Sourdough Flax Seed Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Mixing and Gluten Development
• Holding some of the water back, thoroughly mix the ingredients in a bowl. Add the held back water slowly and only if it's needed to incorporate the dry ingredients. Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes.
• Coil fold the dough several times until it tightens, then let it rest about 30 minutes. Repeat the coil folding and resting 1-2 more times.
• This dough will take longer than most to ferment (12 or so hours at 65F) because of the oil in the flaxseed meal. I stopped the bulk fermentation after the dough had doubled.
• Pre-Shape, Bench Rest and Shape
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly flour countertop and shape it into a ball, seam down. Cover and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Flour the top of the rested dough ball and flip it over. Shape the dough into a boule or batard, place it into the proofing basket seam-side up, and cover.
• Final Proof
• Let the dough proof 1-3 hours at room temperature or 10-14 hours in the refrigerator (or a combination of room and refrigerator proofing).
• Scoring and Baking
• Preheat your baking vessel 30 minutes at 500F.
• When the oven and dough are ready, flip the dough onto parchment paper, brush it with flour and score it.
• If you want to do a complicated score, trace lines with cooking string across the dough to create sections. Make cuts in the center of the dough and then work your way around section by section. See the photo gallery for more details.
• Load the dough into the baking vessel, cover and bake:
• 20 minutes at 500F
• 10 minutes at 450F
• Remove the lid and bake for 5-10 more minutes.
• The internal temperature of the bread should be 205F or higher. Let it cool at least an hour before cutting.

Steps:

• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
• Combine all three kinds of seeds in a small bowl and add the 100g of water, allowing the seeds to soak up the water (especially the chia seeds) during the dough's autolyse stage.
• Mix the flour and water and cover the dough to autolyse for about 1 hour.
• Knead and pinch the salt and leaven into the dough. Mark the time, and cover and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
• Begin a series of 4-6 stretch and folds 20-30 minutes apart, covering between each stretch and fold, and adding in the watery seed mixture at the second stretch and fold.
• Let ferment until the dough is puffy and bubbly. From the marked time the leaven was added, this bulk ferment can be as little as 3-4 hours if your room temperature is over 80F or as long as 10-11 hours if your room temperature is under 70F. My dough fermented 5.5 hours at 77F.
• Scrape your fermented dough out onto a floured countertop. Press out the gases while you creating a rectangular shape with the dough, then fold the dough in thirds on the long side, and then in half to make a tall square shape.
• Cover with plastic and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Prep your counter with extra chia, sesame, and poppy seeds in a circle if you're making a boule and an oval if you're making a batard. Also, prep your banneton with flour as well.
• If you're using a tea towel to line a bowl or basket, you have the option of laying it flat on your counter, flouring it and then coating it in seeds.
• Shape your dough into a boule or batard by knitting the sides together, and then rolling and pressing the top into the middle several times until the dough is completely flipped over. OR Flip your dough over, and tuck in the sides while rotating it in a circle.
• Let the dough rest a few minutes to close the seams on the underside, then dampen the top of the loaf with a wet hand or by spraying it. Use your dough scraper to lift your boule/batard off the counter and flip it onto the layer of prepped seeds, rolling it a bit to capture as many as possible.
• Transfer the dough to your floured basket. Cover and proof until it has expanded and does not rebound as readily when poked. This could be as little as 45 minutes at room temperatures and as long as 10 hours in the refrigerator. My dough proofed for 2.75 hours in the refrigerator.
• 30 minutes before your proofing stage is over, preheat your oven to 500F (or the recommended temp for your baking vessel) with the baking vessel inside.
• Bake at 500F for 30 minutes, lid on
• Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, lid off
• Or until the internal temperature of the bread is about 205F.

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine 4 1/2 cups flour, flax seed meal, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the active starter, water, olive oil and honey.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky (too sticky to knead).
• Add additional 1/2 cup flour if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. Let dough rest at room temperature (70 degrees) for at least 4-5 hours.
• Place bowl in refrigerator and allow to continue to rest an additional 8-12 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (approximately 1 hour).
• The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
• Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; split the ball in half, sprinkle with a little more flour and fold each ball over on itself once or twice.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
• Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flax seed, wheat bran, cornmeal or flour; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flax seed, wheat bran, cornmeal or flour.
• Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. (I place towel in a bowl to help shape the loaf.).
• When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
• At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Put a dutch oven (cast iron, cast aluminum or enamel) in oven to pre-heat.
• When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.
• Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's O.K.
• Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
• Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Steps:

• (Optional) Put the sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and poppy seeds in a hot, clean, dry skillet and stir them. Let them roast, with frequent stirrings, until they become fragrant. Be careful to make sure they don't scorch! Toasting the seeds makes them - and the bread - much more tasty. You may also roast the seeds in a 375F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix the active starter, water, oil and honey together. (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook for this process.).
• Add the (optional) seeds.
• Stir in the flax meal.
• Add the salt and then stir in the flour one cup at a time until the dough is too thick to stir.
• Pour the dough onto a floured work surface (or turn up the speed on your Kitchen Aid) and knead until the dough is resilient. The dough is a rather sticky dough; it's important not to over-flour the dough.
• Once the dough is well kneaded, turn it out into an oiled bowl, turn and cover.
• Let it rise until doubled.
• Deflate the dough, knead briefly, cut and shape into rough loaves.
• Let the dough sit, covered, for 30 minutes, then shape into final loaves.
• Let rise, covered, until doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Bake 30 to 45 minutes.
• Note:.
• Flax seeds are easily found in health food stores. The oils in them can become rancid, so either buy just what you need, or store the seeds in the refrigerator or freezer.