Pecan Raisin Bread Recipe
A levain based bread full of raisins and pecans.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Levain (Preferment)
Dough
Inclusions & Finish
Method
Levain (Preferment)
- 1
Build levain
8–12 hours before mixing (or the night before), combine 100 g active 100% hydration starter, 100 g bread flour and 75 g water in a jar. Mix until homogenous, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature until bubbly and doubled in volume.
Inclusions & Preparation
- 2
Soak raisins
Place 180 g raisins in a small bowl. Pour 100 ml warm water and 30 ml rum or orange juice (optional) over them. Let soak for 30–60 minutes to plump, then drain thoroughly and pat dry. Reserve soaking liquid for adjusting dough hydration if needed.
- 3
Dough Mixing & Bulk Fermentation
- 4
Autolyse
In a large bowl, combine 400 g bread flour, 50 g whole wheat flour and 320 g lukewarm water. Mix until no dry bits remain. Cover and rest for 30–45 minutes to allow gluten development.
- 5
Add levain and mix
After autolyse, add 275 g of active levain to the dough. Mix by hand or with a dough scraper until incorporated. The dough will be sticky.
- 6
Add salt, sugar, butter and cinnamon
Sprinkle 10 g salt and 40 g light brown sugar over the dough. Add 30 g softened unsalted butter and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix and squeeze the dough until ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough should be cohesive and a bit tacky.
- 7
Bulk ferment with folds
Cover the bowl and bulk ferment at room temperature (about 24°C / 75°F) for 3–4 hours. During the first 2.5–3 hours perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes (lift one side of the dough and fold it over, rotate bowl 90° and repeat for four sides). After the last fold, let rest until dough has increased ~25–50% in volume and feels aerated.
- 8
Incorporate inclusions
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten gently into a rectangle, sprinkle drained raisins and chopped pecans evenly over the surface. Fold the dough over the inclusions and gently knead/fold just enough to distribute them without overworking — about 6–8 gentle folds. Ensure inclusions are well distributed but dough remains airy.
Shaping & Proofing
- 9
Pre-shape
Lightly bench rest the dough for 15 minutes. Then shape into a tight loaf by folding edges into center, creating surface tension. Use your palm to roll the loaf seam-side down to tighten.
- 10
Final shape for loaf pan
For a sandwich-style pecan raisin bread, shape the dough into a log sized to fit a 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan. Pinch seam tightly and tuck ends under so the top is smooth.
- 11
Second proof (cold or room temp)
Lightly grease the loaf pan and place seam-side down. Cover with plastic wrap. Option A: Proof at room temperature for 2–3 hours until puffed and nearly doubled. Option B (recommended for flavor and easier handling): Refrigerate overnight (8–14 hours) for a cold proof.
Bake & Finish
- 12
- 13
- 14
Bake
Place the loaf pan on the middle rack. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake another 25–30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 95°C (203°F) and crust is deep golden brown. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- 15
Cool
Remove loaf from oven and immediately turn out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours, before slicing to let crumb set and prevent gummy texture.
- 16
Serve
Slice and serve plain, with butter, or toasted. Keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.