Whole Wheat Loaf

Ingredients

• 500 g rye whole grain flour
• 300 g wheat whole grain flour
• 1 cube fresh yeast (42 g)
• 1 pinch sugar
• 150 g liquid natural sourdough starter (1 packet) from the health food store
• 2 tbsp coarse bread spice mix
• 1 tsp salt
• 100 g peeled sunflower seeds
• 4 tbsp flaxseeds

Instructions

1. 1.

   Arrange all ingredients, let them sit at room temperature to become evenly tempered. Mix the flours in a large bowl, create a well in the center, add the crumbled yeast and sprinkle with sugar. Pour about 150 ml water over it. Stir with a bit of flour from the rim into a paste-like pre-ferment. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes until bubbles appear.

2. 2.

   Mix the pre-ferment with the remaining flour and add 350 ml water, sourdough starter, bread spice mix, and salt. Knead everything in the bowl. Then transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled.

3. 3.

   Knead the dough again on a floured surface, folding in half of the sunflower seeds and flaxseeds. Shape into a loaf, dust with flour, place in a buttered loaf pan, sprinkle with remaining seeds and nuts, and let rise another 30 minutes.

4. 4.

   Brush the top with water and poke several holes with a fork. Preheat the oven to 230 °C (direct heat). Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200 °C and bake for about an hour until done. Remove from oven and cool before slicing.