Strawberry Shortcake Sourdough Bread

This Strawberry Shortcake Sourdough Loaf is the perfect combination of fresh strawberries, creamy white chocolate, and sweet strawberry shortcake cookies! Made with two separate doughs, one classic sourdough and one naturally flavored with fresh strawberry puree, this loaf has beautiful swirls of pink and white throughout. Every bite is filled with juicy strawberries, melted white chocolate, and little pieces of strawberry shortcake cookies. It’s a fun and delicious twist on traditional sourdough that tastes just like strawberry shortcake!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients Recipe Notes

Ingredients

Sourdough Loaf

500 g bread flour divided
175 g filtered water for the plain dough
160 g strawberry puree mixture for the strawberry dough
125 g active sourdough starter divided
10 g salt divided

Strawberry Puree Mixture

6 medium strawberries approximately
140 g filtered water
2 drops red food coloring optional

Strawberry Shortcake Inclusions

11 Thin & Crispy Strawberry Shortcake cookies approximately; crushed
10 medium strawberries chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Recipe

Prepare the Strawberry Puree: Start by adding approximately 6 fresh strawberries and 140g of filtered water to a blender.
Blend until smooth and fully combined. Measure out 160g of the strawberry mixture to use in your strawberry sourdough dough.
I wanted to keep artificial food coloring out of this recipe, so I used fresh strawberries to naturally color the dough. The strawberry puree gives the dough a subtle pink color, but if you want the pink and white layers to be more pronounced, you can add 2 drops of red food coloring to your strawberry mixture. This is completely optional!
Mix the Two Doughs: For this recipe, you’ll be making two separate doughs, one plain and one strawberry. This is what creates the beautiful pink and white swirls throughout the loaf.
Plain Sourdough Dough: In your first mixing bowl, combine:
- 250g bread flour
- 175g filtered water
- 62.5g active sourdough starter
- 5g salt
Mix until everything is incorporated and a shaggy dough forms.
Strawberry Sourdough Dough: In your second mixing bowl, combine:
- 250g bread flour
- 160g strawberry puree mixture
- 62.5g active sourdough starter
- 5g salt
Mix until all the ingredients are combined and a shaggy dough forms.
Cover both bowls and allow the doughs to rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Folds: After resting, begin your stretch and folds on both doughs.
Grab one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides.
Cover both bowls and allow the doughs to rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process for a total of 4 rounds of stretch and folds, allowing 30 minutes between each round.
Both doughs should become smoother, stronger, and more elastic with each set.
Bulk Fermentation: After completing your stretch and folds, cover both bowls and allow the doughs to bulk ferment at room temperature until they have risen approximately 50–75%, appear puffy and jiggly, and have visible air bubbles.
Fermentation time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen and how active your sourdough starter is.
Keep an eye on both doughs, as the strawberry dough may ferment a little differently than the plain dough. Watch how the dough looks and feels rather than relying strictly on the clock.
Prepare the Strawberry Shortcake Inclusions: While your doughs are fermenting, prepare your inclusions.
Crush approximately 11 Thin & Crispy Strawberry Shortcake cookies into smaller pieces.
Chop approximately 10 medium strawberries into small pieces. Gently pat them dry with a paper towel to remove some of the excess moisture.
Measure out ½ cup of white chocolate chips and set everything aside until you’re ready to laminate.
Lamination: Once bulk fermentation is complete, layer the strawberry dough under the plain sourdough dough. This will help create the pink and white swirls throughout your loaf.
Begin sprinkling the crushed strawberry shortcake cookies, chopped strawberries, and white chocolate chips evenly over the dough. I like to sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose flour to help absorb some of the moisture from the strawberries.
As you fold the dough into thirds, continue adding the strawberry shortcake cookies, fresh strawberries, and white chocolate chips between each layer, making sure every fold has a good amount of each inclusion.
Shaping and Cold Proof: Roll your dough into a ball and begin gently pushing and pulling it to create surface tension. Stop once you notice the cookies, white chocolate chips, and strawberries getting close to the surface of your loaf.
Place the shaped dough seam-side up into a floured banneton.
Cover and refrigerate overnight until ready to bake. I typically let mine cold proof overnight and bake it the following day.
Bake: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) with your Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes.
Once preheated, remove your sourdough from the refrigerator and carefully transfer it onto parchment paper.
Score the top of your loaf and place it into the hot Dutch oven.
Bake for:
- 30 minutes covered at 500°F (260°C)
- 10 minutes uncovered at 450°F (232°C)
Check your loaf for doneness and add additional baking time as needed. If you notice the top of your loaf getting too dark, put the lid back on and lower the temperature.
The loaf is fully baked when the internal temperature reaches 200°F (93°C). Make sure to check the temperature in the bread portion rather than directly in a strawberry or melted white chocolate pocket.
Every oven is different, so you may need slightly more or less baking time.
Cool and Enjoy: Once your sourdough has finished baking, carefully remove it from the Dutch oven and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Allow the loaf to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing to give the inside time to set.
Slice and enjoy the delicious combination of fresh strawberries, creamy white chocolate, strawberry shortcake cookies, and homemade sourdough!
This loaf is delicious on its own or lightly toasted with butter for an extra sweet treat!

Notes

Active Starter: Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before beginning for the best rise.
Two Doughs: Dividing the dough into a plain half and a strawberry half creates beautiful swirls of pink and white throughout the loaf.
Natural Strawberry Color: I wanted to keep artificial food coloring out of this recipe, so I used fresh strawberries to naturally color the dough. The strawberry puree gives the loaf a subtle pink color, but if you want the pink and white layers to be more pronounced, you can add 2 drops of red food coloring to the strawberry dough when mixing. This is completely optional!
Fresh Strawberries: Chop your strawberries into smaller pieces and gently pat them dry before adding them during lamination. This helps reduce excess moisture inside the loaf.

Strawberry Shortcake Sourdough Bread