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Seeded sourdough loaf

A versatile sourdough loaf packed with sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and flax. The seeds are soaked overnight so they stay soft and don't dry out the crumb, then folded through the dough for an even scatter in every slice. This recipe uses mostly bread flour with a little wholemeal for depth; you can swap the wholemeal for light rye if you'd like a slightly earthier, faster-fermenting loaf. Just keep an eye on the dough, as rye speeds things up. Because the seeds need an overnight soak, this loaf is made over two days (there's no same-day option, and that's on purpose: it's what keeps the crumb soft and the loaf reliable).

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Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf · about 990g of dough

  • Bread flour (high protein, 12–13%)400g
  • Wholemeal flour50g
  • Water, room temperature (21–24°C / 70–75°F)271g
  • Active, ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed and doubled)90g
  • Fine sea salt9g
  • Seed mix: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax90g
  • Boiling water, for the seed soaker80g

78% hydration

  • Kitchen scale
  • Mixing bowl, 4 litres or more
  • Bench scraper, metal
  • Banneton, 23 cm round or 25 cm oval
  • Dutch oven, with a lid
  • Bread lame, or a sharp blade
  • Baking parchment
  • Thermometer, probe or instant-read
Alternatives, sizes and where to buy

Method

  1. 1

    Soak the seeds

    5 min

    In a heatproof bowl, combine 30g sunflower seeds, 25g pumpkin seeds, 20g sesame seeds and 15g flax seeds. Pour over 80g just-boiled water, stir, and cover. Leave on the counter overnight (or at least a couple of hours) so the seeds soften and cool. Do this when you feed your starter.

  2. 2

    Mix starter and water

    3 min

    Add 90g active starter to 271g room-temperature water and swirl with your hand or a dough whisk until the starter is dissolved and the water looks cloudy. Dissolving it first means it blends evenly through the dough.

  3. 3

    Add flour and autolyse

    45 min

    Add 400g bread flour and 50g wholemeal flour to the bowl. Mix by hand or with a dough whisk until no dry flour remains and you have a shaggy dough. Cover and leave to rest for 45 minutes so the flour drinks up the water.

  4. 4

    Add salt

    5 min

    Sprinkle 9g fine sea salt over the dough and squeeze it through with wet hands until it disappears. The dough will tighten up as you work it in.

  5. 5

    Add seeds and first stretch and fold

    5 min

    Drain off any water left in the soaker, then spread the soaked seeds over the dough. With a wet hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the seeds. Turn the bowl a quarter and repeat until the seeds are folded through and the dough starts to hold together.

  6. 6

    Bulk fermentation with stretch and folds

    4 h 30 min

    Do three more sets of stretch and folds, about 30 minutes apart: wet your hand, stretch one side up and fold it over, turn the bowl a quarter, and repeat four times per set. After the last set, cover and leave the dough undisturbed until it looks puffy and has grown by roughly half.

    At 20–24°C / 68–75°F this usually takes about 4½ hours; a warm kitchen (24–28°C / 75–82°F) can be ready in about 3½ hours, a hot one (28°C+ / 82°F+) sooner still, and a cool kitchen (below 20°C / 68°F) may need about 6 hours.

  7. 7

    Pre-shape and bench rest

    25 min

    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper or your hands, gently shape it into a loose round by dragging it toward you in a circular motion. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

  8. 8

    Final shape

    10 min

    Flour the top of the dough and flip it over. Fold the edges into the centre, then roll and tuck the dough toward you to build a tight, taut surface. Place it, folded side up, into a well-floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel.

  9. 9

    Cold retard (overnight proof)

    12 h

    Cover the banneton/bowl tightly with a reusable cover, cling film, or a shower cap, and place it in the fridge for 8–16 hours.

  10. 10

    Preheat the oven and Dutch oven

    50 min

    Place your empty Dutch oven (with lid) on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 245°C (225°C fan) / 475°F for 45–60 minutes.

  11. 11

    Score and bake covered

    20 min

    Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven. Invert the cold dough onto a sheet of baking parchment and lower it into the pot. Cut the top with a sharp blade in one confident motion. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes.

  12. 12

    Bake uncovered

    25 min

    Remove the lid, reduce the oven to 230°C (210°C fan) / 450°F, and continue baking for 20–25 minutes, until the crust is deep golden-brown and a probe thermometer inserted into the centre reads 96–99°C / 205–210°F.

  13. 13

    Cool

    2 h

    Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool completely, at least 1.5–2 hours, before slicing.

Keeping it

  • 2–3 days on the counterCut side down, or in a bread bag.
  • Up to 3 months in the freezerSlice first, in a sealed bag.
  • Warm it upToast slices straight from frozen and the seeds crisp up beautifully.

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