I was going through my bookmarks the other day and found this orange-sage bread recipe that I'd bookmarked. I don't normally go in for white breads, but this one sounded intriguing. Given that I had some oranges on hand that needed to be used up, I figured I'd try converting it to a sourdough recipe and giving it a whirl.

Orange-Sage Sourdough Bread

Adapted from The Spruce Eats

Ingredients

• 2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. finely ground dried sage
• 250g (100% hydration) sourdough starter
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1/2 Tbsp. oil
• zest of 1 orange (~2 tsp.)

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and sage and mix thoroughly.
2. Mix the water, orange juice, oil, and orange zest.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the starter followed by the orange juice mixture.
4. Mix the flour into the wet ingredients, working from the centre outward.
5. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, turn the dough out onto a work surface and begin kneading.
6. Knead for 10-20 minutes. Add a little more water if it needs it. Only add flour if absolutely necessary. It will be a bit sticky at first. Just keep kneading and the stickiness should subside. The dough should be very soft and supple.
7. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise. The first rise may take quite a while; 2-4 hours isn't unreasonable.
8. Once the dough no longer returns a wet fingerprint, knock it back, knead it for a few strokes, shape it back into a ball, and return it to its covered bowl to rise.
9. The second rise should be much faster; probably only an hour or two.
10. Knock the dough back again, knead it for a few strokes, shape it into a ball, and pull the gluten film taut across the top. Cover and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
11. Shape the loaf as you choose. For a pan loaf: press flat, fold into thirds, roll up jelly roll-style and place in a greased 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan.
12. Cover and allow to rise for ~45 minutes (+/- 15 minutes depending on the temperature of the room).
13. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40-50 minutes.
14. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.