The Seeded Sourdough from The Perfect Loaf is one of my all time favorite sourdough recipes. A beautiful medley of golden flax seeds, black sesame, sunflower seeds, and fennel seed.

Recipe

This recipe is from The Perfect Loaf. The only tweaks I make are to the fennel quantity. I absolutely adore fennel but not all my friends and family do!

Ingredients Grams Baker’s Percentage
Medium-protein bread flour (King Arthur Bread Flour) 665 75%
Semolina (coarsely milled Durum wheat) 200 15%
Whole wheat flour (King Arthur Whole Wheat) 89 10%
Whole flaxseed 40 4.5%
Black sesame seed 40 4.5%
Sunflower seed, shelled (not roasted or salted) 40 4.5%
Fennel seed 13 1.5%
Water 735 83%
Sourdough starter 29 3.25%
Fine sea salt 16 1.8%

Number of Loaves: 2
Hydration Percentage: 83%
Slap and Fold (Yes/No): Yes
Autolyse (Time/No): 1 hour
Extra Notes: Presoaked seeds in boiling water before mix

Hot Takes + Notes

This loaf will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first recipe that showed me how sourdough mix-ins can transcend novelty and create a truly singular experience that justifies the fuss.

Taste

Something about this seed combo is simply sublime. The flax, sunflower, black sesame all balance beautifully in a nutty, satisfying merry-go-round. The fennel is the dark horse that either takes the loaf to the promise land or ruins it depending on your appetite for the aromatic, liquoricey flavor it brings. The semolina give the dough a lightness and crispyness that would be lacking if the recipe was 100% bread flour. It almost reminds me of adding cornmeal to pizza dough.

Next Time

ALMOST a perfect loaf. One thing I did not consider is the recipe called for ~11.5% protein bread flour, and the bread flour I used was 12.7%. I could tell once the loafs were shaped that I underwatered my dough and the final product reflected that. Just a smidge dry, tough, not melting in your mouth. Something to fix for next time.

Pictures

2 Seeded Sourdoughs
2 Seeded Sourdoughs
Seeded Cross Section
LOOK AT THAT CRUMB