So I’m a little behind the eight-ball with this post as I first made this bread last weekend, but I’ve got another batch rising as I type! I wanted to experiment with something a little different so I went perusing through my Mom’s wealth of bread books and happened upon a flax and sunflower seed bread in the Tartine #3 book. Amazing book, but fairly daunting bread recipes even for me.
Instead, I’ve taken my basic No Knead Spelt Bread recipe, tweaked the amounts of flour a little and added lots of flax and sunflower seeds.
Don’t tell the other breads I’ve made, but I like this one the best! So moist (even when I ate the little last crust piece four days later) and the seeds give the bread this extra punch of flavour. Best with butter of course. 😀
Happy baking!
If you liked this recipe you are going to love these ones!
Seedy Spelt No Knead Bread
Cinnamon Raisin No Knead Spelt Bread
Spelt Flour No Knead Bread
Update March 30, 2022: This blog post was long overdue for updated photos and recipe as I have tweaked my process over the years. Note there is no longer honey in the dough (you may include it if you wish) and I have provided instructions for both a second rise in a banneton basket as well as a bowl.
Sunflower Flax Seed No Knead Spelt Bread
Ingredients
- 56 g flax seeds
- 72 ml hot water
- 56 g sunflower seeds toasted
- 100 g organic whole spelt flour
- 300 g organic all purpose, unbleached spelt flour also called white spelt flour
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 300 ml room temperature water assuming room temperature of 21 degrees Celsius
- flax and sunflower seeds for coating optional
Instructions
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In a small bowl, mix the flax seeds with the hot water. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool. Spread sunflower seeds on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water to the dry ingredients then add the flax and sunflower seeds. Swirl the flax seeds in the water to disburse them and then mix the dough until it is completely incorporated and it sticks to your fingers. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes so the flour can absorb the water. After the rest, stretch and fold the dough by grabbing a piece of it from the outside edge then gently lift and fold that piece of dough over to the other side. Continue around the dough in a clock-wise fashion until the dough has tightened.
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Cover the bowl again and let it sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough has doubled in size (approximately 7-8 hours depending on your room temperature, see note 1)
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When the first rise is complete, place your heavy cast iron pot and lid into the oven and pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven. The pot needs to pre-heat for at least 30 minutes.
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Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands gently pat the dough out into a rectangle. Fold one short side of the dough into the middle and then fold the other short side on top. Then fold the dough in half the other direction. Dust lightly with flour, gently cover with the kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. While you are waiting, lightly flour a banneton basket or crumple a square piece of parchment paper, flatten it out again and line a medium sized bowl with it. Use your fist to push the paper down into the bowl and your other hand to smooth the creases of the paper around the inside and top edge of the bowl. Repeat the folding process outlined above a second time or shape into a boule.
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With lightly floured hands, lift the dough and place it seam side up in the banneton basket or seam side down in the parchment lined bowl. Cover and place on the counter next to the stove for 20 minutes for the second rise. To test if the dough is ready, press, do not poke, the tip of one floured finger quickly and lightly, about half an inch, slightly off center, into the crown of the dough. If the indentation remains but springs back slightly, the dough is ready for the oven. If the dent fills in, give the dough another 5-10 minutes to rise and re-test.
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Remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid.
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If using a banneton basket, place a square piece of parchment paper on the counter and gently flip the dough on to it. Score the dough using a lame (or use a sharp pair of scissors to make 3-4 shallow cuts at a 45 degree angle along the center line of the dough) to assist in "oven spring". Lift the dough by holding the corners of the parchment paper and lower it into the pot.
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If using a bowl, first lift the dough out of the bowl by holding all corners of the parchment paper and lower it into the pot. Spray the top of the dough with water and sprinkle some seeds on top (optional). Then dust the top of the bread with flour using a small sieve (also optional). Then use a lame and score the dough (or use a sharp pair of scissors to make 3-4 shallow cuts at a 45 degree angle along the center line of the dough) to assist in "oven spring".
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Cover the pot with the lid and put it back into the oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes.
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After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 10 minutes until the bread is a lovely chestnut brown. Remove from the oven, carefully lift the bread out of the hot pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. If you have an instant read thermometer, the bread is done when the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees F.
Recipe Notes
- I am assuming a room temperature of 21 degrees C here. If your room temperature is higher your dough will take less time to rise, if you room temperature is lower your dough will take more time to rise. At this point you can also place the covered dough in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and large rubber band before placing in the fridge. Bring the dough back to room temperature and ensure it has doubled in size and the surface is dotted with bubble before continuing.
- Unless you will consume all the bread within 2-3 days, cut it in half after it has cooled. Keep one half at room temperature and put the other half in the freezer. When you are ready for another half loaf, run it quickly under water to moisten the outside crust and place in pre-heated 350 degree F oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the crust is hard to the touch, remove and let it finish thawing in the center. It will taste like freshly baked bread!
Hi I would love to try this,could you use chia seeds in with the flax? What about apple cider vinegar?Or would that mess with the yeast? Thankyou
Hi Kerry, I haven’t tried either in my bread recipes before, however, I did a little research and it looks like either one in small amounts shouldn’t adversely affect the dough. Happy baking!
I didn’t think the dough would ever rise. After hours with no change, I researched to troubleshoot and discovered that my house was too cold! So I cranked up the heat a few notches and set the bowl of dough on a stool near the heat source. That did the trick! I took this perfect loaf of bread, still warm from the oven, to my dear friend for her birthday… and included some fancy butter. I think she may have wept joyful tears, but I’m not bragging. Thank you for this recipe.
So great to see that you were able to troubleshoot, the time of year and temperature in your house can definitely make a difference. Yeast like to be warm and cozy. 🙂 I love that you gave this bread to a friend, I can just imagine her face lighting up when she saw the bread you made. It’s one of the best feelings ever in my opinion.
Hi I’m looking forward to try this recipe but why the instructions in working the dough says to use flour but in the video you use water? Thank you
Hi Caterina, apologies for the confusion. Both water or flour work, whichever you find easier. Happy baking!
Hi! I’ve been using your recipe for a few month now, making one or two loads every week. Your recipe is very flexible and forgiving…Sometimes I add chia seeds, sometimes a cup of oats and then a bit more water…sometimes I throw in whatever bits of extra whole wheat flour I have lying around…the bread has always turned out wonderfully! I’m so glad I found a recipe that I can be adventurous with, and also mix up, let sit overnight, and bake fresh in the morning.
Hi Stacey, thank you so much!
I’ve put a question to Sophie, but she’s not responded. Since you make this all the time, can you pretty please confirm it’s only 1/4 tsp of yeast? I’ve never used such a small amount so am needing to confirm. Thanks so much.
Is that correct….only 1/4 tsp of yeast?
Hi Bev, yes 1/4 tsp of yeast is correct. The small amount of yeast allows for a long rise time and lots of flavour to develop. Happy baking!
Thank you so much!
I only can find the unbleached spelt flour, can I use AP flour or bread flour instead of the whole spelt flour?
Hi Teeny, I would use whole wheat flour in place of the whole spelt flour as it is the most similar.
For those people looking for flour in the US, I highly recommend https://castlevalleymill.com/, their spelt flour is great and I recently tried their Heirloom Bloody Butcher Cornmeal which was incredible.
Thank you for the tip! I will add them to my list of sources.
I am wanting to make spelt bread and your recipe looks great. My flour is Bob’s Red Mill Spelt flour and says whole grain, stone ground. I assume this is the organic whole spelt flour. I need to try to find the white or unbleached spelt flour. Any recommendations? Can I just use this for all the flour??
Hi Joy, yes the whole spelt flour is the whole grain one you have. Finding white spelt flour can be tricky depending on where you are located. Are you in the states or Canada or somewhere else? If you want to make a 100% whole grain spelt loaf I would try this recipe of mine: https://accidentalartisan.ca/whole-grain-spelt-no-knead-bread/ I haven’t tried it but you should be able to add the seeds to this loaf as well. Happy baking!