I bake bread almost every week and I always love trying new recipes. I first made this one in January 2014. I made another loaf two days later, and I’ve hardly made any other kind of bread since because it is heavenly. The flavor & texture are beyond compare, with the most satisfying crunch from the crust and the seeds that are mixed in. I’ve never not liked sunflower seeds, but somehow they get elevated to something completely sublime in this loaf. I wish I were articulate enough to describe all the ways this bread is amazing, but I think you’ll just have to try it yourself!

my first loaf :')

This recipe is adapted from Rose Levy-Beranbaum’s incomparable Bread Bible, which you should get if you are at all interested in bread-baking. (I first borrowed it from the library, then ordered my own copy within hours of bringing it home.)

Ways I have not messed up this bread:

  • substituting whatever weird combo of seeds I have on hand for the recommended ones
  • using only a bunch of sunflower seeds
  • never measuring the seeds
  • adding too much olive oil for like several months because I misremembered the correct amount
  • using 100% all-purpose flour

Maybe the best thing about this recipe is that you can make it in an afternoon. My other favorite breads feature slow overnight rises that make for excellent flavor development, but this one gets much of its flavor from the olive oil, so you don’t need to plan ahead so much.

Ingredients:

dry ingredients in a bowl

  • 1 2/3 cups (250 g/8.7 oz) flour (I always use all-purpose, the recipe calls for bread)
  • scant 2/3 cup (88 g/3 oz) whole wheat flour (don’t have it? just sub more all-purpose)
  • a whole bunch of seeds, totaling roughly 12 tablespoons/112 g/4 oz
    • the recipe calls for sesame, sunflower, poppy, and flax
    • I always use roasted salted sunflower seeds because they’re the best part, then I add whatever else I happen to have. Raw millet is fun for added crunch.
  • 3/4 tbsp (2.4 g) instant yeast
  • 1 C + 2 tbsp (9 fl oz) water, at room temp
  • 1/4 C olive oil, plus a lil more for the rising container
  • 1 1/8 tsp salt (I usually just do 1 tsp since I’m adding salted sunflower seeds)
  • a pinch of cornmeal (optional)

Equipment:

You don’t really need anything fancy, but I typically use a stand mixer to mix the dough and a 3.5 quart cast iron dutch oven to bake the bread.

Process:

Make the dough:

  1. Toast any seeds that aren’t toasted already. (How? I like the oven method described here.)
  2. Stir flours, yeast, and seeds together (if you’re using salted seeds, avoid combining them with the yeast immediately; stir the yeast into the flour a bit first so the salt doesn’t just murder it all).
  3. While stirring (by hand or stand mixer), gradually add water and olive oil (I like to measure them together in the same measuring cup).
  4. Mix it all together until a rough dough forms.
  5. You haven’t added the salt yet! Get the salt out and put it next to the bowl so you don’t forget. Maybe write yourself a note that says “SALT!”
  6. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Optionally set the label on your timer app to “SALT!”
  7. Now we’re ready for that salt. Sprinkle it on, feel immense relief that you did not forget it, then…
  8. Knead until the dough is elastic and lovely and just a little sticky to the touch (about 5 minutes by hand, 10 in the stand mixer). Add flour or water as needed (I often have to sprinkle just a bit more flour on to keep this from getting too sticky).

Let the dough rise:

  1. Oil a large container (I usually just use my mixing bowl) and the outside of the dough. Place the dough in the container and note the height of the dough relative to the container. (I only ever “note” this mentally, but if you’re really on top of your game &/or precise, you can use tape or a dry erase marker or something.)
  2. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let dough rise until about doubled, 1.5 - 2 hours (or longer, if you’ve got stuff to do - I’ve left this bread overnight, even, though I wouldn’t recommend that as the seeds get less crunchy). If you live in a dreadfully cold place, as I do, you can help the dough out by placing the bowl on top of the radiator or toaster oven or something else warm.

I think the recipe calls for a second rise but I never do one, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bake the bread:

Here is where I, for some unknown reason, diverge from the method in the book

  1. Preheat the oven to 450° F
  2. If you’re using a dutch oven, stick it in there to preheat too. If not, a cookie sheet or loaf pan will also do.
  3. Let the oven thoroughly preheat, 30-60 minutes depending on your oven/patience.
  4. Using oven mitts and caution, pull out your baking vessel of choice. You can sprinkle a little cornmeal in the bottom if you’re into that (it will help prevent the dough from sticking, but I’ve never had an issue when I’ve forgotten to use it).
  5. Dump the dough into the thing!
  6. Put the thing into the oven!
  7. If you’re not using a dutch oven, you may also want to put a small pan of ice cubes in the oven, beneath the bread, to create steam.
  8. After 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 425° F.
  9. Check on it again in another 20 minutes. The bread is done when the crust is nicely browned and it sounds sort of hollow when tapped. For a browner, crisper crust you can remove the top of the dutch oven or (very carefully!) place the bread directly on the oven rack for the last few minutes. I think I usually bake this bread for somewhere around 30-40 minutes total; after a time or two you’ll be comfortable assessing its doneness based on look & feel. :)
  10. Let cool for as long as you can stand, then eat and rejoice.

Want a more thorough and possibly less rambly version of this recipe? Get thee to a copy of Rose Levy-Beranbaum’s Bread Bible!