Flaxseed Meal Sourdough Sandwich Bread
1990kcal
Ingredients
The Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
- 8 g Sourdough starter culture
- 40 g Water
- 40 g Bread flour
The Nutritious Main Dough
- 250 g Bread flour (72%)
- 50 g Whole wheat flour (14%)
- 50 g Flaxseed meal (14% - Finely ground flaxseeds)
- 210 g Water (60%)
- 70 g Active sourdough starter levain (20% - From the stage above)
- 25 g Honey (7%)
- 8 g Salt (2%)
- 45 g Soft butter or neutral baking oil (13%)
- 0.5 g Dry yeast (Optional helper pinch used strictly to cut down natural sourdough sourness)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Fitted with a dough hook attachment)
- Standard Loaf Pan (Ideally around 8.5 x 4.5 inches)
- Plastic Wrap or a damp kitchen towel
Method
Night Before – Starter Activation
- 10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar, add your 8g of starter culture to the 40g of water and whisk together cleanly. Add the 40g of bread flour and mix thoroughly.
- Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.
Day 2 – The High-Speed Enriched Mix & Bulk Folds
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the 210g of water, 25g of honey, 70g of your active overnight peak starter, and the optional 0.5g of dry yeast.
- Dump the 250g of bread flour, 50g of whole wheat flour, 50g of flaxseed meal, and 8g of salt right over the liquids.
- Attach your dough hook attachment. Mix on the low speed of your machine for 3 to 5 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for 7 to 9 minutes) until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and a cohesive ball forms.
- The Fat Incorporation: Add the 45g of completely softened butter (or oil) to the bowl. Increase your mixer speed to medium-high and knead continuously for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Note: The dough will look notably slick and sticky when the fat first hits it, but be patient—it will steadily absorb the butter and pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough bulk ferment for 2 to 4 hours at a warm 78–84°F (26–30°C).
- Wet your hands and perform exactly 2 separate rounds of structural stretch-and-folds spread evenly across the first two hours of fermentation. Let the dough rest undisturbed for the remaining time until it looks lighter and beautifully puffy.
Clean Rolling, Final Proof, and Golden Bake
- Generously sprinkle your workspace with a dusting of whole wheat flour. Gently tip the puffy dough out of the bowl.
- Pat the dough down slightly, then roll it tightly away from you into a uniform, clean cylinder matching the exact length of your loaf pan.
- Grease your baking pan (or line it with parchment paper) and place the shaped log inside seam-side down.
- Cover loosely and let proof in a warm environment at 78–84°F (26–30°C) for 2 to 4 hours until the dough completely doubles in volume and proudly fills the pan.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Slide the pan onto the middle rack and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35 minutes until the high crown turns a gorgeous golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing!
Nutrition
Calories1990kcalCarbohydrates283gProtein56gFat72gSaturated Fat6gPolyunsaturated Fat30gMonounsaturated Fat33gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol12mgSodium598mgPotassium1013mgFiber26gSugar22gVitamin A22IUVitamin C1mgCalcium210mgIron8mg
Notes
- What Exactly is Flaxseed Meal: Flaxseed meal is simply a highly nutritious flour made from finely ground whole flaxseeds. Adding it straight into the dough mix introduces healthy fats and dietary fiber that help soften the wheat structure. This creates an incredibly tender, pillowy sandwich crumb that naturally holds onto its moisture and stays fresh on your counter for days.
- Why the Dough Appears Sticky Initially: Flaxseed meal absorbs water quite differently than standard wheat flour. When you first introduce the soft butter or oil in step 6, the dough will look loose and remarkably wet. Do not panic or toss extra flour into the bowl—keep your stand mixer running steadily on medium speed and the gluten network will safely organize, clearing the sides of the steel perfectly.
- Managing Cool Kitchen Proofing Windows: Whole grains and ground seeds make a dough matrix naturally heavier to lift. If your home kitchen runs a bit cool (below 74°F), the 2 to 4-hour pan proofing window in step 12 can easily lag. To keep it right on time, place your covered loaf pan inside an unheated oven with just the internal appliance light switched on to create a cozy, warm proofing box.
- Adjusting Fats for an Olive Oil Substitute: If you prefer to substitute the 45g of butter with high-quality olive oil, you can keep the weight exactly the same. Oil incorporates into the starch structures slightly faster than solid fats, so you may find your mechanical mixing time in step 6 drops down by a comfortable 3 to 4 minutes.