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.
Make It Yours
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:
- 50g Whole Rolled Oats
- 50g Pumpkins Seeds
- 50g Sunflower Seeds
- 50g Rolled Flax Seeds
- 20g Hemp Seeds
- 20g Sesame Seeds
- 20g Poppy Seeds
You can use any combination of seeds you’d like. Aim for around 250g of seeds. It’s a great way to use up those random packs of seeds lurking in your pantry!
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.
If you prefer a plain sourdough loaf, you’ll find a simple recipe here.
Baking Sourdough
If you need to create a sourdough starter (which you’ll need for this bread) you’ll find simple instructions here.
You’ll find some useful tips on improving your oven spring here.
You can also join our supportive Facebook Community – Sourdough Starters: For Beginner Bakers of Bread and Sourdough.
Before you start this bake, you'll need to soak your seeds and oats in about 100g of water. Only soak pumpkin, sunflower, flax and oats (not poppy seeds, sesame seeds or hemp). Just leave them for around an hour. They will soak up all of the water in this time.
Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Glass is always good as you can see what's happening underneath your dough. This recipe is based on you having an active starter that you have fed a few hours before starting your bake.
Mix the water and starter together briefly. Then add your flour and salt and mix altogether with a silicone dough scraper. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together (see photo).
Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.
After the dough has been through autolyse you will need to add your seeds. If there is still water sitting in the bowl of seeds, drain it off. The seeds will be quite wet but this will help them incorporate into the dough.
Put all the seeds and oats into the middle of the bowl and work your way around, folding the dough over the seeds and oats and incorporating them into the dough.
Don't worry if your seeds haven't worked through the dough fully, they will be evenly distributed when you complete the stretch and folds.
Once the dough has formed into a ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding". Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds. For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. You do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.
It's up to you whether you want to do these in the bowl (less messy) or take your dough out onto your bench top and do it there. Do whatever you're more comfortable with.
If you are going to do the stretch & folds on your bench top, spray your surface with water mist rather than using flour as it will stop your dough from drying out.
Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment. The time this takes will depend on the temperature in your home. If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours.. If it's colder, it will take longer, possibly overnight.
You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it has *just* doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough. You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be overproofed.
If you want to do an overnight ferment, but your home is warm, consider using a little less starter (ie 25g). Less starter means your dough will take longer to ferment and you will reduce the risk of overproofing your dough.
Once your dough has finished it's first ferment, it's time to form it back into a ball and give it some shape and surface tension. You'll need to flour your counter top with rice flour for this (we use rice flour because it has no gluten). Try to be quite sparing with the rice flour, you only need a very light dusting.
Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.
You want to pull the edges of the dough into the centre and then flip it over so that the sticky side is now underneath. Using the stickiness, gently pull the dough into a tight ball.
You will need a banneton to put your dough into. If you do not have a banneton, then a bowl or basket lined with a floured tea towel is perfectly fine. Make sure your bowl isn't too big though, you want your dough to retain some shape.
Whatever you're using needs to be liberally floured with your rice flour. If you're using a banneton - liberally sprinkle it with rice flour. If you're using a cloth or tea towel, rub the flour into it to ensure it becomes non stick.
Once the dough is shaped into a tight ball, place it into your banneton smooth side down, so your seam is on the top - this way the top of your dough will get the pretty lines from the banneton. If you're using a cloth or tea towel in a bowl it's ok to put your dough with the smooth side up. Just make sure the dough is tight.
Lift your dough around the edges to pop a little more rice flour if you feel it needs it. Just try to handle the dough as little as possible and be really gentle as you really want to preserve all the gases and air bubbles that have formed during your bulk ferment.
Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time. It's not totally essential to cover it - you can place it in the fridge uncovered if you'd prefer.
Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour. It will also ensure your dough forms a skin which makes it easier to score. For this multigrain bread, I highly recommend leaving your dough in the fridge for 36 hours - it creates the most amazing flavor!
Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F. Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.
Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".
Now it's time to bake!
When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper. If you use a banneton, you will have a nicely rounded shape. If you used a bowl, it will still have shape but may not be as round. Make sure that you make the baking paper big enough to use the edges as a handle to lower to dough into your Dutch Oven.
Gently spritz the top of your dough with water and top with seeds of your choice. I find a combination of sesame, poppy and oats work really well.
Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife. At minimum a large cross is sufficient, but you can get as artistic as you like. Try to score it fairly deep to ensure the dough opens up.
Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven. If you want to you can spritz your dough with extra water before you put the lid on.
If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works!
Bake your sourdough for 30 minutes with the lid on. Set a timer so you don't forget. At 30 minutes take the lid off and bake for a further 12-15 minutes with the lid off. This will give you a nice colour to the top of your bread and further develop the crust.
When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool. If you prefer a less crusty loaf, wrap in a tea towel and let it cool under that. The tea towel will make the bread sweat a little and soften your crust.
If you're worried about your bread not being cooked all the way through, turn the oven off and place your dough straight onto the oven rack. Leave the door ajar and let your bread rest there for a few hours.
Wait at least 90 minutes before you cut into your delicious loaf!
Ingredients
Directions
Before you start this bake, you'll need to soak your seeds and oats in about 100g of water. Only soak pumpkin, sunflower, flax and oats (not poppy seeds, sesame seeds or hemp). Just leave them for around an hour. They will soak up all of the water in this time.
Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Glass is always good as you can see what's happening underneath your dough. This recipe is based on you having an active starter that you have fed a few hours before starting your bake.
Mix the water and starter together briefly. Then add your flour and salt and mix altogether with a silicone dough scraper. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together (see photo).
Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.
After the dough has been through autolyse you will need to add your seeds. If there is still water sitting in the bowl of seeds, drain it off. The seeds will be quite wet but this will help them incorporate into the dough.
Put all the seeds and oats into the middle of the bowl and work your way around, folding the dough over the seeds and oats and incorporating them into the dough.
Don't worry if your seeds haven't worked through the dough fully, they will be evenly distributed when you complete the stretch and folds.
Once the dough has formed into a ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding". Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds. For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. You do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.
It's up to you whether you want to do these in the bowl (less messy) or take your dough out onto your bench top and do it there. Do whatever you're more comfortable with.
If you are going to do the stretch & folds on your bench top, spray your surface with water mist rather than using flour as it will stop your dough from drying out.
Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment. The time this takes will depend on the temperature in your home. If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours.. If it's colder, it will take longer, possibly overnight.
You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it has *just* doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough. You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be overproofed.
If you want to do an overnight ferment, but your home is warm, consider using a little less starter (ie 25g). Less starter means your dough will take longer to ferment and you will reduce the risk of overproofing your dough.
Once your dough has finished it's first ferment, it's time to form it back into a ball and give it some shape and surface tension. You'll need to flour your counter top with rice flour for this (we use rice flour because it has no gluten). Try to be quite sparing with the rice flour, you only need a very light dusting.
Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.
You want to pull the edges of the dough into the centre and then flip it over so that the sticky side is now underneath. Using the stickiness, gently pull the dough into a tight ball.
You will need a banneton to put your dough into. If you do not have a banneton, then a bowl or basket lined with a floured tea towel is perfectly fine. Make sure your bowl isn't too big though, you want your dough to retain some shape.
Whatever you're using needs to be liberally floured with your rice flour. If you're using a banneton - liberally sprinkle it with rice flour. If you're using a cloth or tea towel, rub the flour into it to ensure it becomes non stick.
Once the dough is shaped into a tight ball, place it into your banneton smooth side down, so your seam is on the top - this way the top of your dough will get the pretty lines from the banneton. If you're using a cloth or tea towel in a bowl it's ok to put your dough with the smooth side up. Just make sure the dough is tight.
Lift your dough around the edges to pop a little more rice flour if you feel it needs it. Just try to handle the dough as little as possible and be really gentle as you really want to preserve all the gases and air bubbles that have formed during your bulk ferment.
Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time. It's not totally essential to cover it - you can place it in the fridge uncovered if you'd prefer.
Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour. It will also ensure your dough forms a skin which makes it easier to score. For this multigrain bread, I highly recommend leaving your dough in the fridge for 36 hours - it creates the most amazing flavor!
Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F. Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.
Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".
Now it's time to bake!
When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper. If you use a banneton, you will have a nicely rounded shape. If you used a bowl, it will still have shape but may not be as round. Make sure that you make the baking paper big enough to use the edges as a handle to lower to dough into your Dutch Oven.
Gently spritz the top of your dough with water and top with seeds of your choice. I find a combination of sesame, poppy and oats work really well.
Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife. At minimum a large cross is sufficient, but you can get as artistic as you like. Try to score it fairly deep to ensure the dough opens up.
Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven. If you want to you can spritz your dough with extra water before you put the lid on.
If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works!
Bake your sourdough for 30 minutes with the lid on. Set a timer so you don't forget. At 30 minutes take the lid off and bake for a further 12-15 minutes with the lid off. This will give you a nice colour to the top of your bread and further develop the crust.
When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool. If you prefer a less crusty loaf, wrap in a tea towel and let it cool under that. The tea towel will make the bread sweat a little and soften your crust.
If you're worried about your bread not being cooked all the way through, turn the oven off and place your dough straight onto the oven rack. Leave the door ajar and let your bread rest there for a few hours.
Wait at least 90 minutes before you cut into your delicious loaf!
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