Seeded Wholemeal Loaf

Ingredients

• 350 g strong wholemeal flour
• 150 g strong white flour
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast
• 10 g salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 60 g sunflower seeds
• 40 g pumpkin seeds
• 30 g sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 360 ml warm water

Method

1. More water than white bread

   Mix everything except the seeds into a soft, sticky dough. Wholemeal flour drinks far more water than white — a dough that feels right for a white loaf will bake into a dry brick here.

2. Knead, then autolyse

   Knead 10 minutes, then leave it 20 minutes and knead again briefly. The bran in wholemeal cuts through gluten strands as they form, so the rest lets them repair and the second knead builds real structure.

   20 min

3. Toast and work in the seeds

   Toast the seeds in a dry pan, cool them, then knead them through. Toasted seeds taste of something; raw ones just add texture. Cool them first or they kill the yeast.

   5 min

4. First rise

   Cover and prove until doubled, about 90 minutes. Wholemeal is slower than white and there is no hurrying it.

   1 h 30 min

5. Shape and second rise

   Knock back, shape into a tight cylinder and drop into an oiled 1 kg tin, seam down. Prove until it has risen a good centimetre above the rim.

   1 h

6. Bake with steam

   Bake at 220°C with a tray of boiling water in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the water and drop to 200°C for 25 minutes more. It is done when it sounds hollow tapped underneath. Cool completely before cutting.

   40 min