 degrees after each one.
  • Let the dough sit covered for another 2 hours.
  • Add the diced apricots to the dough and do four sets of stretch and folds again to help develop the gluten and distribute the apricots through the dough.
    1/2 cup dried apricots
  • Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and place in the fridge overnight.
  • The next morning, pull the dough out of the fridge and place in a floured countertop.
  • Gently shape into a circle, and then place in a well floured banneton (or cloth lined bowl)
  • Cover and let it sit until it comes to room temperature.
  • Heat oven to 450F with a lidded dutch oven.
  • Place the bread on a piece of parchment paper and score with the design of your choosing.
  • Place the bread in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Turn the temperature down to 425F and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and allow the bread to bake for an additional 10 minutes to help develop a firmer crust with a deep golden color.
  • Allow the bread to cool all the way before slicing it (at least two hours).

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe was originally published in August of 2013, but was updated with new photos, a simplified recipe, and better text in Jan 2025.

sourdough loaf
earl grey sourdough loaf standing on cutting board
slice of sourdough bread

14 Comments

  1. This was not good. The flavor combination was too busy and did not play well together at all. I might try something similar leaving out the maple and cinnamon and bumping up the salt a bit.

  2. Hi, do you think I can do all the s&f, shaping then place the dough in the banetton for overnight proofing (which will also make it easier to score when it’s cold) Then bake in the morning? Thank you.

  3. Hello! I break open the tea bag and use the leaves in the bread? Just confirming.

  4. I baked this last night and had my first piece this morning. Wow! Absolutely lovely. I used some orange peel I'd candied in place of the apricots (only because I had the peel and not the apricots). This one's a keeper – very impressive.

  5. Jenni this is one gorgeous loaf. And I am DEFINITELY checking out that Earl Grey Banana Bread!

  6. This bread speaks volume!! It's in my bake list 🙂 Thank you, Jenni

  7. What a gorgeous boule..and the Earl Grey gives it such a dramatic color. The addition of apricots and cranberries is like art – delicious art! Pinning this baby! Even though you're a busy lady..I hope you can whip something up for Twelve Loaves!! 🙂

    1. It has already been baked and eaten, I just have to type it up! 🙂

  8. Amy (Savory Moments) says:

    What a lovely looking bread. Interesting combination of flavors – I bet it's delicious.

  9. Love the tip about standing the bread up on its side. Will have to try! These flavor combos seem so intriguing!

  10. You made this JUST to tease me, right? When my life could not be more frantic, and the line of breads to make keeps growing and growing, you HAD to come and do this to me!

    what have I done to you, dear friend?

    (sigh, sigh, sigh)

    Awesome post… there goes another one for the files

4 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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