Sourdough multi-seed bread

This multi-seed bread has become a family favorite.
And that’s not strange, because it is a bread with a lot of taste and flavor.
Seeds in bread are a perfect combination, but until now I have mostly used it in my 100% rye bread.

That bread is not a family favorite.

Personally, I think that is one of my best recipes, but my kids are not convinced.
I can’t blame them, even I didn’t like that kind of bread when I was young.
But there are lots of health benefits with eating seeds, and they add unique textures and flavors to all kind of food, bread included.
So I decided to make a less controversial bread. More mainstream, so to say.

It’s based on wheat flour with just a hint of whole rye.
And then there are lots of seeds from the pumpkin, sunflower, and linseed.
A winning concept for the whole family.

ABOUT FLOUR AND SOURDOUGH STARTER USED IN THIS RECIPE

25-gram Whole rye flour, 8.2% protein content.
295-gram Wheat flour, 12.5% protein content.

I mixed a levain with 1 part mature sourdough starter, with 100% hydration, with 2 parts water and 2 parts wheat flour, 8 hours before it was time to mix the dough.
The hydration of the levain was 100%.

MIXING THE DOUGH

I mixed the flour with water and let it autolyse for 60 minutes before I added salt and levain. Normally, I use to heat the water to 86ºF/30ºC, but as it was very hot that day, I decided not to do that this time.

The hydration of the dough is not that high, only 72%, so incorporating the starter and salt is not that easy.
I use to sprinkle the salt on top of the dough, and then I spread the starter over everything. After that, I fold the dough over the starter and pinch it with my fingers. It’s a bit messy, but after a while, everything starts to come together.

PREPARING THE SEEDS

I have tried two versions, one with soaked seeds, and one with toasted.
Both give a pleasant taste, and I can’t say that I favor one over the other.
Soaking seeds is very straight forward. You just add the seeds to a heatproof container and cover with boiling water. Drain the seeds after they have cooled, and they are ready to be mixed into the dough.

When you toast the seeds, you have to be a bit more observant. They get burned easily. Toast the pumpkins and sunflower seed in a medium heated skillet for 1.5 to 2 minutes. You have to wait with the small linseed until the end. I use to give them only 30 seconds in the skillet on medium heat.

If you go for the version with soaked seeds, there is one thing you should be aware of.
Soaked seeds release oils. That is actually not a bad thing. These oils contain lots of flavors, but they will also turn your dough into a sloppy mess. It will be a bit more difficult to handle.

BULK FERMENTATION

As said before, it was quite hot here in Sweden when I was baking the loaves you see in the pictures. Normally I try to find the warmest place in the house for the dough to ferment. But when the temperature reached 86ºF/30ºC, I considered to place it in the basement to slow down the fermentation process. But under normal circumstances, which means a temperature of 79-81ºF/26-27ºC, the bulk fermentation should take about 4 to 5 hours.

I performed 5 stretches and fold during bulk fermentation, starting 15 minutes after I had added the salt and starter. The rest was spread out with 15 minutes intervals.

TOASTING OATS

I  used rolled oat that was toasted lightly in a skillet. After it had cooled it was ground in a pestle a mortal.

SHAPING

It’s not absolutely necessary to pre-shape the loaf. You can make the final shape directly.
However, I do think that there are a lot of benefits with pre-shaping.

• The dough will get a nice uniform shape, making it easier to make the final shape.
• You will build up some extra tension in the dough that will help it keep its shape.

Use your hand as support and push the dough around with the bench knife until you have a nice round.

Let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

For the final shape, I chose to shape the dough into a batard, and I used this method.
Feel free to shape your loaf into whatever shape you desire.

FINAL RISE

I placed the loaf in a lined and floured banneton together with toasted oats, and let it proof for 1 hour. Again, I was very hot, so under normal conditions, I think 1,5 hour is more appropriate.
This actually highlights a problem with writing baking recipes.
It’s a bad idea to claim a specific proofing time.

And the simple reason for that is that the conditions you bake under will not be the same as mine.

Therefore, I think you should observe and touch your dough instead of looking at the clock.
The finger poke test is a great way to decide if a loaf is ready for the oven or not.

BAKING

The bread on the pictures is baked in a dutch oven. Nowadays, I use a dutch oven or a clay cooker most of the times. I used to cover the loaf with a big stainless pot, and that works quite good as well.

I know that there are lots of advice about how to steam your oven, but I have never had any success with that.
My oven seems to ventilate out the steam faster then I can produce it.

Now, if you only have a good old oven sheet, that works fine. You may not get these fancy oven springs with ears, but the taste will still be great.

Preheat the oven together with your dutch oven to 480ºF/250ºC. Score the loaf in your desired pattern, place it into the dutch oven, and load into the oven.
Remove the lid after 15 minutes and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes.

Let it cool on wire racks.

CONCLUSION

Just like nuts, seeds are great companions to bread. They enrich the crumb with the most delicious flavors, but they also add texture.
I mentioned my rye bread earlier, but in this multi-seed bread, the seeds play a more prominent role, as they don’t have to compete with all that rye.
Try this bread with your favorite cheese and a glass of good red wine.
Or do like we do in our family, and slice it up for your breakfast sandwich.

Sourdough multi-seed bread

This sourdough multi-seed bread with toasted oatmeal and a hint of whole rye have a lot of exciting and delicious flavors. Try it with your favorite cheese.

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Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 295 gram Wheat flour 12.5% protein content
• 25 gram whole rye flour 8.2% protein content
• 220 gram water
• 80 gram levain 100% hydration
• 7 gram salt
• 20 gram linseeds
• 20 gram pumpkin seeds
• 20 gram sunflower seeds
• 15 gram rolled oats

Instructions

 

• Mix flour and water and let it autolyze for 60 minutes. Add salt and sourdough starter and mix it thoroughly into the dough.
• Place the seeds in a heatproof container and cover with boiling water. Let it cool. Or, toast the seeds in a skillet on medium heat until the start to get some color, about 1,5-2 minutes. Start with the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and add the linseed the last 30 seconds.
• Perform 4-5 stretch and folds during bulk fermentation. Perform the first 15 minutes after you have added salt and starter, and space out the rest with 15-30 minutes intervals. You may have to increase or decrease the amount of stretch and folds depending on how the dough behaves. If you feel a lot of resistance, it's time to stop. You can also check the dough with the windowpane test. Add the seeds when you perform the first stretch and fold.
• Total time for bulk fermentation should be about 4-6 hours, depending on temperature, the strength of starter, etc. When the dough has increased about 50-70% in volume it is ready.
• Tost the oats in a skillet slightly. Ground it in a pestle and mortar.
• Dump out the dough on your working surface and shape it into a round with your bench knife. Let the dough rest for 15-30 minutes, giving it time to relax a bit. Shape the dough into your preferred shape.
• Flour a banneton and sprinkle with the toasted oats. Place the loaf in the banneton and let it proof for 1- 1,5 hours at room temperature. You can also let it proof longer, 8-14 hours, in your refrigerator, depending on temperature. Make finger poke tests regularly to make sure the dough is not over-proofed.
• Preheat the oven to 480ºF/250ºC. Score the loaf and bake it for 45-50 minutes. If you are using a dutch oven or a clay cooker, remove the lid after 15 minutes. You may have to reduce the heat in the last 15-20 minutes.
• Let the loaf cool on wire racks.

Keyword baking, seeded bread, sourdough bread, sourdough starter

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