A hearty loaf filled with grains and seeds, this Multigrain Sourdough Bread has a subtle tang of sourdough with a crunchy, nutty texture. Great for sandwiches or toasted with butter, it's another great use for your sourdough starter discard!
1½teaspoons(7grams)instant yeast, or Active Dry, see Recipe Notes
For the topping
1tablespoon(15grams)sesame seeds, or your favorite blend of seeds for topping, optional
Instructions
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the Harvest Grains Blend and boiling water. Let them cool to lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
Mix in the flours, sourdough discard, canola oil, salt, and yeast. Knead with the dough hook until you've made a soft dough, adding additional water or flour in 1 tablespoon increments, as needed. The dough will be slightly sticky, and will depend on the humidity of the day.
Cover the dough in the bowl, and let it rise in a warm place until it's almost doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours. I use the oven with just the light turned on.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently fold it over a few times to deflate it. Shape it into a loaf by patting it out into an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle, then folding the upper corners in to the middle. Fold the point down to where the fold starts, then repeat until you get a log shape. Roll the log to seal the seam down. See the pictures in the post to see how to do the shaping.
Spray a standard loaf pan with baking spray, then line with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the long sides to ease the loaf out of the pan.
Place the loaf into the prepared loaf pan and cover it with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the loaf rise until it's very puffy, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Towards the end of the rising time, place a large saucepan filled with water on the bottom of the oven. This creates steam and helps to give the loaves a crusty exterior. Preheat the oven to 425 °F, allowing at least 20 minutes of preheating before baking to avoid hot spots.
Use a very sharp knife to make several slashes with a bread lame or serrated knife on the top of the loaf. Brush or spray with water, then sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).
Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 °F and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven, and check for doneness. The bread will be done when the interior measures 200 °F as measured with a digital thermometer (or when the bottom sounds hollow when knocked).
Place on a rack and cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
Storage instructions: This sourdough multigrain bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature (refrigeration will dry out the bread). For longer storage, place the whole or sliced bread in an airtight bag and freeze for up to two weeks.
Recipe Notes
I use a multigrain blend that contains ten types of grains and seeds in the mix. You can use whatever mix of whole grains you'd like. Or, leave them out and just increase the all-purpose flour by one cup.If you use Active Dry yeast, then you might want to sprinkle yeast on to the warmed water with a teaspoon of sugar and allow it to sit for a few minutes before proceeding with the recipe. Letting it foam "proves" the yeast is active and ready to go to work.If you don't want use commercial yeast in this recipe, replace the yeast in this recipe with ½ cup (114 grams) of active, fed starter, and reduce the amount of flour by about ½ cup (57 grams) and water by about ¼ cup (57 grams). The rising time will be longer (about double) for both the first and second rises.