diff --git a/orderer/config/config_test.go b/orderer/config/config_test.go
index eb9d2546e43..0ceccd05c4b 100644
--- a/orderer/config/config_test.go
+++ b/orderer/config/config_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
 )
@@ -97,17 +98,25 @@ func TestEnvSlice(t *testing.T) {
 // a bug in the original viper implementation that is worked around in
 // the Load codepath for now
 func TestEnvInnerVar(t *testing.T) {
-	envVar := "ORDERER_GENERAL_LISTENPORT"
-	envVal := uint16(80)
-	os.Setenv(envVar, fmt.Sprintf("%d", envVal))
-	defer os.Unsetenv(envVar)
+	envVar1 := "ORDERER_GENERAL_LISTENPORT"
+	envVal1 := uint16(80)
+	envVar2 := "ORDERER_KAFKA_RETRY_PERIOD"
+	envVal2 := "42s"
+	os.Setenv(envVar1, fmt.Sprintf("%d", envVal1))
+	os.Setenv(envVar2, envVal2)
+	defer os.Unsetenv(envVar1)
+	defer os.Unsetenv(envVar2)
 	config := Load()
 
 	if config == nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Could not load config")
 	}
 
-	if config.General.ListenPort != envVal {
-		t.Fatalf("Environmental override of inner config did not work")
+	if config.General.ListenPort != envVal1 {
+		t.Fatalf("Environmental override of inner config test 1 did not work")
+	}
+	v2, _ := time.ParseDuration(envVal2)
+	if config.Kafka.Retry.Period != v2 {
+		t.Fatalf("Environmental override of inner config test 2 did not work")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/orderer/config/config_util.go b/orderer/config/config_util.go
index aed5e0bac07..9707447e5d8 100644
--- a/orderer/config/config_util.go
+++ b/orderer/config/config_util.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func getKeysRecursively(base string, v *viper.Viper, nodeKeys map[string]interfa
 		fqKey := base + key
 		val := v.Get(fqKey)
 		if m, ok := val.(map[interface{}]interface{}); ok {
-			logger.Debugf("Found map value for %s", fqKey)
+			logger.Debugf("Found map[interface{}]interface{} value for %s", fqKey)
 			tmp := make(map[string]interface{})
 			for ik, iv := range m {
 				cik, ok := ik.(string)
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ func getKeysRecursively(base string, v *viper.Viper, nodeKeys map[string]interfa
 				tmp[cik] = iv
 			}
 			result[key] = getKeysRecursively(fqKey+".", v, tmp)
+		} else if m, ok := val.(map[string]interface{}); ok {
+			logger.Debugf("Found map[string]interface{} value for %s", fqKey)
+			result[key] = getKeysRecursively(fqKey+".", v, m)
 		} else {
 			logger.Debugf("Found real value for %s setting to %T %v", fqKey, val, val)
 			result[key] = val