Sourdough Maple Pecan Loaf

This sourdough maple pecan loaf is cozy, nutty perfection! With the rich sweetness of maple syrup, buttery crunch of pecans, and a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar, this loaf feels like autumn in every bite. It bakes up with a golden crust and tender crumb, swirled with a sweet pecan filling that makes each slice feel like a little celebration.

Whether you serve it fresh from the oven with homemade butter or toast slices for breakfast with a drizzle of extra syrup, this loaf is a wonderful seasonal bread (though honestly, it’s delicious any time of year).

If you enjoy this sourdough maple pecan loaf, I think you'll also enjoy this funfetti sourdough bread, strawberries and cream sourdough loaf, or this sourdough apple crisp bread.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Warm Fall Flavors -  maple syrup and pecans are a classic fall season pairing, and when baked into tangy sourdough, the flavors really shine.

Balanced Sweetness - since this loaf isn't overly sweet, you can enjoy it plain, toasted with butter, or as part of a charcuterie board. It's a really great bread for holiday gatherings.

Simple Recipe - you don’t need special equipment beyond your Dutch Oven and starter. With simple steps and a little time, you'll have a delicious bakery-style loaf.  

Ingredients

• Sourdough Starter - you’ll need an active sourdough starter to make this loaf. Make sure it’s bubbly and at its peak when you mix the dough.
• Water
• Maple Syrup - make sure you're using pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup for this recipe.
• Bread Flour - the higher protein content in bread flour builds the strong gluten structure needed to support inclusions and create a chewy, airy crumb.
• Salt
• Pecans - use chopped pecans. If you only have pecan halves, you can add them to a Ziploc bag and roll over with a rolling pin to easily chop them.
• Rolled Oats - I've used traditional rolled oats, not quick oats or steel cut.
• Brown Sugar - the brown sugar gets mixed with chopped pecans and cinnamon, and added during shaping to give a swirl of extra sweetness throughout the loaf.
• All Purpose Flour - just a little bit of all purpose flour is mixed with the brown sugar to ensure the filling doesn't leak out during cold fermentation.
• Cinnamon - as cinnamon can hamper fermentation, I recommend adding this during shaping to give your dough the best chance at rising.

How to Make Sourdough Maple Pecan Loaf

I've created this beautiful flavored sourdough loaf from my simple sourdough bread recipe, just like my sourdough pistachio bread. This bread follows the same process to get delicious maple, pecan and cinnamon flavors through the loaf so every bite is delicious!

Pre Mix & Autolyse

Weigh out your sourdough starter, water and maple syrup in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix them together so that the maple syrup and sourdough starter is dissolved in the water (or at least really well distributed).

Then add your bread flour and salt and mix altogether with a spatula. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together.

Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.

Forming Up Your Dough

Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a smooth ball is formed. You shouldn't need more than about 20-25 folds to form the ball.

Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch & Fold - Creating Structure

You need to add 50g of chopped pecans to your dough during the stretch and fold phase. It's very easy to do!

Try to add them around the second or third set of stretch and folds. So do your first set of stretch and folds with the dough as is and then add the inclusions on the second (or third) set depending on how your dough is behaving.

Try to do around 4 sets of stretch and folds with around 15 to 30 minutes between each set.

Bulk Ferment

Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and bulk ferment at room temperature. This can happen quite quickly with the maple syrup in the dough and all the inclusions, so keep an eye on that dough.

While your dough is fermenting, take a small bowl and mix the chopped pecans, rolled oats, cinnamon, brown sugar and all purpose flour together. Set this aside until you're ready to shape your dough.

Shaping Your Dough

Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to give it some shape and surface tension and add the spices that you've kept aside.

I think this recipe lends itself to a batard however it's completely up to you what shape you would like.

Stretch your dough out into a rough rectangle and sprinkle over a generous amount of the spice mixture. Fold the top down and sprinkle on some more. Fold the sides in, sprinkle some more. It's really up to you as to how much of the mixture you want to use.

Roll up the dough like a burrito and pull it towards you to create some surface tension and ensure all of those beautiful spices are tucked up inside.

Place the shaped dough into your banneton with the seam side up. Stitch the base together if you need to.

Cold Ferment

Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge to cold ferment.

Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours.

Preparing to Bake Your Sourdough

Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F.

Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.

Baking Your Sourdough

Now it's time to bake!

When your oven is at temperature, take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper.

Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.

Carefully take your Dutch Oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven.

BAKE TIME:

30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F

plus 10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F

If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works!

Finishing Your Bake

When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the Dutch Oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool.

Baking Timeline

This is a sample baking timeline you could follow to make this sourdough maple pecan loaf. You can change it to suit your own needs. You might also find this post on creating sourdough baking timelines helpful.

TIME	PROCESS
9 am	Premix and autolyse for around an hour, forming up the dough and leaving to rest for another 30 minutes before stretch and folds.
11 am	1st stretch and fold.
11.30 am	2nd stretch and fold - add half the pecans.
12 pm	3rd stretch and fold - add the other half of the pecans.
12.30 pm	4th stretch and fold.
1 pm	Bulk fermentation at room temperature remembering that the maple syrup will speed up fermentation.
6 pm	Shape dough into a batard, place into banneton and then into fridge for cold fermentation.
9 am	Wake and bake! The next morning, you can get up, make a coffee and bake your delicious sourdough maple pecan loaf!

Serving Ideas

• Toast a few slices and top with butter for a simple breakfast. You can really enhance the flavor with homemade butter or flavored whipped butter (like whipped brown butter, whipped maple butter, or whipped honey cinnamon butter).
• This bread makes wonderful French toast! The maple pecan adds such a lovely touch, and it's especially great during the colder fall months.
• Add to holiday charcuterie boards. Since this bread isn't too sweet, it can be paired with honey, butter, and cheeses, like brie, aged cheddar or blue cheese.

How to Store + Freeze

Like most sourdough breads, this sourdough maple pecan loaf is best enjoyed fresh or within the first 24 hours. You can store it at room temperature for a few days, but after that, the crust will lose its crispness and the crumb will start to firm up.

For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the pieces in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. They’re perfect for quick breakfasts or toasted snacks anytime.

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