Easy Seeded Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Why You Will Love This Recipe

I am sure this seeded bread will be your new favorite since 

• it is easy to make
• it is delicious
• you can swap out the ingredients for what you have
• the addition of seeds makes it more interesting and crunchy
• it makes the perfect sandwich bread

This is what you will need:

• AP flour: I use organic all-purpose flour
• Whole-grain flour: I like to mill fresh flour from ancient grains (such as Kamut and Emmer) with my grain mill
• Salt: A high-quality sea salt brings out and enhances the flavor
• Sourdough starter: If you don’t already have an active sourdough starter you can easily make a sourdough starter with this simple method
• Seeds: I always like a combination of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds

Useful tools and equipment

In addition to what you probably already have in your kitchen, I recommend:

• Grain mill: Freshly milled flour is always best and I love my high-quality grain mill but you can certainly buy whole-grain flour
• Stand mixer: Of course, you can mix the dough by hand but I love using my Kitchenaid stand mixer
• Kitchen scale: I highly recommend you use an inexpensive kitchen scale
• Loaf pan: You can use any rectangular loaf tin but I like using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven
• Parchment paper: If you’re using this enameled Dutch oven, I recommend lining it with parchment paper
• Dough scraper: A dough scraper helps to remove the dough from the bowl or the bannetton
• Bench scraper: Not extremely necessary but helpful for shaping the loaf
• Scoring lame: While a dedicated scoring lame is very useful, you can use a very sharp knife as well
• Bannetton: Letting the dough proof in a bannetton or proofing basket keeps its shape
• Baking kit: The last four items also come in a convenient proofing kit

Substitutions and variations

This is the fun part:

• Flour: You can make this a 100% whole wheat bread by using whole wheat flour instead of AP flour. Just know that the bread will be a bit more dense then. You can also use bread flour, oat flour, white spelt flour, or light rye flour
• Grains: You can use any grains you have or like: einkorn, spelt, kamut/khorasan, rye, harvest grains blends, or just plain wheat berries
• Seeds: You can use any seeds or seed mixture you like: flax seeds, chia seeds, black sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or even a handful of whole grains
• Nuts: If you prefer a more nutty flavor, you can add some walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
• Sweeteners: I personally don’t like to add any sweeteners but some people like to offset the sourdough flavor with a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey in their dough

Tips for success:

• Don’t worry if you have a very sticky dough. Resist the temptation to add more flour. Instead, use wet hands to perform stretch and folds to help the gluten development. 
• You can use an oval or round Dutch oven (if you prefer a round shape), either cast iron or enameled
• Instead of a banetton, you can line a medium bowl with a tea towel and use that as a proofing vessel
• If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use a large loaf pan that you just cover with aluminum foil the the first half hour of baking
• I like to trace the bottom of my oval Dutch oven on parchment paper and line the bottom of the Dutch oven with it to make it easier to remove the baked bread

How to serve

This seeded sourdough bread will be great any time of day:

• Still warm with a good dollop of butter and a sprinkling of salt
• For breakfast with your favorite jams or toppings
• As your classic lunch sandwich
• For dinner as a side for soups and salads

2. Stretch-and-Folds

With wet hands perform a few stretch-and-folds (lift one side of the dough up, stretch it and fold it over the dough, then turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat a few times). Let the dough rest again for 30 minutes and repeat this 3 more times. Tightly cover the bowl with beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and transfer the bowl to the refrigerator overnight or for about 8 hours for the bulk fermentation.

3. Add the seeds

The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Generously sprinkle flour on your work surface. With the dough scraper dump the dough onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and gently pull the dough in all four directions to create a rectangle. Ideally, the dough should not tear. Sprinkle the seeds onto the dough.

4. Shape the loaf

Fold the long sides of the dough rectangle over towards the middle. Then starting at one side, roll the dough into an oval loaf. With the bench knife, create some surface tension by stretching the dough underneath itself.  

Heavily dust the bannetton with flour or rice flour. You might like to also sprinkle your proofing basket with various seeds. Transfer the shaped dough to the proofing basket, cover it with beeswax or plastic and return it to the refrigerator. 

7. Score the bread

Once you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and place it on a heat-proof surface. Carefully, dump the dough into the hot Dutch oven. With a lame or sharp knife score the top of the dough in your preferred pattern. Optional: mist the dough with water. Place the lid on the Dutch oven, place it in the hot oven, and bake covered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake the bread for another half hour or until golden brown on top. Remove the sourdough loaf from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack.