The Fresh Loaf

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Seed Monster Sourdough

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Seed Monster Sourdough

Naturally Leavened seeded sourdough with chia, golden flax, and hemp seeds. Crusted with everything topping. Nutritionally dense and packed with flavor. 

Soaker

60g hemp seed

60g ground flax seed

60g chia seed

360g h20 @210F

Dough 

580g bread flour (I used locally milled) 

144g whole wheat (I milled my own hard red winter wheat) 

22g wheat germ 

557g H20 (77%)

17g salt  (2.4%)

 

110g active sourdough starter (100% hydration) 

 

Everything Topping 

Combine the following- 

Equal parts dried onion, dried garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds

Salt to taste (A good amount of quality flake salt or coarse kosher salt)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Prepare the Soaker: 

Mix the chia, hemp, and ground flax seeds together in a vessel large enough to hold them and the water. Heat the water to 210 F and pour over the seeds. Mix together and let stand 1 hr or overnight. 

Prepare the dough: 

Mix flours and germ to combine. Scale the water and pour 10-20 g of it over the scaled salt. Set salt/water aside. Add remaining water to flour and mix to create a shaggy dough. Autolyse 30 min to 1 hr. 

Add starter to dough and mix to combine. Once the starter is incorporated, add the reserved salt/water mixture. Mix to combine. 

Mix the dough to develop gluten. I use my kitchen aid stand mixer with the hook on medium speed, takes 6-7 minutes to reach full development. 

Bulk ferment for 3-6 hours depending on your temps. Stretch & fold dough every thirty minutes for first 1 1/2 hours. Add seed soaker during second set of folds. Fold once every hour or so until dough has  risen 30-50% 

Scale dough, pre-shape and shape as desired, I do two 950g loaves because that's what fits into my combo-cooker dutch ovens. Pre-shape should sit at least 20 minutes before shaping. You can either evenly sprinkle your tea-towel lined banneton with the everything topping or if you make enough roll the whole loaves in the topping before you place into the banneton. Cold proof loaves overnight in the fridge. 

Next day preheat oven with combo cooker lids (larger part) inside as hot as your oven will go. My goes 550F. Preheat at least 1 hour. When oven is ready take the dough from the fridge, turn it out into the combo cooker base which is lined with parchment or sprinkled with semolina. Slash loaf as desired. Bake covered at 550F for ten minutes. Lower oven temp to 450F and bake additional 15 minutes. Remove lid and bake until desired color is reached and internal temp of loaf is at least 205F. Takes about 5 minutes in my oven. Cool at least 2 hrs before slicing. 

Enjoy!  

 

Comments

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I am bookmarking this one! You really made something special here! I love it!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thanks so much! I felt it needed to be shared. 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Lovely bake and recipe! Another bookmark here too.. adding it to my never ending "must try" list.. well done!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thanks! Give it whirl you won't be disappointed! 

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Most seeds per angstrom on a magnificent batard.  Monstrous indeed! Monstrous in seed!  

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thank you sir! I had to google "angstrom" hahha

PalwithnoovenP's picture
PalwithnoovenP

The crumbs looks custardy and soft! The everything topping is unique and well crafted. Congratulations!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thanks so much! 

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Yeah, this one is fantastic. Would you mind if it was featured on the homepage for a bit?

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thank you! Are you kidding me I'd be honored. My first post here, but I've been a long time lurker on the site. I've learned so much here, but finally got the nerve to sign up and post! 

Filomatic's picture
Filomatic

Very nicely done.  Great outside, great crumb.  Daring bake!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thanks! 

cfraenkel's picture
cfraenkel

It seems like an everything bagel in a loaf!  I am proofing some right now.  Added a bit of rye just because it reminded me of everything bagels and that reminds me of New York, and to me New York is Rye bread.  Looks amazing. ... now-Mine are still cooling....can't wait!

 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Looks awesome! Thanks for trying out the recipe! 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

So how did it come out?

cfraenkel's picture
cfraenkel

I didn't get as much rise from the dough as I would have liked, (that might have been my impatience to eat the bread....)it was pretty dense in terms of crumb (like a bagel!) and was delicious toasted with cream cheese.  When I do it again, I will reduce the amount of flax seed, as a lot of it would just not incorporate into the dough no matter what I tried. (I'm also not a huge fan of the taste of flax seed and I felt like it was a little overpowering) Overall it was a great bake though. 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Cool good to hear! Thanks!

 

BillyBold's picture
BillyBold

So good! Love the crumb.

Me too, for bookmarking.

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Thank you! 

eddieruko's picture
eddieruko

Somehow I manage two 950g loaves following your recipe. But it is definitely a hit in our house! Next bake I will include a touch of honey in the dough. So good!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

That looks spot on! Of course you got 950g I forgot to account for the weight of the soaker. I'll adjust the recipe. Thanks for trying out the recipe! Great idea on the honey. What are you thinking like 2%?

 

eddieruko's picture
eddieruko

I don’t think 2% (17g) honey would make much of a dent with this size of loaf. I was thinking more like 10% (~100g) maybe. 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Got it. Thanks! 

doctordough92's picture
doctordough92

Hello! I'm going to attempt this loaf this week. In an effort to make sure I get maximum oven spring on it, what do you think about me adding 4 tsp of vital wheat gluten to give it an extra 'umpf'? 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

I wouldn't, I think that ingredient would only serve to toughen the crumb. Plenty of gluten in the recipe if you use bread flour. 

doctordough92's picture
doctordough92

Hello, I've just added the seed soaker during a stretch and fold and something seems off. The soaker is slippery and doesn't seem to want to incorporate into the dough much during the S&Fs. If there a secret to incorporating them? The soaker and dough are almost akin to water and oil right now. 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

The seeds can be a little challenging to incorporate. I usually "dot" little piles onto the dough and then "rub" it in, then fold the dough and repeat the process. 

doctordough92's picture
doctordough92

Ahh, that's a great idea. I just dumped the whole soaker in. Anyway, I let it bulk in the fridge and will let it proof later today and let you know. 

Sgibb16's picture
Sgibb16

I'm a new sourdough baker and I have a few questions, I've had 3 successful bakes prior with a very simple recipe, this was my first attempt at something more adventurous.

I followed the recipe exactly (or so I think), and the center of my loaves turned out very under cooked. You don't mention a final proof so you go straight from the fridge to the oven correct? Also is your oven a convection oven, I used just the regular bake setting when the other recipe I've used call for convection. 

I baked with the lid off for 15 minutes to get the desired crust browning I was looking for, so I didn't think to check the internal temperature. The bread is still very good after toasting to cook the center lol So I guess I am looking for some suggestions, should I do a final proof? Use convection setting?  Thanks!

 

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Do you have an oven thermometer in your oven? It's important to start these as high a temp as possible (550 with steam or dutch oven lid on) to get a good spring, and finishing out the bake around 475. If the crust sets too fast the center will take longer to bring up to temp. If you can check the internal temperature with a probe, make sure it's above 205 F before you pull it out of the oven. I have found that these bake fantastic with a room temp proof and bake after shaping, as opposed to the cold overnight proof int the fridge mentioned in the recipe. Hope this helps!

usababyyaya8's picture
usababyyaya8

Thanks for sharing. I made my loaves smaller (650 g) and proved in fridge for 32 hours. I sprayed the loaves before placing onto my stone in order to help prevent the seeds from burning (it was successful). The loaves were quite flat when they went into the oven but they surprised me when I came back 15 minutes later - the oven spring was amazing. I turned off the oven and left the loaves in the oven for 5 more minutes even after the internal temperature was 210 - the crust was a bit too soft (maybe because of the external spraying?). Really a nice loaf in look and in flavor!

mrjeffmccarthy's picture
mrjeffmccarthy

Was a master stroke. I give the loaves a good soak before slashing and the onion and garlic stay a nice deep golden brown instead of burning. Pic on Insta Thanks for sharing this, it has helped take my Seed Monster bakes to the next level. This is why recipes and techniques should be shared openly! Great community here. 

Dana D's picture
Dana D

I have a bag of neglected flax seeds in my cupboard that are whole, not ground, and I don't have a mill. Can you soak whole flax seeds and they'll be digestable?

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

or a bullet, or even a food processor? I use a bullet to grind my flax seeds. Even a blender would help nick the seed coats of the flax to allow access to the nutrients. 

I don’t know if soaking helps. 

BabeRuth's picture
BabeRuth

My oven only heats to 500 degrees.  What do you suggest since you start your bake at 550 degrees?

Firatcim's picture
Firatcim

has anybody tried halving the recipe? Two loaves are too many for my household. 

SweetBreads's picture
SweetBreads

Your loaded seed bread is drool-worthy!  I have a soft spot in my heart for seedy breads...  I may have to put this on my to-do list for baking.  :-)

Simply lovely!

albacore's picture
albacore

Seed Monster is my favourite seeded bread recipe - the amount of seeds is just right to give a great loaf.

You don't need to exactly follow the seeds and topping specified - I've never found any hemp seeds at a sensible price so I use whatever I've got available. Last time, for example, I used sunflower, millet, amaranth, pumpkin, chia, sesame, flax and rolled oats.

To put the seed coat on, I've found the best method is to turn the loaf out of the banneton, brush with a cooked cornflour wash and sprinkle on the seeds just before baking.

Lance

bfeinart's picture
bfeinart

Thank you so much for this recipe.  This was my first successful sourdough loaf, and it was absolutely delicious.  I had no difficulty incorporating the seeds, but I did need to proof at room temperature for a while after the overnight refrigeration because the loaves looked like they hadn't risen at all since being shaped.  I was afraid that my dutch ovens wouldn't stand a temperature higher than 450 degrees so that's what I used throughout the baking time. Nevertheless, they rose adequately and had good spring and texture.

albacore's picture
albacore

Funnily enough, I made it last week after a long pause. I think I made it a bit wet and will reduce the water next time, but it's a great recipe and it's a shame that it doesn't get the attention on TFL that it deserves.

 

Lance

squattercity's picture
squattercity

... I've been having problems with oven spring.

I made this 2x, with these mods:

1. I subbed in 144g spelt & reduced bread flour by 144g

2. Given the short autolyze, I mixed in the starter at the start.

3. I cut the salt by 1/3

4. In the 1st bake, I used 60g each of toasted sunflower & pumpkin seeds, plus flax seeds -- all without soaking.

5. the second bake, I subbed 60g millet, soaked overnight in 60g water for the flax

6. each time I found the dough needed 30g more water to come together well

7. the first bake -- with non-soaked seeds -- I got a little oven spring. the second bake -- with the soaked millet -- I got no oven spring.

This is a delightful flavor-packed bread ... and I'm looking for suggestions how to improve the oven spring.

I've baked with spelt before -- making Maurizio Leo's 30 pct spelt sourdough -- and always got great rise in the oven. I wonder what I'm missing here.

thx.

Rob

albacore's picture
albacore

Changing BF to spelt will probably make your OS worse - spelt has inferior gluten compared to BF.

Speaking generally, although this bread has fantastic flavour, I've found it difficult to get good loaf height - it does tend to spread. So next time I bake it I'm going to try it as a tin loaf.

Lance

squattercity's picture
squattercity

... help? Maurizio's spelt sourdough recipe on theperfectloaf site calls for a 5-hour levain followed by a 5-hour bulk. I've made it a bunch of times, adding a similar amount of seeds to the amount specified here (tho none on the crust) and always gotten respectable oven spring, though the %age of spelt flour is higher.

Come to think of it, I put a true messload of sesame seeds on the outside of my seed monster -- and perhaps the weight also restricts the oven spring. 

Thanks, Lance.

Rob

albacore's picture
albacore

Well I have always treated Jeff's active starter as a levain - building it fresh for the bake. I guess you could try increasing the quantity somewhat, eg increase by 50% (adjusting your added water, of course).

 

Lance

squattercity's picture
squattercity

After 3 tries, I went back to basics: no extra water and making sure I gently hand kneaded the dough for 15 minutes. Result: oven spring.

Rob