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Mar 2, 2017

Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

I am so excited about this Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds. This bread is amazing. 


Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds





This bread is loaded with seeds, yet it is very airy with a lacy crumb.

See what I mean?

Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

The dough for this bread includes a liquid levain (100% hydration sourdough), as well as a tiny bit of instant yeast. You can skip the yeast if you prefer, and just lengthen the proofing times. I love pure sourdough bread, but I'm not such a fanatic that I don't mind giving the loaves a boost.

Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

This is a pretty wet dough, especially with the toasted seeds soaked in water. The trick to not ending up with a flat loaf of bread is to be sure to develop gluten during the stretch and fold process, and to double shape your loaf before the second proofing. I think I could have improved on this step, and will be working on it.

This bread is ridiculously tasty. On the day that I baked these loaves, I spread a few fresh slices with pesto leftover from these muffins, and loved the flavor. I also sliced half of a loaf and took it to work to share, and it disappeared almost instantly.

Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

This is a bread you must taste to appreciate how incredible it is. While it is light and airy, the seeds add a lot of protein, making this a great "stick to your ribs" breakfast bread. It's wonderful toasted with a fried or poached egg, and it stays fresh for several days.

The bread begins with toasted seeds soaked in boiling water, which are then added to a 78 percent hydration dough, which also includes a generous amount of sourdough starter. After the first rise, the dough is shaped and then proofed in the refrigerator overnight, ready to be baked the next day.

If you are baking over the weekend, here is a suggested schedule:

Saturday:
8:00 a.m., feed your sourdough starter
2:00 p.m., toast your seeds and soak them in the boiling water
3:00 p.m., mix the final dough
8:00 p.m., shape the loaves and place them in the refrigerator overnight.

Sunday:
9:00 to 10:00 a.m., bake the loaves

I baked my loaves in preheated cast iron Dutch ovens, but you can also bake them on a baking stone with a steam pan, or an overturned stainless steel bowl or hotel pan.


Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds


Ingredients


For the starter:
  • 50 grams sourdough starter
  • 200 grams water
  • 200 grams unbleached all purpose flour
For the seed soaker:
  • 140 grams unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 70 grams unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • 80 grams flax seeds
  • 330 grams boiling water
For the final dough:
  • 700 grams bread flour
  • 100 grams whole wheat flour
  • 580 grams 90 to 95 degree F water
  • 21 grams fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 400 grams of the sourdough starter/levain

Instructions

  1. To make the starter: Mix the sourdough starter ingredients in a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
  2. To make the seed soaker: Place the sunflower and pumpkin seeds on a sheet pan and bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring them halfway through. Place the toasted seeds into a 1 to 2 quart heat resistant bowl, add the flax seeds, and stir in the boiling water. Stir a few times and let sit until it cools, stirring occasionally. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  3. To make the final dough: Combine the flours and the water in a large bowl or dough rising bucket. Mix with your hand until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the salt and the yeast. With a wet hand, fold the dough over the salt and yeast, and then pinch the dough with your fingers. Continue to wet your mixing hand and fold the dough over itself, and continue to pinch and fold, until the salt and yeast are dissolved. Add 400 grams of the sourdough starter, and mix by hand, wetting your hand in a bowl of water as you go. Fold the dough over itself a few more times, and then cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
  5. After the first rest, add the seed mixture, and fold the dough by picking up each "side," stretching it, and folding it over the middle about 15 to 20 times. (Don't worry too much about how difficult it is to incorporate the seeds, as it will get easier with each phase of stretching and folding). Cover again. Fold the dough three more times at 20 minute intervals. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let rise until tripled, about 2 to 3 more hours.
  6. Gently scrape the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide it in half with a bench knife, and shape each piece into a boule or batard by gently folding the dough over itself from all "sides." Flip the shaped loaves over so that the seam side is on the counter. Using a bench scraper, draw the loaf toward you, and then away from you, to tighten up the top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough. In the meantime, dust two bannetons or towel lined bowls with a 50-50 mixture of wheat and rice flour.
  7. After 10 minutes, place the bench scraper under the shaped loaf, and scoot it around from all four sides to tighten up the loaf a bit. Place the shaped dough into the banneton, seam side up or down. If you do it seam side down, you won't need to slash the dough before baking, as it will open naturally. Repeat with the second loaf.
  8. Cover the loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and place them into the refrigerator overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F with either two Dutch ovens or baking stone placed on the middle rack. If you only have one Dutch oven, you can bake the loaves sequentially.
  9. When ready to bake, turn the loaves out onto a parchment lined plate. Either lift them into the heated Dutch oven, or slide them onto the baking stone. Cover with the lid, or in the case of the baking stone, cover with a stainless bowl or hotel pan... or add boiling water to a steam pan placed under the baking stone.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the lid or pan, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the bread is a deep brown and reaches an internal temperature of about 205 degrees F. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  11. Yield: 2 - 24 ounce loaves

This recipe is my own, but inspired by two of my favorite bread books, Flour, Water, Salt, and Yeast (for the method) and Josey Baker Bread (inspiration for the seed mixture).




Sourdough Pain de Campagne with Toasted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Flax Seeds

Would you like to comment?

  1. another beauty, Karen!

    I was hoping to bake bread this weekend, but it did not work out that way. Shooting for next... life is busy (sigh)

    but fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sally. =) Bread can wait. (and it's very patient!)

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  2. I've made loaves from this recipe the past two weeks and really enjoyed them. Each time, for the soaker I used a random assortment of toasted grains and seeds (pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, rye flakes, millet, sesame seed, and buckwheat groats). I think it's the buckwheat that provided a slightly purple tint to the bread. I used about 30% less nuts and seeds than called for in the recipe and still the loaves have been very well studded.

    To accommodate my schedule, I did the bulk rise in the refrigerator, which meant that both rises were retarded. It worked well for me and added a nice tang to the loaves.

    The biggest problem I had was in shaping the loaves. I struggle with this anyway and have never put in the time I need to in order to have properly shaped loaves. The doughs I ended up with were very wet, making it even more challenging. However, even though the first loaf stuck to the banneton when I was going to put it in the oven, it still came out delicious. So I'll keep plugging away at this. Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's a crumb shot: https://www.instagram.com/p/BRgELuHhSRS/

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    2. That looks wonderful!

      A trick I learned recently for shaping is to shape the loaves, and then leave them uncovered for 15 minutes, and then shape again. I also use a mixture of 50/50 flour and rice flour, and it works great for releasing the loaf.

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  3. This bread is INSANELY good!!!! The flavor and texture are out of this world. We are looking forward to making toast with it tomorrow. Thank you, Karen, for such a wonderful formula. It's a winner!!!!

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  4. I have a question: I always wonder whether its fed or unfed sourdough starter that’s called for in a recipe. So, if I haven’t baked in a week, should I feed my starter and then use fresh starter to make this starter, or do you use the unfed and this process is what refreshes it? Would love to try this lovely-looking seeded loaf!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This calls for fed or "active" sourdough starter. Feed your starter a night or two before beginning to bake this bread. I hope you like this bread as much as I do!

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  5. Great recipe! I followed the recipe except for one substitution (sesame seeds instead of pumpkin seeds). I took your advice and dusted the linen liners of my new bannetons with rice flour, and the dough didn't stick. The bread is wonderful toasted!

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