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seeded sourdough

4 seeds and 50% wheat yield a hearty winter loaf ready to sop up any shakshuka or soup that comes its way.

formula

levain build
  • 15 g levain
  • 15 g king arthur whole wheat flour
  • 60 g king arthur all purpose flour
  • 60 g water @ 85°F
dough formula
  • 150 g king arthur whole wheat flour
  • 105 g king arthur flour bread flour
  • 45 g bob's red mill dark rye flour
  • 255 g water @ 90°F
  • 7 g sea salt
  • 75 g levain
multi-seed soaker
  • 20 g pumpkin seed
  • 20 g sunflower seed
  • 10 g hemp seed
  • 10 g fennel seed
multi-seed topper
  • 2 tbsp rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp flax seeds

method

evening: prepare seeds
  • add seeds to a small jar, and cover with double the amount of water, about 120g. cover, and store in fridge overnight.
10:30 pm: feed levain
  • refresh your starter using levain build formula, and stiff starter method.
[next morning] 6:30 am: autolyse
  • in a large bowl, mix all flours together. slowly add the water, mixing with a rubber spatula, making sure to incorporate the water into the flour well, stopping when all the flour is hydrated. let sit, covered, for 30 minutes.
7 am: mix
  • sprinkle salt evenly over autolysed dough. incorporate gently by folding dough over a 2-3 times. then, measure out ripe starter, and add to bowl. mix using the pincer method, for about 6-7 minutes. target final temperature should be 78 degrees.
7:10 am: bulk fermentation
  • this dough needs 1 lamination (see below) to incorporate the seeds, and 3 stretch and folds afterwards, spaced 45 minutes apart. in the wintertime with a room temperature of around 70°F, this dough needed a bulk rise of about 9 hours.
7:45 am: laminate in seeds
  • remove seed soaker from the fridge, and strain so there is no excess water.
  • spray a clean surface with water. dump out dough and stretch out onto wet surface, like you're making pizza.
  • sprinkle seed mixture onto dough evenly.
  • fold dough up section by section, until it resembles a stack.
  • incorporate seeds gently by mixing again using the pincer method for a few minutes.
3:30 pm: pre-shape (optional)
  • slowly transfer dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface, so it lays out in a vaguely rectangular looking shape.
  • stretch the dough very lightly and gently fold it onto itself 4 times
3:40 pm: shape
  • i like shaping these like a batard, using what i like to call the "burrito method."
  • 1. gently tug the top, short end of the vaguely rectangular looking shape, and fold over a small section.
  • 2. grab a tiny bit of dough from the left side, and tug it over onto the right side. grab a tiny bit of dough from the right side and tug it over onto the left side. continue pattern downwards to form a stitch-like appearance.
  • 3. when you get close to the bottom end, fold over a small piece upwards. then do one final stitch to seal.
  • 4. take the top end of the burrito, and roll it over onto itself, kind of like a cinnamon roll.
  • 5. seal the ends by pinching the holes shut.
3:43 pm: coat
  • mix your multi-seed topper. i've included my ratio above, you can use whatever seeds or grains you'd like. just make sure these seeds are raw & untoasted -- they'll get pretty toasty in the oven.
  • if the top of the dough is sticky enough, you should be able to grab a handful of your seed coating and directly cover the smooth face of the batard. if the top is not sticky enough, you can take a spray bottle and lightly spray the top until damp. then, the seed coating should pretty easily adhere to the dough.
3:45 pm: proof
  • lightly flour a lined bannetone or other proofing vesicle. flip the top of the dough over, and gently transfer the dough seam side up into the bannetone.
  • place bannetone inside of a blastic bag to cover, and place in fridge overnight for 16 hours.
[next morning] 7 am: preheat
  • place dutch oven with lid on into the oven. pre-heat oven to 495°F for an hour.
7:55 am: score
  • dough is proofed when it passes the finger dent test. remove bannetone from fridge.
  • flip dough out of bannetone onto a cut piece of parchment paper.
  • scoring is tricky with this loaf because the seeds form a sort of crust on the proofed dough. i keep it simple with this loaf with just a single, vertical slash length wise, about 1/8" deep, and 1/4” away from both edges.
8 am: bake
  • transfer scored dough to dutch oven. decrease temperature to 485°F. with the lid on, bake for 30 minutes. then, decrease to 475°F and take the lid off. bake for about another 15 minutes, or whenever the crust turns the color you like it (i go for a pretty deep brown).
11 am: slice & enjoy
  • let this loaf cool on a wire rack (or something else that allows the air to circulate) for at least 2 hours before slicing.