For the Love of Seeds

I had recently been trying out some of Paul Hollywood's breads, and three loaves contained sizable amounts of seeds. I really love seeds in things; pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, poppy seeds. These loaves of Paul's contained loads of them, and the breads are so fabulously delicious. I tried combining and making a seeded bread of my own, but to date I had not gotten a loaf I was pleased with, enough to share.
 

Five Seed No-Knead Bread

Then a few weeks back I got the idea to try making a No-Knead bread (read about No-Knead Bread here) with seeds. My first try also used whole grain flour, which is always going to make it more challenging. The result was quite flat. Tasty. But flat. I gave it a second try, using only white bread flour and loads of seeds. Flat again.  

Five Seed No Knead Bread

By this time I was getting wise to the trickiness of it. With No-Knead bread, there is a balance of water to other ingredients. That second loaf turned out flat as it just never rose enough, due to the fact that the dough was way too dry. So again I tried making the bread, and this time I soaked the seeds for an hour first. I drained them when I was ready to assemble the dough, but using the old amount of water turned out a TOO wet dough, and this time it rose better, but was still too flat, this time because it just was too runny and soft to hold its shape.

In this case, the fourth time was the charm. To get the balance I wanted, I soaked the seeds for an hour, then drained them. Then, instead of the full 1⅝ cup of water used in plain No Knead Bread, or even 1½ cups, I took out two more tablespoons of water from the 1½ cups and used only that much. And this time? Perfect. I could already tell from how the dough looked when I first mixed it. It was shaggy, but wet enough to be able to incorporate all the ingredients.

The next morning, when I checked the dough, it had risen beautifully, was nicely wobbly and full of holes. In the photos here below, the left photo is just after mixing, and on the right, with the bowl tilted, you can see the holes where it is stretching away from the top of the bowl.

Dough just mixed - Dough risen following day

From start to finish, this time the bread responded perfectly, and it rose beautifully once formed. In the photo below, you can see that once the dough was formed into a nice tight ball, it kept its shape, rather than spreading outwards. It rose very nicely by the time 2 hours had passed and I was ready to bake the loaf. I hit the side of the hot pot when tossing the dough in, but even so, though slightly lopsided, it came out great, rising to perfection. 

Just formed, left, and then ready to bake, right

All the loaves tasted good. That was never the problem. This time it tasted great, but it always tastes better when all the steps work out as they should, and satisfaction is based on more than just the flavor. If you learn to make No Knead Bread and you love seeds in your bread, then this bread just has to be on your list of things to try.
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A caveat to those who live in a very humid climate. Our climate is more dry, with only about 25% humidity on most days. If you live with lots of humidity, the amount of water needed might be far less. If living in high humidity, reserve aside yet another 2 tablespoons of the total water, mixing first without it, and ascertaining if the dough is too dry without it. Remember that the seeds are holding water, even though drained, and will release moisture into the dough while fermenting. If the dough is too dry, add more water only until all the ingredients are moistened.

Five-Seed No-Knead Bread

Five Seed No Knead Bread

Makes one loaf

3 cups (366 grams) bread flour
1¼ teaspoon (8 grams) salt
¾ teaspoon (2 grams) yeast

WHOLE SEED MIX:
3½ tablespoons (30 grams) raw sunflower seed kernels
3 tablespoons (30 grams) raw pumpkin seed kernels
1½ tablespoons (15 grams) golden flax seeds
1½ tablespoons (15 grams) raw, unhulled sesame seeds
1 tablespoon (10 grams) poppy seeds

1½ cup water, minus 2 tablespoons (325 ml)


* Remember that this bread must be mixed up at least 12 hours and even better 18 hours before you will work with it.

One hour before mixing up the dough, set all the seeds into a bowl together and cover by at least one inch with water. Set aside for an hour.

Measure the flour, salt and yeast into a glass, plastic or ceramic bowl. Drain the seeds well, discarding the water. Pour drained seeds into the flour, along with the measured 1½ cups minus two tablespoons of water. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed. No need to stir vigorously, or for any length of time. Cover with plastic wrap and set the bowl in a warm room temperature place to rise overnight. If the house is exceptionally cold, you might set the bowl in the oven with the oven light on. If the oven light makes the oven too hot, leave the door cracked open to allow excess heat to escape. 

The next day, check that the dough has risen noticeably and there are loads of bubbles dotting the entire surface.  The dough should be very wet-looking and jiggly when shaken slightly. If it has not yet reached this stage, leave it to rise for an hour or two more.

When the dough is ready to work, heavily dust a clean surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and lightly toss it to coat with the flour. Cover with the plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with a smooth, clean kitchen towel - no terrycloth! Coat a 12 inch circle on the cloth with cornmeal or bran. After the dough has rested, form the dough into a tight ball, with the seams tucked underneath. Set this ball in the center of the circle of cornmeal or bran. If the top of the dough is sticky, sprinkle with a little more cornmeal or bran, then cover with another clean, smooth towel. Set in a warm room temperature area and allow to rise for two hours.

Thirty minutes before baking, set a 4 to 6 quart, heavy cast iron or enameled cast iron pot with lid on, into the oven. Set the oven to 475 degrees and turn the oven on. Let the pot heat along with the oven for 30 minutes.

Once these 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully remove the pot from the oven with ample hot pads or oven mitts. Set the lid aside. Bring the tray with the risen loaf nearby and uncover. Slide a hand underneath the towel holding the loaf and lift, quickly inverting the loaf into the extremely hot pot. Cover the pot and return to the oven. Time the loaf for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes, remove the lid, leaving the loaf in the oven to bake for a further 10 to 20 minutes. When finished, Remove the pot from the oven and use a long handled spatula to lift the loaf out of the pot to a rack to cool. Allow it to cool at least 1 hour before slicing. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.