Easy Multigrain Sourdough Bread Recipe

Filled to the brim with grainy goodness, this easy multigrain sourdough recipe is everything you want in grainy bread.

It's totally customisable so you can add the seeds and grains you love to eat.

There really is something so wholesome about multigrain bread. Perhaps something we didn't love as kids, becomes somewhat of an adult treat. The smell of this loaf baking is just out of this world!

I worked over a number of weeks to perfect the ratio of grains to regular flour to ensure that this sourdough bread maintained a soft, fluffy crumb, a crispy, chewy crust and a big pop of oven spring - even jammed with all that grainy goodness!

Serving Ideas for Multigrain Sourdough Bread

This multigrain sourdough bread can easily be used where you would use a normal white loaf. It is soft and fluffy and makes the most delicious cold cut sandwiches.

I love to eat it toasted in the mornings with lashings of butter and jam. It's fantastic topped with eggs and hollandaise sauce!

I love making my toddler multigrain sourdough toast for breakfast because I feel good giving him all those extra seeds in his morning meal. He's quite happy to eat this - unlike my older kids who prefer this invisible multigrain sourdough bread.

Make It Yours With A Custom Seed Blend

I tried many different seed and grain combinations before I settled on the ones I've listed in my recipe. I like the combination of oats and seeds so I used:

• 25g Whole Rolled Oats
• 25g Pumpkins Seeds
• 25g Sunflower Seeds
• 25g Rolled Flax Seeds
• 10g Hemp Seeds
• 10g Sesame Seeds
• 10g Poppy Seeds

You can use any combination of seeds you'd like. Aim for around 100 to 150g of seeds. It's a great way to use up those random packs of seeds lurking in your pantry!

You can also use seeds on the outside of the loaf. To do this, place the seeds into the base of the banneton before placing the shaped sourdough on top. The seeds will stick to the dough as it proofs.

Soak Your Seeds

I like to soak the oats, pumpkin, flax and sunflower seeds for about 30 minutes before I put them into my bread. The seeds will absorb all the water in the dish.

The flax will become quite gelatinous but they will be perfect once cooked.

Soaking the seeds ensures that they don't burn but I feel that it also helps them to incorporate into the dough much more easily too.

I find that if you don't soak the seeds, they will absorb some of the moisture from your dough once they are incorporated and this can make your dough harder to work with as it will be a lower hydration.

If the seeds do soak up some of the water in your dough, it will result in a tougher crust and a smaller crumb. Of course, the bread will still be delicious, but if crust and crumb are important to you, then I highly recommend soaking the seeds.

Just remember to drain them before adding to the dough as you don't want to have a sloppy dough with too much hydration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to soak seeds before adding to sourdough?

You don't have to, however if you don't soak them, they can take on some of the water in the dough which can affect the hydration. This will ultimately change the texture of your bread an have an effect on the crust and crumb.

I recommend soaking and then draining the seeds if you have the time. You will be rewarded with better sourdough.

Do the seeds affect the bulk fermentation time?

The seeds will not affect the bulk fermentation time, so long as you don't use more than 20% weight overall (you can read about baker's percentages here). You can treat bulk fermentation just as you normally would with a plain sourdough loaf.

If you would like to learn more about judging when bulk fermentation is finished, you can read this handy guide.

How long should you allow the bread to cool before cutting?

As a general rule, you should leave sourdough to cool and rest for at least 90 minutes once it's been removed from the oven. This allows the cooking process to finish and the steam to settle. If you do not wait, you risk a gummy crumb and a sticky knife.

Ideally, you should let the bread cool for around 6 hours, particularly if using rye flour.

My kids don't like multigrain. How can I incorporate grains without them knowing?

I have 3 boys and it can be hard to get them to eat a really seedy bread. I developed this Sourdough Oatmeal Bread as a kind of "invisible multigrain" sourdough to get them to eat a bread with more nutrient dense ingredients. Try it - I promise you'll love it - and so will they! Don't add the oats on the outside of the bread if you are trying to disguise it.

Other Mulitgrain & Whole Wheat Sourdough Recipes

If you love all things multigrain, why not try these other multigrain sourdough recipes:

• These seeded sourdough discard crackers are absolutely delicious!
• For an "invisible multigrain" try this Sourdough Oatmeal Loaf.
• You'll find my Easy Whole Wheat Rye Sourdough Recipe is wholesome & tasty!
• If you love pancakes, try these whole wheat sourdough pancakes with banana & oat.