Sourdough Flaxseed Rye Bread – Leinsamenbrot
Each movement of the serrated knife shoots sesame seeds in all directions, but it’s a minor annoyance that is easily justified. Baking releases the fragrance of the sesame seeds onto the crust and makes a noticeable difference. I should’ve done the same thing with the second loaf.
Inside, the flaxseed aroma is more subtle but thoroughly permeates the sour boule. Lightly toasting a slice wakes up the flaxseeds in the same way your oven does the sesame seeds on the outside.
I used dark rye flour instead of medium rye so these came out denser and more deeply browned than intended in the original recipe. I’ll stick with the dark rye when (not if) I make another batch.
recipe adapted from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog
Bake Your Own Bread
Leinsamenbrot
German Sourdough Flaxseed Rye Bread
makes two loaves, about 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-pounds each
For the Rye Sourdough:
| Ingredients | Volume | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| medium or whole rye flour | 3 cups | 12.8 | 363 |
| water | 1 1/4 cups | 10.2 | 289 |
| sourdough starter | about 2 tbsp | 0.6 | 17 |
For the Flaxseed Soaker:
| Ingredients | Volume | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| whole flaxseeds | 5/8 cup | 3.2 | 91 |
| water | 1 1/4 cups | 9.6 | 272 |
Rye Sourdough and Flaxseed Soaker Directions:
- Make the rye sourdough. Pour the water over the sourdough starter and stir to dissolve. Add the rye flour and mix until thoroughly hydrated.
- Make the flaxseed soaker. In a separate bowl, stir together the flaxseeds and water.
- Cover the bowls and let stand at room temperature for 14 to 16 hours.
For the Final Dough:
| Ingredients | Volume | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| all of the rye sourdough | |||
| all of the flaxseed soaker | |||
| medium or whole rye flour | 1 1/2 cups | 6.4 | 181 |
| high-gluten or bread flour | 2 3/4 cups | 12.8 | 363 |
| water, lukewarm | 1/2 cup | 4.2 | 119 |
| salt | 1 tsp | 0.6 | 17 |
| instant yeast | 1 1/2 tsp |
Flaxseed Rye Bread Directions:
Mix. In a large bowl, mix together all of the final dough ingredients. Continue mixing until thoroughly hydrated and a shaggy ball of dough is formed.
Knead for 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will have weak gluten development and may be very sticky.
Desired Dough Temperature. 80ºF / 27ºF
Bulk Ferment #1. 30 to 45 minutes at 80ºF / 27ºF (slightly warmer than room temperature)
Divide. 2 pieces
Shape. tight boules or ovals
Final Proof. 50 to 60 minutes at 80ºF / 27ºF
Preheat Oven. 460ºF / 240ºC
Moisten the loaves and gently press sesame seeds on top (optional, but highly recommended).
Steam. 1 cup of boiling water poured into a heavy steam pan, preferably cast iron.
Bake for 15 minutes at 460ºF / 240ºC, then lower the heat to 440ºF / 225ºC and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool. Let the loaves cool completely for a few hours before slicing, preferably overnight.
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June 11th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Great looking breads (as always), love the crumb!
Never saw black flaxseeds before, I only know brown and ‘blond’, nice to learn something new everytime.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Those are some dark sesame seeds. I only see them in in daifuku. Actually I had to hunt all over the indian bazaars to find ones that dark. Nice.
Beautiful bread to. The baking looks so even. The bread looks moist. Seems like it has a good chew. What will you do with it? What sandwiches will you make?
June 11th, 2009 at 3:49 am
I can only imagine the awesome sandwiches to have come from this! If you wanna get screwy with the regional influences, you can make a Japanese-themed sandwich out of it (you know, kewpie mayo… Haha).
June 11th, 2009 at 4:47 am
Beautiful! This bread look very flavorful! Perfect for making sandwiches…
Cheers,
Rosa
June 11th, 2009 at 5:57 am
I’m always looking for ways to scatter bread remnants around my apartment
Gorgeous – I definitely agree with using dark rye, the flavor is just so much more intense imo.
June 11th, 2009 at 7:32 am
The color of the bread is lovely, and the sesame seeds look delicious on top.
June 11th, 2009 at 8:32 am
hearty, healthy, and quite a sight to behold–bravo, jude!
June 11th, 2009 at 8:55 am
This looks great. All of the rich BBA breads of late have made me crave whole grain, flaxseed, etc breads. Bread with a little less butter and density.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:15 am
This is a really stunning loaf Jude. Black sesame seeds make everything better.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I can’t even express to you how your breads make me wish to be a better bread baker! I was watching one instructional video on your site about proofing the bread and folding it and it got me through shaping the andama bread!
June 11th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting
June 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Must be quite the clean up when those seeds fly everywhere! Slice away and employ someone’s puppy to grab the scraps. Great bread by the way. Very hearty.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Your description is wonderful. We have two loaves of bread in the oven right now, so I can imagine how it would taste better!
The crust & crumb look excellent. I wish I had the courage to start up another batch of sourdough starter.
June 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Looks wonderful, Jude! Love the combo of flax and sesame seeds. I can almost smell the bread from here.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Mmmm…I love anything with flaxseeds!
June 11th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Flaxseed is such a super food! Thanks for a great recipe, Jude.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
That is one beautiful boule!
June 11th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I love seedy bread, but I’ve never made my own. Time to change that!
June 11th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I really like this recipe; I love flaxseed in breads. And your boule is so perfectly shaped with such an even crumb. Just gorgeous.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Katie, I got the sesame seeds at a local Korean grocer. I just had a slice with roasted bone marrow. Good. Stuff.
June 12th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Looks fantastich Jude! I made this a few times, but yours looks so airy the shaping, and bake are flawless!!
Good show, bravo!
Encore!
Jeremy
June 12th, 2009 at 4:46 am
This looks like it’s perfect with melted butter…
June 12th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Luurvely bread Jude and good for you too which is just a bonus!
June 12th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Looks good as usual… I’ve been seeing black sesame seeds around a lot lately. Where do you get them?
June 12th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Just gorgeous! And I love the photos…
June 12th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
OH – that bread looks soooo hearty and delicious! I’d love to use it to make pastrami sandwiches!
June 13th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Nice shot! I would love to try making sourdough bread one day. One question, how do you make your sourdough starter?
June 13th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Oh wow, i had never had a more intense craving for bread than right now, after reading your wonderful post and seeing your mouth-watering photos! Great job!
June 13th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Those are some beautiful looking loaves Jude. Almost looks too good to eat but knowing me and my relationship with sourdough, that loaf wouldn’t last a day
June 14th, 2009 at 5:22 am
Besides sandwiches, what else can I make using this bread?
June 14th, 2009 at 8:40 am
I just bought a loaf of flaxseed bread last week and it was delicious. But I must say that yours look better than the store bought one that I had. Your pictures make me want to grab a slice right now.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:51 am
OH WOW, being an avid bread baker myself, I can honestly say those are some of the most perfect and delicious looking loaves I’ve ever seen! Flax seed in bread is one of my fav uses for it! Beautifully done!
June 14th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Interesting choice with the black sesame seeds – I think they look great on your loaves and add another interesting dimension to them.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I’ve been putting flax seeds on my breads lately too and I really enjoy it, plus it’s so healthy! I really love how dark this bread is and the sesame crust is a wonderful touch! Looks gorgeous and special!
June 14th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Claire, I get the black sesame seeds in a Korean grocery here in Chicago. They should be easy to find in Chinese or Japanese groceries, too.
Ann, to make a sourdough starter, this would be a good place to start: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/starterprimer.html.
Kelvin, I like serving this bread with strong and stinky cheeses.
Thanks to everyone for visiting!
June 16th, 2009 at 9:53 am
This makes me think I’m baking my way through the wrong book!
Totally a gorgeous loaf made with flax and rye two of my very favorite bread ingredients.
I’m still working on my give away. I’m so slow.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Your bread looks really appetizing! My favourite bread is dark rye bread & yours looks yummie!
Thanks!