I wanted to make a loaf of bread that can be ready within a day, has deep flavor, but doesn’t rely on sourdough. This is my go-to mix for getting bread made in just 5-6 hours. On top of that, I wanted a bread that is very forgiving when it comes to shaping and therefore these are baked in loaf pans so that the process is nice and simple. This makes an exceptional sandwich loaf. Good seeded bread needs two important things to me: a good seed combination and a crisp, toasty crust. I like to have a heavy coat of flour on my work surface, and I like to shape this dough with a lot of tension. Warm, well-fermented dough can be one of the most relaxing doughs to work with. This version will be seeded to help ensure the bread is flavorful.
What Are The Benefits of Using 100% Whole Wheat Flour?
When it comes to making healthy versions of bread, using any amount of whole wheat flour is a good start, especially if you aren’t using sourdough. Sourdough bread has many, many benefits. But, it is still possible to get a good quality loaf of bread that has deep flavor and is healthy. The idea of this loaf is to make something as healthy as possible that can be made if you haven’t quite mastered the skill of using your sourdough starter. Whole Wheat bread is an incredible grain that is high in fiber and makes for a wonderful addition to any sandwich. In the whole wheat flour, as the name implies, the “whole” of the wheat berry is included in the end product. This inclusion of the whole berry makes the flour high in vitamins and minerals. Additionally, you’ll get a bread that is very flavorful compared to something that is made with just white flour.
What If I Want To Use Sourdough?
If you want to make this delicious seeded sandwich loaf, but with your sourdough starter, then you exclude the yeast and add 20% sourdough preferment to flour. In other words, you would add 2oo grams of sourdough preferment to this mix. Your bulk fermentation time would be 4-5 hours and when you shape the dough into the loaf pans, you would cover those and stick them in the fridge for at least 12 hours. To bake, bake them in a 500f oven for 40 minutes. I will be posting a separate recipe for the fully sourdough version of this loaf with more details for you.
How Do I Make This Loaf?
Ingredients (final mix)
1000 grams whole wheat flour
20 grams Kosher Salt
720 grams warm water
2 grams instant yeast
Ingredients (soaked seeds)
40 grams Pumpkin Seeds
20 grams Sesame Seeds
20 grams Chia Seeds
40 grams Sunflower Seeds
The day before you want to make your bread, combine your seeds in a container with enough water to where they float to the top. Cover and place into the fridge overnight.
The next day, In a mixing bowl, add the whole grain flour and 650 grams of the water. Reserve the extra 50 grams of water to add while mixing. Your goal is to incorporate the water into the flour. If hand mixing, squeeze the flour and water together until there is no dry flour left. If using a stand mixer, mix on low speed until just combined. Once it starts to come together and feels dry, let it rest for 5 minutes.
Proceed to slowly add the remaining water, but save about 10 grams for when we add the salt. If using a stand mixer, add the water while the mixer is mixing close to half speed until just combined. If you are hand mixing, splash the water over the surface of the dough and use your hands to squeeze it into the mix.
Once all of your desired water is added and there is no dry flour, add in your soaked seeds and the salt. You can add them straight into your mixer while it is mixing at medium speed. If hand mixing, add to the surface of the dough and squeeze and fold until incorporated.
Depending on your ambient temperature, your dough may need up to 4 hours to finish its first fermentation. Signs to look for are a smooth surface, bubbles, elasticity when you pull at the top, and a slight web-like structure at the bottom when you turn the dough out of the table.
Once you’re ready to shape, flour your work surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces, depending on the size of the loaf pans you are using. If using a standard 8 x 4 pan, you can do about 1kg of dough in each of those pans.
I love to use a nice coating of flour to de-gas each piece and roll it into a tight log. Check out my Instagram feed for some tension shaping videos. Top the dough with any desired seeds or oats you may want to use.
Proof in the loaf pans for about 2 hours, in a covered, moist space that is around 75f.
Preheat your oven to 450f and bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes, depending on how dark you want your crust.
How Do I Store This Loaf?
After this loaf is baked and completely cooled, the best way to store it for the long term is to slice it into slices of your desired thickness, place them in ziplock bags, and freeze them. This will allow you to pull slices out of the freezer and toast them up perfectly. For the first few days, the loaf will hold up perfectly on your counter top, covered at room temperature. I would avoid using the fridge at any point in time of the loaves life.
The Easiest Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients
Method
- The day before you want to make your bread, combine your seeds in a container with enough water to where they float to the top. Cover and place into the fridge overnight.
- The next day, In a mixing bowl, add the whole grain flour and 650 grams of the water. Reserve the extra 50 grams of water to add while mixing. Your goal is to incorporate the water into the flour. If hand mixing, squeeze the flour and water together until there is no dry flour left. If using a stand mixer, mix on low speed until just combined. Once it starts to come together and feels dry, let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Proceed to slowly add the remaining water, but save about 10 grams for when we add the salt. If using a stand mixer, add the water while the mixer is mixing close to half speed until just combined. If you are hand mixing, splash the water over the surface of the dough and use your hands to squeeze it into the mix.
- Once all of your desired water is added and there is no dry flour, add in your soaked seeds and the salt. You can add them straight into your mixer while it is mixing at medium speed. If hand mixing, add to the surface of the dough and squeeze and fold until incorporated.
- Depending on your ambient temperature, your dough may need up to 4 hours to finish its first fermentation. Signs to look for are a smooth surface, bubbles, elasticity when you pull at the top, and a slight web-like structure at the bottom when you turn the dough out of the table.
- Once you're ready to shape, flour your work surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces, depending on the size of the loaf pans you are using. If using a standard 8 x 4 pan, you can do about 1kg of dough in each of those pans.
- I love to use a nice coating of flour to de-gas each piece and roll it into a tight log. Check out my Instagram feed for some tension shaping videos. Top the dough with any desired seeds or oats you may want to use.
- Proof in the loaf pans for about 2 hours, in a covered, moist space that is around 75f.
- Preheat your oven to 450f and bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes, depending on how dark you want your crust.