The main flour I used for this seeded pain au levain is a French flour called T65, which I combined with whole wheat flour. I used a combination of different seeds and added them to the dough during the bulk fermentation. Before I added the seeds to the dough I toasted them, because toasting adds more flavor to the bread and I can say I really love it. For the top I used sesame seeds, which is tasty as well.
In Europe you can buy T65 flour online, but if this flour is not available where you live, you can replace it with regular bread flour. The protein content of the flour I used is 13%. You may have to adjust the amount of water if the protein content of your flour is different.
Tools & Equipment
- Banneton
- Bench scraper
- Digital thermometer
- Dutch oven
- Glass Jar
- Kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Large bowl with lid
- Paper towel
- Parchment paper
- Quarter baking sheet
- Silicone spatula
- Scoring knife or razor blade
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Sourdough Starter: You will need an active starter for this recipe. I took my sourdough starter out of the fridge the night before, fed it and let it sit at room temperature overnight so it had plenty of time to double in size.
Hydration: I used 415g of water, which means a hydration of 83%. Each flour is different and has a different protein content. Depending on which flour you use, you can add more or less water. The protein content of my T65 flour is 13% and the whole wheat flour is 11%. Adjust the water content to suit your needs.
Bulk Fermentation: Key to a great sourdough bread is the fermentation process. Strength, flavor and structure of the dough are determined during this time. A well developed dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl when you turn it, its volume will increase by 20-30% and you should see air bubbles. If the dough is developing slowly, increase the fermentation time. Keep in mind that time is only an indicator, pay more attention to the dough itself.
Directions – How to Make Seeded Pain au Levain
Feed your Starter
Combine your starter, T65 flour and water (24-27°C/76-80°F) in a jar. Cover the jar with a lid and let it sit at room temperature overnight until doubled in size.
Ingredients for the Seed Mix
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Hemp hearts
- Flaxseed meal
Toast the Seeds
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Spread the seeds on a quarter baking sheet. Toast until seeds have taken on color, for about 25 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Levain
Mix together your starter, flour and water (30°C/86°F) in a jar. Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until doubled in size. It should be bubbly and active. Use the float test if needed.
Ingredients for the Seeded Pain au Levain Dough
- T65 flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Water
- Levain
- Salt
Autolyse
Add 390g water (30°C/86°F), T65 flour and whole wheat flour to a large bowl. Mix with a spatula for 1 minute, then use your wet hand until there are no large clumps of flour. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 2-3 hours.
Add the levain and use a wet hand to mix it together. Once mostly mixed together, add the salt and the rest of the water (30°C/86°F). Do another round of mixing. Cover and let the dough sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Bulk Fermentation
Grab a piece of dough from one side, stretch it out until you feel tension, and fold it over toward the opposite side of the dough. Rotate and repeat 5-6 more times. Lift the dough and set it back down 6-8 times, tucking the dough up under itself as you do. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Repeat stretching and folding the dough as you did in the first round. This time, sprinkle handful of seeds onto the top of the dough in between each fold. Sprinkle in any remaining seeds and mix by hand until seeds are just incorporated. Cover the dough and let it sit for 2-3 hours.
Shape the Dough
The dough should have risen by about 30-40%. Flip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the dough with flour and turn it over so that the floured side is on the work surface. Fold the dough over on itself so that the flour on the surface of the dough sticks to the outside of the loaf. Work the dough into a round shape. After this initial shaping, let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour the top of the dough, then lift it off the work surface, maintaining the round shape. Turn the dough over so that the floured side is now on the work surface. Fold the third of the dough closest to you up and over the middle third of the dough. Stretch the dough to the left and fold this third over the center. Then stretch the dough to the right and fold this third over the previous fold. Stretch the third of the dough furthest away from you and fold it toward you.
Grab the dough closest to you and wrap it as you roll it away from you, so that the smooth bottom of the loaf is now the top and all the seams are on the bottom. Cup the dough with your hands and pull it toward you, pressing it against the work surface to increase the tension. Let the shaped loaf rest for 1 minute.
Proofing Stage
Prepare a 50/50 mixture of rice flour and whole wheat flour. Lightly dust a banneton with the flour mixture. Line a baking sheet with a wet paper towel and add sesame seeds to a plate.
Roll the loaf with the smooth side on the wet paper towel and then press into the sesame seeds so they stick to the loaf.
Put the loaf seam side up in the banneton, cover with a kitchen towel and let proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Put the banneton in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours.
Baking
Place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 260°C/550°F for at least 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the fridge and carefully invert it from the banneton onto a sheet of parchment.
Score the loaf, place it with the parchment in the dutch oven and cover with the lid. Lower the temperature of your oven to 230°C/450°F and bake the loaf for 20 minutes. Remove the lid.
Continue baking the bread until the crust has a deep caramel color, for another 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely on a wire rack.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: A paper bag or a kitchen towel are great to protect your bread from drying out too much. Keep the bread at room temperature for 3-5 days. Do not store bread in the fridge. If you do, it will get stale faster compared to keeping it at room temperature.
Freezing Instructions: Freezing is the perfect way for longer storage. Let the bread cool completely and either freeze the whole loaf or slices of bread in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
My Summary for Seeded Pain au Levain
Difficulty: Intermediate.
Taste & Texture: This seeded sourdough bread tastes a bit sour, but it ist not too strong, the toasted seeds add a nice flavor and crunch. This bread has a crispy crust with a chewy crumb and nice holes which are more or less evenly distributed.
Time: Feed your starter and toast the seeds the night before, which takes about 25 minutes. For levain and autolyse you need about 2 hours, the bulk fermentation took me 5 hours (it depends on the temperature in your environment, in my kitchen it was about 23°C/74°F). Shaping the dough is done in 10 minutes, then it has to proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours before the dough goes into the fridge overnight for the final proofing. Baking the loaf takes 50-55 minutes.
More SOURDOUGH Recipes
- Buttermilk Chia Pancakes
- Country Sourdough Discard Bread
- Pain au Levain
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Spelt Sourdough Bread
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Bread