Five Seed Sourdough
If you are looking for something super healthy, nutritious, full of fiber, then this five seed sourdough is for you.
Also this bread can be done in one day, which is a huge benefit. If you mix everything in the morning, you’ll have a ready loaf by the late lunch.
Small note: don’t expect big alveolis here. In this loaf we are only looking for flavor and nutrients.
Packed with wholesome seeds and deep sourdough flavor, this loaf is hearty, satisfying, and perfect for everyday eating. The combination of seeds adds wonderful texture, nuttiness, and nutritional value to every slice. It’s excellent for toast, sandwiches, or served alongside soups and salads. Even without a very open crumb, the bread stays soft, flavorful, and incredibly enjoyable while offering a healthy homemade alternative to store-bought loaves.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter
- 25g sourdough starter
- 155g water
- 125g bread flour
Soaker
- 25g rye chops
- 40g flaxseeds
- 35g sunflower seeds
- 25g oats
- 135g water(36%)
- 11g salt
Dough
- 250g bread flour(66.6%)
- 125g whole wheat flour(33.3%)
- 145g water (39%)
- 300g sourdough starter (80%)
- 270g All soaker(72%)
- Extra seeds or oats to cover the dough(optional)
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 cover seeds with water add salt, mix everything well, let seeds soak overnight.
Dough
- 7 am combine water, flour, all soaker and sourdough starter, mix well by hand or in your mixer until all flour will get hydrated. At this step gluten development not necessary, we will be building gluten with following folds. Cover the dough, let it rest for 30 minutes at 78-82F /26-28C.
- 7:30 am wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
- 8:15 am 2nd stretch and fold.
- 9 am 3rd stretch and fold.
- 9:45 am 4th stretch and fold. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 min.
Note: Performing stretches and folds helps with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if you feel it proofing slowly, you can extend time in between stretches up to 45 minutes.
- After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 78-82F/ 26-28C. The dough has to become lighter and significantly increased in volume. We are looking for 50%-70% rise.
Shaping the loaf
- 10:15-10:30 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.
- 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 on the left side too.
- Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
- Optional: Spray it generously with water and roll it in the mixture of seeds, or just regular oats.
- 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 30 min-1 hour for final proofing.
Baking
- Meanwhile start preheating your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
- Flip the dough over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame.
- Transfer the loaf 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 25 more minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Five Seed Sourdough
2700kcal
Ingredients
Sourdough Levain Starter (Night Before)
- 25 g Active sourdough starter culture
- 155 g Water
- 125 g Bread flour
The Nutrient Seed Soaker (Night Before)
- 25 g Rye chops
- 40 g Flaxseeds
- 35 g Sunflower seeds
- 25 g Oats
- 135 g Water
- 11 g Salt
The Main Dough (Next Morning)
- 250 g Bread flour
- 125 g Whole wheat flour
- 145 g Water
- 300 g Prepared liquid sourdough starter all of it
- 270 g Prepared seed soaker all of it
- Extra mixed seeds or rolled oats Optional, reserved purely for coating the crust
Equipment
- Stand Mixer Or a mixing bowl for hand-mixing
- Proofing Basket Banneton, or a loaf pan lined with a clean kitchen towel
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven With a tight-fitting lid
- Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
- Spray Bottle Optional, for surface misting
Method
Liquid Starter and Seed Soaker Setup (Night Before)
- 10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar or mixing bowl, combine the 25g of active starter culture and 155g of water. Whisk together cleanly until fluid. Add the 125g of bread flour and stir thoroughly with a spatula until no dry flour pockets remain. Cover loosely and let it develop at a room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours overnight until it triples in volume and hits its bubbly peak.
- Simultaneously prepare the soaker block. In a separate bowl, combine the 25g of rye chops, 40g of flaxseeds, 35g of sunflower seeds, 25g of oats, 135g of water, and 11g of salt. Stir everything thoroughly to ensure the salt dissolves and distributes evenly, then cover and let the grains hydrate completely overnight.
Same-Day Dough Assembly and Structural Folds
- 7:00 AM: In your stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl, combine the 145g of water, 250g of bread flour, 125g of whole wheat flour, all of your mature liquid starter, and all of your hydrated seed soaker. Mix thoroughly by hand or on low speed just until all the flour is fully hydrated and an uneven, shaggy dough builds. (Gluten development is not necessary at this stage; structural strength will build during the folding sequences).
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest undisturbed for 30 minutes at a warm ambient temperature of 78–82°F (26–28°C) to initialize.
- 7:30 AM: Wet your hands thoroughly with clean water to prevent sticking, and perform your 1st stretch-and-fold session directly inside the bowl. Cover and rest.
- 8:15 AM: Perform your 2nd wet-handed stretch-and-fold session. Cover and rest.
- 9:00 AM: Perform your 3rd wet-handed stretch-and-fold session. Cover and rest.
- 9:45 AM: Perform your 4th and final wet-handed stretch-and-fold session. Cover the container and let the dough rise undisturbed for 30 to 45 minutes at 78–82°F (26–28°C). The dough must become visibly lighter, aerated, and increase in volume by roughly 50% to 70%.
Taut Shaping, Topping, and High-Heat Baking
- 10:30 AM: Lightly dust your clean workspace with flour. Turn out the puffy dough and pull the top corners outward slightly. Fold the right side over into the center, repeat on the left side, and then roll the dough tightly from top to bottom into a smooth, taut log shape.
- Optional Crust Coating: Spray the top surface of the shaped dough log generously with water, then roll it directly across a shallow dish filled with extra seeds or regular oats to coat it evenly.
- Transfer the shaped loaf seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket or a loaf pan lined with a floured kitchen towel. Cover with plastic wrap and return it to a warm 78°F (26°C) space for 1 hour for its final proofing.
- While the loaf undergoes its final proof, place your cast iron Dutch oven with its lid on inside the oven and preheat completely to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes to a full hour.
- Carefully invert the proofed dough log out onto a sheet of parchment paper so it sits seam-side down. Use a sharp bread lame or razor blade to score a clean line down the center.
- Use the parchment corners to lift and drop the loaf into the piping hot Dutch oven. Secure the lid tightly to lock in the steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid carefully, lower the oven temperature down to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 25 minutes until the crust turns deep golden brown and crunchy. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories2700kcalCarbohydrates477gProtein98gFat48gSaturated Fat5gPolyunsaturated Fat25gMonounsaturated Fat11gCholesterol17mgSodium827mgPotassium1813mgFiber47gSugar4gVitamin A54IUVitamin C1mgCalcium286mgIron15mg
Notes
- Liquid Sourdough Starter Proportions: You will notice that this specific overnight starter build utilizes a higher ratio of water to flour (155g water to 125g flour) than a standard 1:1 hydration build. This yields a more fluid, liquid starter consistency that mixes into the heavy whole grains and whole wheat flours effortlessly the next morning, ensuring even yeast distribution without requiring heavy machine kneading.
- Managing Thicker Grain Swaps: If you cannot source traditional rye chops locally, you can successfully replace them with an equal weight of other hearty choices like whole pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sesame seeds, millet, or cracked wheat. The inclusion of the overnight salt-water soaker softens any tough seeds or grains completely so they integrate into the crumb smoothly without absorbing moisture from the dough.
- Why There Are No Big Alveolis: Artisan white sourdoughs strive for a highly open, airy crumb with massive holes. Because this loaf is heavily packed with whole wheat flour and a massive volume of dense grains and seeds, the physical weight tears fine gluten webs. Do not expect huge air pockets; the target here is a soft, moist, and uniform interior designed for supreme nutritional content and robust flavor.
- Adapting to Cooler Kitchen Climates: The timeline of this recipe is optimized for a warm room temperature of 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If your home runs cooler (around 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit / 20 degrees Celsius), the natural fermentation pathways will slow down significantly. Monitor the dough rather than the clock; you may need to extend the rest periods between your stretch-and-folds up to 45 minutes to achieve the required 50% to 70% bulk rise before shaping.
Tried this recipe?
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can you bake this bread next day, if I put in the refrigerator overnight?
Yes, absolutely
Trying out this recipe now 🙂 Natasha,i just would like to clarify that there is no typo error in Starter ingredients proportion, should we use 125gr bread flour with 155gr water? I know mostly you do 1:1
Tnx in advance
Hi!
Yes!
This starter is more liquid then usual.
No cold retard needed? Same day bake?
Yes, can be baker the same day.
Can I know how huge is this loaf?
It’s not huge. Just regular size.
Hey Natalya. I wanted to know whether you put your starter recepie on the site or not?
Once I tried one and it smelled wierd that I had to throw it away. I really want to bake sourdough breads😍
This turned out wonderfully! Much quicker than my other sourdough and feels so nutritious but tastes like heaven.
Thank you for your kind feedback. I love this bread too 🙏
Hi!
Here’s the link
https://natashasbaking.com/sourdough-starter-from-scratch-in-7-days/
Also I have full tutorial saved in highlighted stories on my Instagram
Hi Natasha
Wondering what would be a subsitute for Rye Chops – pumpkin seeds ?
You can use any other seeds.
Hi Natascha, my room has a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius. Do I have to let it proof for longer, does it work at all at this temperature?
Yes, if the temperature is lower, fermentation will take longer.
I am so sorry, I meant to write Natalya!!
That bread looks delicious. Just curious, why such a high percentage of levain in this recipe?
Thank you. To make it faster.
Thank you Natasha for the great instructions and sharing this recipe! I am a beginner, this is easy to make and absolutely delicious! It is my family’s favorite so far.
Are you putting the parchment paper into the Dutch oven? Reynolds has a temperature top out at 425°. Do you have a suggestion?
Hey, can I replace the rye chops in something else?
I use pepitas, literally make this bread once a week. it is the best!
I just made your Five Seed Sourdough today, love it!!! Can this be baked in a tin for sandwich bread? Thanks so much!
Thank you for trying out the Five Seed Sourdough recipe! We’re glad to hear that you loved it. Yes, you can definitely bake this bread in a tin for sandwich bread. Just shape the dough into a loaf and place it in a greased tin for the final rise and bake as directed. Enjoy your homemade sourdough sandwich bread!
I just realized that even though I made all the sores, the bread isn’t yeasty at all, why?
Hi,
I made the bread a couple of times already, it turned out very good, still I a have a problem with the starter. I use my rye sourdough starter and mixing it with the wheat flour in the recipe the starter just doesn’t rise. Do you use wheat sourdough starter? Thanks so much!!
Hi there! I’m glad to hear that the bread turned out well for you. It sounds like you may be experiencing some challenges with your rye sourdough starter when using it in this recipe. But honestly it doesn’t matter what starter to use here. You need to work on activity of your sourdough starter.
Hello, I made this bread once and it was a success , delicious and WONDERFUL! However I’ve not been able to replicate it. My starter is super strong and healthy but my loaves have rounded sides but flat on top. Oven spring is poor. I always seem to fall down at the proving stage. My kitchen is at 22 degrees but I place my proving bowls on a heat mat and insulate with oven towels. The dough is gently warm to touch while doing my stretch and folds. However it readily spreads after the first shaping.
Sorry for the long message but if you have any thoughts I’d greatly appreciate it – it is a terrific bread when it works!
Hiii i love this recepie its soo good i where wondering if u could use a stiff starter in it and if it possinle how much stiff starter have u tride Any advic would be appreciatet ty
I made this bread, and even though it was my first sourdough, it turned out amazing with an incredible flavor.Thank you Natalya 🫶🏻