Description
Experience the delightful crunch and flavor of this artisanal Seeded Sourdough Bread, packed with a vibrant mix of seeds. This recipe guides you through creating a perfectly leavened loaf with an irresistible, crackly crust.
Ingredients
- Active Sourdough Starter
- Strong Bread Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour (Optional)
- Filtered Water
- Fine Sea Salt
- Mixed Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds)
- Internal Seeds (pre-soaked sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
- External Seeds (dry, un-soaked sesame, poppy, and flax seeds)
Instructions
- Prepare Your Starter (Night Before/Morning Of): Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. I feed it 4-8 hours before I plan to mix the dough. A small piece should float in water when it's ready.
- Autolyse (1 Hour): In a large mixing bowl, combine all the flour and water. Mix until no dry streaks of flour remain. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Add Starter and Salt (10-15 minutes): After the autolyse, add your active sourdough starter and salt to the dough. Using damp hands, gently squeeze and fold the starter and salt into the dough until fully incorporated.
- Incorporate Seeds (First Fold): Gently spread out the dough on a clean, lightly damp surface or keep it in the bowl. Evenly sprinkle in your pre-soaked internal seeds. Perform your first set of stretch and folds, ensuring the seeds are well distributed throughout the dough.
- Bulk Fermentation with Stretch and Folds (3-5 Hours): Cover your bowl and let the dough rest. Over the next 3-5 hours, perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30-45 minutes apart.
- Pre-shape (20-30 Minutes): Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a dough scraper and your hands, gently form the dough into a round or oval. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.
- Final Shape & External Seeds: Lightly dampen your hands and the top of your dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of your dry external seeds onto your work surface. Gently flip your dough onto the bed of seeds, ensuring a good coating.
- Cold Proof (8-16 Hours): Cover the banneton with a plastic bag or shower cap and place it in the refrigerator for 8-16 hours.
- Preheat Oven & Dutch Oven (1 Hour): About an hour before you plan to bake, place your Dutch oven into your oven and preheat to its highest setting.
- Score and Bake (45-55 Minutes): Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Gently invert your cold dough onto a piece of parchment paper or directly into the Dutch oven. Score the top of your dough with your desired design and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and Finish Baking (25-35 Minutes): After 20 minutes, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Continue to bake for another 25-35 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown.
- Cool Completely: Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45-55 mins
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Artisanal
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Don't rush the proof; learn to read your dough. Pre-soaking seeds for the interior helps prevent drying out. Toasting external seeds before applying enhances flavor.