Bon Appetit - Just Plain Good Food

Whole Grain and Seed Sourdough Bread

by Tammera Karr

All ingredients are organic and sprouted for higher nutrition content. Company’s recommended: Montana Wheat and Bobs Red Mill. This recipe came from research and development of Tammera’s updated Our Journey with Food Cookery Book 2nd edition, 2022. The fermentation process and directions for making your own sourdough starter can be found on pages 279-283.

4 c All-purpose organic flour
1 c Whole wheat flour
1 cup Old fashioned rolled oats
1 tbsp Celtic Sea salt, course grey
¼ c Sunflower seeds, sprouted
¼ c Pumpkin seeds, sprouted
1 tbsp Sesame seeds, black
1 c Sourdough starter
2 2/3 c Water, filtered and 100 degrees (warm)

In a large mixing bowl – Blend all dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add starter and ½ the water, begin working the water into the flour, adding more along the way.

You need a tacky soft dough to allow for enough moister to soften the oats. If you reside above 2,500 feet, a batter bread dough is what you are looking for.

Do not overwork or get too dry, or a claggy, dense, and tough loaf will result.

Cover the bowl with beeswax paper or plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm area for 6-7 hours. (summer 4-5 hours).

Preheat oven to 425° (you will lower this heat once cooking begins)
Use the middle wrack setting, so the bread bottom is not overdone.

Place cast iron Dutch oven or bread oven dish in oven to preheat when you turn out the dough.

After the dough has doubled, turn out onto a floured surface and gently fold and divide into two round loaves, place on unbleached parchment paper, and score the top with a razor blade.

If you are doing one loaf at a time, place the second on the parchment paper in the refrigerator. You will not do a second raise.

Set each loaf into a hot dry cast iron pan (do not oil the pan), cover with lid and bake for 15 minutes at 400°, at 15 minutes, lower the heat to 350° for another 15 minutes.

At the end of 30 minutes, remove lids and check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. Internal temperature should read 170-180°. To brown the top use broiler setting for 2-3 minutes on high.

Place bread loaves on wire wracks to cool; once cool, you can slice without damaging the internal air pockets.