Thursday 3 July 2014

Oat and Seeds Sourdough Bread

I mentioned recently that I have been playing with Dan Lepard's White Levain Loaf from The Handmade Loaf.  My mum borrowed my copy of the book and tried it.  She raved to me about the silky texture of the dough.  So I tried it and then she was over following all that timing.  I persevered and started to experiment with adding seeds and oats.  Today I bring you this variation.  Not as fluffy and white but very good and even packs a little extra nutrition.

I have made this recipe on quite a few occasions.  It is different every time.  At first I tried wheatgerm and, once the packet was finished, I moved onto oats.  I keep the seeds small because the last time I bought a loaf with sunflower seeds, Sylvia managed to pick them out.  It is enough for the moment that she is eating the seeded loaf.  I have found that Dan Lepard's White Levain can be a bit sticky so I have tried slightly different amounts of flour and water. 

[On the weekend I bought a soft wholemeal loaf from Bakers Delight.  Sylvia was so excited at how soft it was; even the crusts.  She told me how much nicer it was than the bread I make.  That may be so.  However most of the time she doesn't have a choice about which bread she is eating!]

Most of the time I have been making the loaf throughout the day and it comes out of the oven too late to eat.  The loaves are ready even later with it being winter and the dough struggling to rise on some of the chilly day.  Even with the heater on, the dough knows it is winter. 

This loaf is amazing when warm out of the oven, but nevertheless, it is a beautiful thing to wake to a fresh loaf of bread.  We eat it for breakfast and I make everyone lunch.  Fresh bread doesn't need much to make an incredible sandwich.  E likes chutney and cheese.  Sylvia is over her horror of eating sandwiches like everyone else and has vegemite and cheese.  I love salad if the sandwich is eatent fresh.  (The salad at top is avocado, grated carrot, sun dried tomato, tofurky and mayonnaise.)


It would also be possible to make this bread in the early evening (maybe even after work) and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight in the tin or even rise at room temperature.  Though on a cold night it sometimes feels like the fridge is the warmer place!  Then it can be baked in the morning.  That would make for a

For anyone familiar with Dan Lepard's White Levain Loaf, this loaf is quite different when weighed down by seeds.  It doesn't rise as brilliantly or come out quite as soft.  If you love a seeded loaf though, it will appeal. Then all you have to have is a bit of time around the house.  It is worth it.  [Sadly it does not fit with our busy school holidays so it might not be appearing over the next week or so.]

I am sending this loaf to Alphabakes.  This month Ros of The More than Occasional Baker is hosting and the letter chosen is R: that is R for rolled oats.  I am also sending it to Susan of Wild Yeast for YeastSpotting, the regular round up of all things yeasty online.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Overnight no knead focaccia
Two years ago: Zucchini and tomato quiche with wild garlic
Three years ago: CC Orange, Lavender and Almond Syrup Cake
Four years ago: Lemon Slice and some Nostalgia
Five years ago: A Tale of Carrot and Feta Dip
Six years ago: Sparkles the Rabbit Cake
Seven years ago: The Worcestershire Sauce Puzzle

Seeded sourdough bread
Adapted from Dan Lepard's White Levain Loaf in The Handmade Loaf
Makes 1 loaf

200g sourdough starter
325g water
1/2 cup seeds (I use 2 tbsp each of sesame, poppy, linseeds, chia)
1 1/2 salt
100g oats
375g plain white flour
extra flour or olive oil for kneading and greasing
extra seeds for tin
  • Mix starter and water in a large bowl.  Stir in seeds and salt.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well with a spoon.  (Dan says use your hands but I don't fancy that!) 
  • 10 minutes: Cover with a teatowel and rest for 10 minutes. 
  • 5 to 10 minutes: Knead for about 15 seconds, using a little flour if too sticky or a little olive oil if not sticky.  (I usually "pummel" my dough about 20 times.)  Rest on floured surface and cover with a teatowel.  Meanwhile wash and dry the mixing bowl.  Grease with a little olive oil.  This will usually take 5 to 10 minutes.  Knead dough and return to greased bowl.
  • 10 minutes - Cover dough and rest for 10 minutes.  Knead for 15 second.
  • 30 minutes - Cover, rest 30 minutes and knead.
  • 1 hour - Cover, rest 1 hour and knead.
  • 1 hour - Cover, rest 1 hour and knead.
  • 2 hours - Cover and prove for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.  Grease a bread tin and scatter with seeds of choice.  Stretch and fold the dough on a lightly floured or oiled surface.  I fold the square of dough in three to make a long shape which fits my tin well. Arrange dough, seam side down, in bread tin.
  • 4 1/2 hours - Cover with a greased piece of clingfilm.  Allow to prove 4 and 1/2 hours until almost doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 220 C about 30 minutes before the bread is ready.  Place dish of water in the bottom of the oven while preheating to fill it with steam.
  • 50 to 60 minutes - Remove clingfilm [, slashing is optional - I don't do it[ and bake bread until a dark golden brown and the crust sounds hollow when tapped.  (It usually takes me 50 minutes.)  Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Wait at least an hour before cutting and eating bread.

On the Stereo:
Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs: The Guthrie Family

28 comments:

  1. What a great looking load of bread - I like your addition of seeds to the recipe.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - I figure seeds weigh down the bread less than 100%wholemeal flour

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  2. Sorry if this is a daft question, but is the starter like sourdough starter type stuff?

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    1. No it is s good question joey and yes it is sourdough starter - have made this clearer.

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  3. That's a good looking loaf, and I have some sourdough starter in the fridge, you see - you can see where this is going...

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    1. Thanks joey - always a joy to have some starter in the fridge - hope you are enjoying a nice fresh loaf of sourdough bread soon

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  4. Wow, Johanna - this is impressive! I have been awed by your bread efforts before, but somehow a seeded loaf seems more complicated and thus even more amazing. I would take this over Bakers Delight any day (even their Cape Seed Loaf, which was my favourite of their range) :-)

    I'm also impressed you make everyone's sandwiches, and am smiling at E's sandwich. Mr B (who makes his own sandwich!) had a cheese and pickle (chutney) sandwich every day for work in Australia, except when I left him some prepared salad, and then that would get added to the mix.

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    1. Thanks Kari - I love the BD cape seed bread too - this is less seedy but still good in that way. I was putting chia seeds in my yeast bread before doing sourdough so it is nice to be getting seeds in it again (I was actually inspired by the BD chia seed bread which I love). I don't think E would be so keen on adding salad to his sandwich. I wish he made his own like Mr B but I figure this is a way for us all to enjoy fresh bread. And I am pleased sylvia has got used to sandwiches - at first she thought it a terrible idea.

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  5. This looks like a great sandwich bread! Love that crunch from the seeds!

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    1. Thanks Joanne - yep and I especially love the texture of a seeded crust

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  6. That sure is beautiful looking bread and yes, I agree, there's nothing better than waking to freshly baked bread (so much better than Baker's Delight!!!) xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - when you bake your own bread it is amazing just how good it is fresh compared to buying it from shops - I especially find this surprising with sourdough

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  7. This looks like a great loaf to make! I'm sure it's a total crowd pleaser :D

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - it is carefully adapted to appeal to all of us.

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  8. Me either, I used to pick sunflower seeds out on bread (haha), but other seeds, I don’t mind much. Aw, Johanna, you are a winning bread baker - the loaf looks absolutely brilliant and I love it when it’s warm out of the oven, it’s the best to wake up to a fresh loaf of bread! Yummmm to avocado, grated carrot, sun dried tomato, Tofurky (love Tofurky!)…I want this piece of sandwich! Can you deliver?! :)

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    1. Thanks Rika - warm fresh bread is so good - wish I could just pop over - though if I had my druthers I would add sunflower seeds

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  9. Good evening.
    If I can give you an advice for your loaf to remain soft & moist even w/seeds, you should toast your seeds in the oven and as soon as you take them out pour the same weight of boiling water, cover it and keep aside at least 12 to 14h. Use it normally in your recipe...that will make the difference!
    Regards,
    Aurelien

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    1. Thanks Aurelien - that sounds a great idea for keeping the loaf moist - I heard that soaking the fruit in hot cross buns and fruit bread keeps it moist - but I did try adding a bit of extra water when I first tried putting chia seeds in bread and it was too soggy so I wonder if the soaking would affect the texture and mean the bread needed less water

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    2. Dear Johanna, soaking the seeds overnight will not affect the dough as long as you remove any excess of water if any before using the seeds and secondly add the seeds to the dough the last 2-3 minutes at low speed. If you notice that your dough is a bit loose you can give 1 or 2 stretch & fold during the 1st 2 hours of prooving to tighten the gluten network. Plus the fact that you use a bread tin to bake your bread allow you to have a dough w/higher hydration too.
      Enjoy your baking! :)
      Aurelien

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    3. Thanks Aurelien - all sounds like very useful advice - much appreciated

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  10. What a beautiful loaf of bread! I love lots of seeds packed in there.

    My mum used to make bread in the oven when we were little. When we were older, my parents got a bread maker and would make it in that - the best bit would be that they would set it up before bed and we would all wake to the lovely smell of fresh warm bread.

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    1. Thanks Ceali - now you make me wish I had a swish new oven that I could put a timer on to have it bake in time for me to get up but then you couldn't put the bread in a preheated oven - hmmm need to think about this - the breadmaker sounds great but we just don't have room in our kitchen.

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  11. What gorgeous bread! I'd love to have a loaf of this. Have to laugh at your Sylvia - my Sylvia would say same thing :)

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    1. Thanks Kate - I suspect I might have said the same thing about Bakers Delight bread when I was little too - my poor mum

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  12. Wow it looks so light and fluffy! Great job! :-)

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    1. Thanks sandy - It is lovely and soft when fresh

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  13. I love seeded bread and this looks amazing! I really should bake more of my own bread. I love your sandwich filling too and really wish I could have it for my lunch. I agree that there's nothing better than the smell of fresh bread especially in the mornings.Thanks for entering AlphaBakes.

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    1. Thanks Ros - just starting a loaf of this bread this morning - still love it - the smell of the stuff is great though I often make it when doing 5:2 fast days and the smell of it last thing at night before I go to bed when I am very hungry but waiting for a slice in the morning, that is hard :-)

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