Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Hearty-Grain Sourdough Bread

 

My husband likes bread with lots of crunchy seeds and grains. I've made many different variations of this bread. You can substitute various grains and seeds, this is just a guide to get you started. I use the whole wheat sourdough bread as my base but you can use many of the bread recipes, not just sourdough bread to make a heart grain bread.



I mix up the grains and seeds the night before with warm water. It is a good time to also feed my sourdough starter so it is busy and active for bread baking the next day.


Hearty-Grain Sourdough Bread


1/2 cup rolled oatmeal
1/2 cup bulgar (or steel-cut oats)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 T flax seeds
2 T poppy seeds
1/2 cup warm water
2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup oil or melted butter 
1/4 cup honey 
5 cups whole wheat flour (approximate measure)
3 tsp salt 
additional seeds for garnish

Directions:
 Mix rolled oatmeal, bulgar, seeds, and warm water together. (You may add an acid ingredient if you like to soak your grains and seeds in an acid liquid.) Allow to sit overnight.

In the morning, mix all ingredients except salt for 2-3 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for about 20 minutes.

After rest, add salt and knead dough for about five minutes. If dough is too sticky, add slightly more flour but dough should be soft and not dry and stiff. Place in oiled bowl and allow dough to rise for 3-4 hours or until nearly doubled in size.

Divide dough into two pieces (unless you want smaller loaves, then divide into however many loaves you wish) and shape into loaves and place in two greased bread pans. If a free form loaf is desired, place on greased baking sheet. Spray with oil and cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours.

When dough has risen, brush beaten egg on loaf tops and sprinkle oatmeal or seeds on loaf as desired for garnish. Carefully slash the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. For even browning, turn loaves halfway through baking time.

 

27 comments :

  1. I just found a book named Bread Alone. The baker tells in detail about sourdough bread and how to make it. Now this recipe . . . It makes me want to bake some bread. thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. That sounds like a cookbook that I would love!
      Gina

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  2. Yum! I have never heard of adding the salt last. Do you do that with other bread recipes, too?

    Lorraine

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    Replies
    1. Lorraine-
      A lot of professional bread bakers add the salt last. It is something about the affect on the yeast and the flour. I typically add the salt with all the other ingredients so I don't forget it. Actually the batch of bread I baked this week I forgot the salt. And bread with no salt is awful! So maybe I should add the salt with the flour in this recipe just as a precaution!
      Gina

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    2. I have been making your bread for about a month now. It turns out great. Since I do not need any more floor to do the final kneading I use the salt instead. That way I know it has been worked evenly into the bread.

      I also found that the honey made it a little too sweet for my liking so the second batch I cut it in half. The bread turned out just fine and you could taste the sourdough more. I have a batch on now the I forgot to put the honey in. How it turns out OK.

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  3. My husband is pretty interested in this bread too... I just found your site tonight looking for how to rise dough in the fridge. Thanks for all the info. Now I will have to go find some sourdough starter (I did start reading your info on that), but I'm not sure I want to have another living thing to take care of.... Is it really 1.2 cups rolled oats in this recipe, or did you mean 1/2 cup? I'm looking forward to reading more here.

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    Replies
    1. Oops! I had made a mistake in the oatmeal measurement. I fixed it now.
      Gina

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  4. Are the seeds only sprinkled on top or do you include them in the dough?

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    Replies
    1. The seeds are added into the dough. I changed the recipe to show that additional seeds are used to garnish the top of the loaves.
      Thanks,
      Gina

      Delete
  5. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can't wait to try it.

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  6. Looks amazing... can't wait to bake this.

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  7. I love this bread! Thank you for the recipe, it has become my go-to for sourdough!

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  8. Trying this right now -- it is in the pans rising. Thus far everything has been easy and the first rising went splendidly. I did use two tablespoons of gluten, a pinch of ginger, and Vit. C. Also used chia instead of poppy, and added 2 T. sesame seed. . . reminds me of "Dave's Killer Bread" which I love and attempted to create recipe using regular yeast. It was good, but wanted sourdough to see if I can tolerate better. Later -- bread is wonderful. Everything went and cooked perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe -- the best sourdough I have ever made. . . and easy! Brenda in TX.

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  9. Gina, thanks so much for the inspiration of your recipe. I've tweaked it a bit, using Bob's Red Mill 7-grain hot cereal mix (1.25C.) & 1 C buttermilk & 1.5C. Boiling water with a shorter soak (just enough cooling until it reaches 100F). To that I add 4 Tbs. Melted butter and 1/4C honey, 3 C bread flour & 1.5C. Whole wheat or white whole wheat flour, 1 C. Whole wheat starter & at the delayed time, 1 Tbs. Salt.

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  10. Hi Gina,
    Just found your site today, this bread looks great. I have some questions; what size loaf pan do you use, is the crust soft or crunchy, if soft can they be made into roll? Thanks Joyce

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    Replies
    1. I use a 9x4 inch pan. In the photo above I had made a double batch - which is why there is three loaves pictured. I have also made this as a free-formed loaf on a baking sheet. The crust is rather soft and I'm sure it could be made into a roll. I'm not sure why I've never tried rolls but I'll put that on my list to try soon.

      Happy Baking
      Gina

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  11. It is difficult to find recipes for sourdough bread that don't use any commercial yeast, so I was very happy to stumble upon this recipe.
    It made two delicious, beautiful loaves that the whole family raved about! This hearty bread will be in regular rotation in our home - thank you very much!

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  12. Just made this and the texture is lovely! I think I let mine raise a bit too long-the fermented taste is stronger than I prefer, but, all in all, I'm happy with it. Especially the softness and crunchy crust :) Topped with butter and honey... Yum!

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  13. This recipe makes a soft bread with a lovely texture! Delicious!

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  14. Hi Gina! What a lovely recipe! I am wanting to try it out but am wondering if I could replace the 1 cup of milk with something? Water, nondairy milk, yogurt? What would you recommend? Thank you!!

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    Replies
    1. This recipe works great with water instead of milk. I love to save the water I cooked potatoes in. Potato water makes extra soft bread and helps the sourdough grow.
      Gina

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    2. I love that tip- always looking for ways to reduce waste & of course, make extra soft bread! :) Thank you Gina!

      Delete
  15. I just made this bread today and man oh man is this delicious! After failing to make a good whole wheat bread so many times and then making this bread, I feel so accomplished! haha. Thank you so much for sharing your time and recipes! Love them!

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  16. Forgot to mention that I used home milled and hand bolted white wheat.

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  17. I'm excited to try this! My husband just chose it as his bread for the week. Thank you for sharing your sourdough recipes!

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  18. Amazing recipe. Perfect healthy bread for everyday breakfast. Thanks for sharing nutritious recipes.

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  19. This made two very large free form loaves that are absolutely delicious! I have never before been able to make a sourdough loaf with all whole wheat that is light - this is perfect. Thank you for sharing!

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