Flaxseed Sourdough Loaf

It is always so interesting to track back where the inspiration comes from. Here is a short story behind the Flaxseed sourdough loaf

Last week I went to Target, and saw a bag of Flaxseed meal by Bobs Red Mill.

On the back of the bag i found a description that really grabbed my attention: “Hippocrates The Father of medicine, prescribed flax to patients with intestinal issues. King Charlemagne was so convinced of its benefits that he passed laws requiring his subject to consume flaxseed.

Today the nutritional data backups the wisdom of the ancients. There is general agreement among experts of all sorts that folks should consume more omega-3 fatty acids to promote good health. 2 tablespoons of Flaxseed meal offers 2430 mg of omega-3s.”

Sure I grabbed a couple of those bags and rushed to my kitchen to mix another healthy loaf!

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour 
• 5g rye flour 

Soaker

• 30g flaxseeds meal or just grounded flaxseeds (10%)

• 60 g water

Dough

• 270 g bread flour (90%)
• 30 g stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• all soaker
• 207g water (69%) 
• 24g extra water added with salt (8%). Total hydration 77%
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)

Directions 

Starter

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 74-78F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (triples or more in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Soaker

• 10 pm weigh flaxseed meal, or grind flaxseeds to get 30g. Cover them with water, let them soak overnight.

Dough

• 7 am mix water, flour and all soaker, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 8 am add sourdough starter.

• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated. 
• Also if for some reason you don’t have a mixing machine, you can incorporate starter into the dough by hands. Using Rubaud method or slap and fold method (about 5-7 min).
• Cover, let it rest for 30 minutes.
• 8:30 am add salt and extra water . Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom. 

Note:  if you perform mixing by hands, using Rubaud method or slap and fold method, that takes about 10-20 minutes. Do a couple of stops in between kneading, it helps tightening up the gluten.

• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• 9 am wet your hands and table and perform nice stretching and folding on a table.
• 9:45 am 2nd stretch and fold.
• 10:30 am 3rd stretch and fold.
• 11:15 am 4th stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds helps with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if you feel it proofs slowly, you can extend the time in between stretches, or add 1 extra stretch and fold.

• After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 11:45 am Transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down. 
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust. 
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 12.15 pm Dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured side faces down. 
• Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the left side as well.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, into a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 78F/26C environment for 15 minutes. 
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in refrigerator at 40F/4C.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 
• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 

• Transfer it on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.
• Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Let it cool for 2 hours and enjoy your Flaxseed sourdough loaf.

Flaxseed Sourdough Loaf

1329kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 1 day d 1 hour hr

Total 1 day d 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Earthy, nutty, and structurally brilliant, this artisan bread incorporates a rich flaxseed soaker directly into a high-hydration sourdough base. Toasting the flaxseeds before soaking locks in a deep, caramelized flavor while releasing natural mucilage that acts as a crumb tenderizer, ensuring the interior remains exceptionally moist while maintaining a crisp, blistered crust.

Servings 1 loaf

Cuisine American / Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sourdough Starter (Night Before)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 35 g Bread flour

The Flaxseed Soaker (Night Before)

• ▢ 35 g Whole flaxseeds (toasted)
• ▢ 70 g Boiling water (for scalding and soaking)

The Artisan Flaxseed Dough

• ▢ 265 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 172 g Water (65% baseline hydration)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (22% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Fine sea salt (2.2%)
• ▢ All of the prepared Flaxseed Soaker (from the stage above)

Equipment

• ▢
  Cast Iron Dutch Oven (A heavy combo cooker or deep pot with a tight lid to capture steam during the initial bake cycle)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Highly recommended to smoothly incorporate the slick, soaked flaxseeds into the dough matrix)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (A standard round or oval banneton lined with a flour-dusted kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Dough Scraper (An essential bench knife for cleanly handling high-hydration dough and building surface tension)
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (Or an ultra-sharp razor blade for swift, clean expansion cuts before baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Levain Setup & Flaxseed Soaker Preparation

1. 10:00 PM – Levain Initialization: In a small glass jar, whisk the 5g of starter culture into 35g of room-temperature water. Stir in 35g of bread flour until no dry spots remain. Cover loosely and let rest at a stable room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it bubbles and triples in volume.
2. The Flaxseed Soaker: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the 35g of whole flaxseeds for 3 to 5 minutes until they release a nutty aroma and begin to pop. Transfer them immediately to a small heatproof bowl, pour the 70g of boiling water directly over them, and stir. Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature overnight to completely absorb the water and form a gelatinous gel.

Day 2 – The Flour Autolyse & Seed Inclusions

1. 8:00 AM – The Artisan Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 172g of baseline water with all 265g of bread flour. Mix with a heavy spoon or your hands just until a shaggy, raw dough mass forms. Cover the bowl securely and let it rest for 1 full hour to allow the wheat proteins to self-hydrate and kickstart natural gluten development.
2. 9:00 AM – Levain and Salt Integration: Add the 60g of active, peak-ripened overnight levain over the autolysed dough. Fit your mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth. Sprinkle the 6g of fine sea salt evenly across the surface and continue mixing on medium speed for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a tight, cohesive ball.
3. Flaxseed Emulsification: Turn the mixer down to low speed and gradually add the entire prepared gelatinous flaxseed soaker into the dough matrix. Mix continuously for 4 to 5 minutes until the slippery seeds are completely and uniformly distributed throughout the dough.

Day 2 (Afternoon) – Lamination, Bulk Proofing & Shaping

1. 9:45 AM – The Lamination Stretch: Tip the sticky dough out onto a lightly misted or wet work surface. Using wet hands, gently stretch the dough out horizontally and vertically into a large, thin rectangular sheet. Fold the dough like a letter into thirds, then roll it into a neat cylinder to smoothly layer the seeds internally. Place it into a clean proofing container.
2. Structural Stretch & Folds: Cover the container and let it bulk ferment at a warm 76–80°F (24–27°C) for 3 hours. During the first 2 hours, perform 3 gentle rounds of coil folds or stretch-and-folds spaced 40 minutes apart to build high vertical tension. The dough should look visibly aerated, holding its shape with clear gas bubbles on the surface by the end of bulk proofing.
3. 12:45 PM – Preshaping: Gently ease the dough out onto a clean counter. Use a dough scraper to round it into a loose ball. Let it sit uncovered for 20 minutes to allow the gluten network to relax.
4. Final Tension Shaping: Dust the top with flour and flip it over. Pull the bottom edge up, fold the sides inward like an envelope, and roll the dough tightly away from you into a high-tension log or round boule. Place the shaped dough seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket heavily dusted with rice flour.
5. 1:15 PM – Cold Retard Setup: Cover the basket with plastic wrap to seal in the moisture. Place it directly into your refrigerator to undergo a slow cold fermentation for 14 to 24 hours to develop complex, tangy flavor profiles.

Day 3 – The High-Heat Steam Bake

1. 7:00 AM – Oven Preheating: Place your cast-iron Dutch oven and its lid on the center rack of your oven. Turn the heat up to 500°F (260°C) and let it preheat thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Inversion and Scoring: Remove the cold dough basket directly from the fridge. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the base, flip the basket over cleanly, and lift it away. Use an ultra-sharp scoring lame to cut a long, shallow slash down the center at a 45-degree angle to ensure a dramatic “ear” forms during baking.
3. The Dutch Oven Bake: Carefully remove the scorching hot Dutch oven lid. Drop the dough inside using the parchment paper handles. Replace the lid tightly and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes to trap the steam.
4. The Crisp Finish: Remove the lid to vent the steam, reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking uncovered for 20 more minutes until the crust turns a deep, blistered mahogany brown. Cool completely on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1329kcalCarbohydrates240gProtein44gFat20gSaturated Fat2gPolyunsaturated Fat12gMonounsaturated Fat3gSodium2357mgPotassium585mgFiber17gSugar1gVitamin A6IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium144mgIron5mg

Notes

-**The Function of the Flaxseed Soaker:** Flaxseeds are highly hydrophilic and will aggressively steal moisture from the surrounding flour dough if added dry. Scalding them with boiling water the night before satisfies their absorption capacity completely and coaxes out a thick, natural mucilage gel. This gel coats the gluten matrix, locking in interior moisture and extending the bread’s shelf-life significantly.

– **Why Toasting Changes Everything:** Skipping the toasting stage results in a flatter, less aromatic loaf. Heating the dry flaxseeds in a skillet before soaking triggers the Maillard reaction, breaking down raw seed coat enzymes into complex pyrazines. This imbues your crumb with a rich, caramelized, distinctly nutty aroma that complements the sour tang of the wild yeast.

– **Handling Sticky Seed Matrices:** Because the flaxseed gel adds structural lubrication, the dough can feel slicker and harder to handle during the early stages of bulk fermentation. Utilizing the lamination method (stretching the dough thin on a wet counter) at the very start of bulk proofing mechanically layers the seeds evenly, preventing them from sinking or breaking down your gluten networks during subsequent folds.

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