Simple Seedy Sourdough Sandwich Bread for Beginners
This beginner-friendly seedy sourdough sandwich bread recipe simplifies the process, stripping away most of the fancy techniques. If you’re new to sourdough baking and want a straightforward approach to creating a delicious seedy sandwich loaf, this method is perfect for you. It focuses on the basics, ensuring that you can achieve a satisfying result without feeling overwhelmed by intricate details or specialized equipment.
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Seedy sourdough sandwich bread is an essential recipe to have in your bread baking repertoire. It’s soft, tangy, and has a satisfying, healthy seedy crunch that elevates any sandwich or toast.
When I was first learning how to make sourdough sandwich loaves, I noticed that most recipes called for butter, eggs, milk, or some kind of fat. While I’m not against using fat, I simply wanted a straightforward, seedy sourdough bread made with just flour, water, salt, and seeds. And that’s exactly what we have here—no fluff, just pure, simple ingredients.
Not to brag, but this seedy sourdough bread recipe I’ve developed is hands down my all-time favourite loaf. It’s better than any I’ve gotten from bakeries, and trust me, I’ve tried many. It’s the perfect balance of flavour, texture, and simplicity.
This was also one of the favourites during my micro-bakery days. It makes a great sandwich, dipping bread, toast, and a sturdy vessel for honey, jam or butter.
While this isn’t the exact method I used for my business, this is a beginner-friendly version to get nearly the same results. This method makes it so easy to make, even though it looks fancy. It really isn’t much more complicated than a plain loaf, it just takes a bit more measuring out of seeds and the seeded crust is optional, of course.
Sourdough Starter
If you’re here, I’m assuming you have a sourdough starter and generally know how to use it. It is beyond the scope of this post to teach you how to create and maintain a sourdough starter.
However, if you don’t already have a starter and you want to make one and learn how to maintain it, sign-up down below and get yourself a free e-book guide. There, you’ll learn how to create your own sourdough starter with just flour, water, warmth, and time.
Once you have an established sourdough starter and you know how to identify when it’s active or needs a fresh feeding, you’re pretty much good to go. It doesn’t matter much whether its thin, batter-like, or stiff, a healthy starter will make healthy bread.
If you have a sourdough starter but are having trouble understanding it, learn more with the ultimate guide to understanding your sourdough starter.
Flour
A kernel of wheat consists of three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The fermentation process in sourdough baking helps unlock the nutrients stored in the bran and germ. By using whole-wheat flour, you incorporate these beneficial parts of the grain into your bread, resulting in a loaf that is not only more nutritious but also better for your gut health.
In this recipe, I use a blend of all-purpose white flour and whole-wheat flour. I don’t see much point in learning how to make an all-white flour loaf. White flour is made of only the endosperm of a wheat kernel, mostly starch, which is void of any nutrition or fibre and can do harm to your gut, even if it’s sourdough.
Whole-wheat also adds protein to your loaf which improves its strength and ability to hold water.
Where can I source freshly milled, whole-grain flour?
If you’re living in a city, you can mostly likely find a bakery or fancy grocery store that sells fresh-milled whole-grain flour. If you’re living in the country and you can source whole-grains, you may want to consider milling your own flour. You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment.
If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.
Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!
Water
The type of water used in sourdough baking is a topic of debate among bakers. In my experience, I’ve tried various kinds—city water, well water, filtered water, and even chlorinated water—and haven’t noticed a significant difference in the final loaf. Some bakers swear by their specific water choice, claiming it produces superior results, but I haven’t found that to be the case.
While water quality can influence the health of your sourdough starter, the variations in water types seem to have minimal impact on the outcome of the bread itself. Ultimately, use the water you have available and focus on other key factors like flour quality and fermentation time. I think if you can drink the water, you can make bread with the water.
Salt
Salt is another topic of debate among bakers. While I don’t think you’d notice much of a difference between salts, the salts that are less refined with a higher mineral content tend to support the fermentation process. For example, Himalayan sea salt, Celtic grey salt, unrefined pink salt, and Redmond real salt, will all support fermentation. Highly refined table salt may inhibit fermentation.
Warmth
Fermentation thrives in warmth, and maintaining the right dough temperature is key to achieving the perfect loaf. For optimal fermentation and a balanced flavour, aim for a dough temperature between 23-26°C (73-79°F).
When the dough temperature falls below this range, the bulk fermentation process can become very long, resulting in an excessively sour loaf and possibly tight crumb structure. On the other hand, temperatures above this range can lead to over-proofing, which weakens gluten strength and also produces a very sour loaf with a sticky crumb.
With practice, you’ll be able to adapt if the dough temperature goes out of range. For example, if its too warm, I’ll pop my dough in the fridge for an hour or so. If it’s too cold, I’ll keep it in the oven with the light on or with the ‘proof’ setting on until it reaches ideal temperature.
When the house is particularly hot, I’ll use cold water to mix my dough. If its particularly cold, I’ll use very warm water to mix my dough.
Time
The time your dough takes to achieve optimal fermentation relies on dough temperature, hydration of the dough, and health of your sourdough starter. It is difficult to predict how long things will take when you’re just starting out.
If your dough is on the warmer side, wetter, or made with an active starter, it will proof faster.
If your dough is on the colder side, stiffer, or made with an immature or over-fermented starter, it will take much longer to proof.
Once you get the hang of it and understand how the dough behaves in your environment and how to manipulate it, things will become more predictable.
The Seeds
This is a carefully crafted blend of seeds, tailored to my personal preference. When I say this is my favourite loaf, it’s because I made it my favourite loaf by perfecting the best combination and ratio of seeds.
Pumpkin Seeds: The most textural seed of them all with a sweet flavour. I love the way pumpkin seeds pop in my mouth. And the flavour of toasted pumpkin seeds is unmatched.
Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds offer an earthy flavour with a chewy texture. Their mild, nutty taste adds depth, while their satisfying bite makes them a worthy addition to the loaf.
Flax Seeds: Flax seeds contain a nutrient-rich oil and provide another nutty flavour. Its texture and flavour is more subtle than other seeds but their nutrition contribution makes them a worthy addition.
Millet: One of the most underrated and under-used seeds for a seedy bread. I love the earthy flavour of millet and the dramatic crunch it provides to a loaf. Such and simple yet essential addition to this loaf. It also gives it a nice pop of colour.
Sesame Seeds: Nothing beats the aroma of toasted sesame seeds. The nutty, toasty, and rich smell elevates this loaf to the next level. If you take the time to add the seeded crust, you’ll truly experience the magic of toasted sesame seeds, enhancing both the flavour and aroma of the bread.
Poppy Seeds: I’ll admit, I’m not entirely sure what poppy seeds taste like, but they add another delightful crunch and enhance the visual appeal of the loaf. Their subtle texture offers another layer of interest, making the bread even more enjoyable.
Seeded Crust Mix
I’ve made a seeded crust including all the seeds used for the dough but I didn’t like the way the pumpkin, sunflower, and poppy seeds behaved.
The pumpkin seeds burnt easily, the sunflower seeds just fell off, and the poppy seeds are so small, they group together and get lost in the mix. So, if you’d like to do a seeded crust, stick with the medium sized ones.
I like to do:
- 1 part flax
- 1 part millet
- 1 part sesame (white and black)
Scoring Your Sandwich Loaf
Scoring is the process of slicing into the top of your dough just before baking. This helps the bread expand in a controlled way as it bakes, allowing the loaf to rise evenly and develop a beautiful crust.
When you look around, you’ll notice many sandwich loaves with a smooth, unscored top. These loaves are typically enriched with butter, eggs, oil, or other fats, which soften the dough. The addition of these ingredients breaks down the gluten network, resulting in a tighter crumb structure that doesn’t need scoring for proper expansion.
This recipe, however, is simply flour, water, and salt like an artisan loaf which means the gluten is strong and can produce large bubbles. This is also known as “tunnelling” and can look like this:
Scoring the top of the loaf allows the gas bubbles inside the dough to release in a controlled manner, preventing the formation of large, uneven holes at the top of the loaf.
Materials You’ll Need
Medium-Sized Mixing Bowl: A heavy set ceramic mixing bowl would work best.
Bowl Cover: Anything that covers and seals the bowl. I use these reusable elastic bowl covers but you can use a plate or wet kitchen towel.
Dough Whisk (optional): It is cleaner to get things started with a dough whisk but it’s definitely not necessary. I like using my hands to mix, it probably makes the dough better.
Plastic Bench Scraper: I find this tool very handy for cleaning and scraping the dough out of the bowl. It can also be used for dividing dough and pre-shaping.
Metal Bench Scraper: I use this tool for dividing dough, pre-shaping, and cleaning the table. Not essential though, as the plastic bench scraper can serve similar purposes, but I like using both.
Kitchen Scale or Measuring Cups and Spoons: I prefer using a kitchen scale but if measuring cups and spoons is all you have then that’s all you need to get started.
Two 8″x 4″ Bread Pans: I really like this size but you can use a bigger bread pan, your loaves might just be a little shorter.
Razor Blade or Sharp Knife: I haven’t found a bread lame I really like so I just use razor blades as is. They’re cheap and sharp and easy to control, you just have to be cautious not to cut yourself.
You can also use a sharp kitchen knife or any bread lame of your choice. A bread lame is a tool used to hold razor blades for scoring.
Parchment Paper: For lining your pans so your loaf doesn’t stick. Or you can grease and flour your pans. I rigged up my own silicone loaf pan liners but I don’t think you can buy a product like that at the moment.
Cooling Rack: For cooling down your loaf.
Ingredients
White Flour: I use Rogers all-purpose flour, nothing fancy.
Whole-Wheat Flour: I use fresh-milled organic whole-grain flour but any whole-wheat flour from the store will get the job done.
Active Sourdough Starter: An active sourdough starter is bubbly with large bubbles, a domed top, double to triple in size, sweet and sour smelling, and floats in water. A perfectly active starter is essential for the perfect loaf but it’s not essential to make sourdough bread. You can work with the starter you have even if it’s not perfectly active, just expect inferior results.
Salt: I use Himalayan sea salt but any salt is good. Avoid highly processed table salt. The more mineral content, the better.
Water: Any drinking water can be bread-making water.
Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, flax, millet, sesame, and poppy.
How To Make Simple Seedy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Day One
In a sturdy mixing bowl, add lukewarm water and active sourdough starter. With your hands or a spatula, break up the sourdough starter until it’s in small shaggy pieces.
Add white flour, whole-wheat flour, seeds, and salt. Mix until incorporated and there are no more dry bits. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, stretch-and-fold the dough all the way around until the dough becomes tight (4-8 times). Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, repeat the stretch-and-folds all the way around until the dough becomes tight.
Let the dough rest until its almost double it’s original size. This could take anywhere from 4-12 hours. Expect it to take more time if your house is cold and less time if your house is warm.
After the bulk ferment, turn your dough onto the counter. Divide the dough into two balls using a scale or eyeball it.
Shape each dough into a round ball. Let rest on the counter for 30 minutes – if it doesn’t feel very gassy or relaxed after 30 minutes, let it rest on the counter for another 30 minutes.
During the rest, prepare your loaf pans by lining them with parchment paper or greasing with butter and coating with flour.
After resting on the counter, flip the dough over, smooth side down, and perform the gentle final shape. Once your dough has been shaped, place it seam side down in your prepared loaf pan. Repeat for the second loaf.
Once shaping is done, cover and let proof a little more on the counter. Once they’ve reached the rim of the pan or a little over, place both loaves in the fridge for 8-24 hours for a cold proof.
Day Two
After the cold proof, preheat your oven to 500F.
Optional but recommended steam: Place a stainless steel vessel with water in it on the bottom rack of your oven – I’ve used a muffin tin, tin loaf pan or baking sheet. Let the water evaporate as your oven is preheating to create a steamy environment. Make sure there is still some water left to release steam once the loaves go in.
Once the oven is preheated, pull your loaves from the fridge, remove the covers and score each loaf however you like.
Place your scored loaves into the preheated oven. Turn down the temperature immediately to 425F.
Once the desired crust colour has been achieved, remove the loaves. As soon as the pans allow, remove your loaves from the pans and place the loaves on a cooling rack.
Allow the loaves to cool down for at least 1 hour before slicing into them.
Once cooled, enjoy with a generous amount of butter!
Notes
If you want to do a seeded crust, refer to text or simply mix 1 part millet, 1 part flax, 1 part sesame. Lightly wet the surface of your dough and roll it into the seed mix.
Make Seedy Sourdough Sandwich Bread!
Recipe & Method
Seedy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ Cups All-purpose Flour 500g
- 1 ⅔ Cups Whole-wheat Flour 210g
- 2 ¼ Cups Water 500g
- 2 Cups Active Starter 300g
- 1 tbsp Salt 15g
Seed Mix
- 1/3 cup Pumpkin Seeds 50g
- 1/3 cup Sunflower Seeds 50g
- 1 tbsp Flax 20g
- 1 tbsp Millet 20g
- 1 tbsp Sesame 20g
- 1 tbsp Poppy 10g
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a sturdy mixing bowl, add lukewarm water and active sourdough starter. Use your hands or a spatula to break up the sourdough starter into small, shaggy pieces.
- Add the Flours and Salt: Add white flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and seed mix. Mix until everything is incorporated, and there are no dry bits remaining.
- First Rest: Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- Stretch & Fold: After 1 hour, perform the first round of stretch-and-folds. Stretch the dough all the way around, folding it over itself 4-8 times until the dough feels tight. Cover the bowl and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
- Second Stretch & Fold: After 30 minutes, repeat the stretch-and-fold process, making sure the dough becomes tight. This makes a total of 2 rounds of stretch-and-folds.
- Bulk Fermentation: Let the dough rest until it has nearly doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 4-12 hours, depending on the temperature of your house. If your house is cold, it will take longer, and if it’s warm, it will take less time.
- Shape the Dough: After bulk fermentation, turn the dough onto the counter. Divide the dough into two equal portions using a scale or by eye. Shape each portion into a round ball and let it rest for 30 minutes. If the dough still feels tight after 30 minutes, let it rest for an additional 30 minutes.
- Prepare Loaf Pans: Use either non-stick pans, grease with butter and flour your pans, or line with parchment paper.
- Final Shaping: After resting, flip each dough ball over so the smooth side is down. Gently shape each loaf by folding in the sides and creating tension to create a strong oval loaf. Optional seeded crust: This would be the time to lightly wet the surface of your loaf and dab into a vessel of mixed seeds. Place the shaped dough seam side down into loaf pans. Repeat with the second loaf.
- Cold Proof: Cover the loaf pans and place both loaves in the fridge for 8-24 hours for a cold proof. The longer the cold proof, the more complex the flavor.
- Preheat the Oven: After the cold proof, preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place a metal baking tray or muffin tin at the bottom of the oven to generate steam (this is optional but highly recommended for a crisp crust).
- Score the Loaves: Once the oven is preheated, take the loaves out of the fridge. Lightly flour the loaves and score them with a sharp knife or lame. Skip the flouring if you have a seeded crust.
- Bake the Bread: Open the preheated oven and carefully place the loaves inside. If you added a steam tray, pour 1 cup of hot water into the vessel at the bottom of the oven immediately after placing the loaves in. Close the oven door to trap in the steam.
- Lower the Temperature: Drop the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crispy.
- Cool the Loaves: Once baked, remove the loaves from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Let them cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Enjoy: Once cooled, slice your seedy sourdough sandwich bread and enjoy with a generous amount of butter, or use it for sandwiches, toast, or any other delightful dish!
Notes
Recommended Reading
I have not checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I?¦ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂