Sunflower Bread with Chia Seeds

This small, hearty bread is just right for a changeup at snack time. By using a soaker made from chia seeds, flax seeds, roasted sunflower seeds and spelt flakes, the bread crumb becomes extremely moist and stays fresh for a long time.

The most important thing for the production of the soaker is to use a sufficient amount of water, because psyllium husk, flax seeds and chia seeds absorb huge amounts of water. Depending on the quality of the seeds, they can bind more or less water.

TIP: if flaxseed is crushed, it can absorb up to four times its own weight in water!

Recipe

For a dough weight of  2139g / 3 pieces, each 713g of dough

Wholegrain Spelt Poolish:

  • 200g Wholegrain spelt flour
  • 200g Water 5°C
  •      2g Yeast

First dissolve the yeast in water and then mix with the flour until well combined. Cover and allow to rise for 12 hours at room temperature. 

Wholegrain Rye Sourdough:

  • 100g Water 40°C
  •   80g Wholegrain rye flour, finely ground
  •    10g Starter

Dissolve the starter in water and then mix with the flour until well combined. Cover and place next to the poolish to mature at room temperature for 12 hours. 

Soaker:

  • 470g Hot water, approx. 50°C
  •   80g Chia seeds
  •   70g Sunflower seeds (toasted)
  •   20g Flax seeds
  •   20g Spelt flakes
  •   10g Psyllium seed husk

Mix everything until combined and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Main dough:

  • 670g Soaker
  • 402g Mature wholegrain spelt poolish Dinkelvollkornpoolish
  • 190g Mature wholegrain sourdough
  • 270g Rye flour Type 960
  • 300g Spelt flour Type 630
  • 100g Whole spelt or emmer flour
  •   22g Salt
  •      5g Yeast
  • 180g Water (Hold back some of the water since the water absorption can be different from the soaker and the type of flour!)

Production:

  • Mix all ingredients for the main dough on slow speed for 8 minutes. Then the dough is kneaded quickly until it has completely released from the side of the mixing bowl. 
  • Then allow it to mature for 60 minutes in an oiled tub (fold once after 30 minutes).
  • Then the dough is divided into 3 equal-sized pieces and shaped into round loaves. 
  • After shaping, brush with water and coat with a seed mixture (sesame/flaxseed). Then place into 14x14x7cm baking tins and let stand to proof. If you don’t have a baking tin you can place it into a proofing basket- in this case the dough needs to be mixed a bit stiffer!
  • Once fully proofed, place in the oven at 250°C with steam. After 10 minutes of baking time the baking temperature is reduced to 200°C.
  • Total baking time for the bread is about 40 minutes (release the steam only at the end of the baking time).