Recipe: Josey Baker Seed Bread

Josey Baker Seed Bread

Josey Baker calls his Seed Bread “Seed Feast” but I’ve retitled it because of some changes in the recipe. This was the first of his loaves I tasted and and it exploded from flavor from the crumb, the sour and the toasted seeds. He told me he reuses all his bits and pieces of leftover starter for the next day’s bread and I suspect that is the source of his preferment. Makes two 2-lb loaves.

Ingredients, for the preferment:
125 g refreshed sourdough starter at 60%
185 g cool water (approximate, added in stages)
170 g whole wheat flour (or substitute other flours and adjust hydration per directions below)

For the seed mix:
160 g raw pumpkin seeds
110 g raw flax seeds (brown or gold)
110 g raw sunflower seeds
360 g/1 ½ c (approx) hot water

For the final dough:
750 g all purpose flour
480 g warm water
24 g Kosher salt (about 1 ½ T)
2 T olive oil

Method: mix the preferment 8-12 hours before you plan to start the bread. Add half the water to a bowl and stir to distribute the starter, then add the rest of the flour and gradually add water, stirring, till the preferment reaches the consistency of thick pancake batter. If you’re not using whole grain flour you may not need all the water. Cover and set aside in a warm place to work until bubbles appear.

Seeds for Seed Bread, after toasting

At the same time, prepare the seeds. Toast the seeds in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted, frequently turning with a spoon and/or rotating the tray in the oven so they don’t burn. Pour into a bowl then add very hot water to cover, approximately 1 1/2 cup.

When preferment is ready, mix in water and flour for final dough. Allow to autolyse 30 minutes then drain the seeds and add them to the dough along with the salt. Knead until you get good gluten development, 8 or so minutes of hand kneading or equivalent in rotary mixer, or 5 sequences of stretch and folds at 15 minute intervals. (Instructions for stretch-and-fold and other dough handling techniques can be found in this recipe.) The dough should be pretty flaccid but not so liquid it sticks to your hands or the sides of the mixing bowl; add some more flour as you go if necessary.

Seed Bread Crumb

After kneading, pour olive oil over the dough in a bowl and turn so it coats all surfaces. Cover and rise 4 hours or until noticeably risen. Shape into two balls, rest 20 minutes, then shape into boules or batards and proof in floured bannetons or equivalent until noticeably risen, about 2 hours.

20 minutes before you plan to bake, preheat two dutch ovens in a 500 degree oven. Remove the pans from the oven (carefully, using good pot holders, so you don’t get burned) and transfer to a heat-proof surface like a trivet on your counter. Shake a little polenta or cornmeal into the bottom of the pans then flip in the loaves from the bannetons. Score tops of loaves with a sharp knife. Cover, return to oven and reduce heat to 475 degrees. Bake 20 minutes to steam the loaves, then remove lids and bake 25 minutes uncovered, or until nicely browned with an internal temperature of 206 degrees. Turn out on a wire rack and allow to cool at least 2 hours before slicing.