Try this pumpkin seed sourdough bread, next time you are making bread. Golden-brown crispy crust and an inside packed with pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, as well as plenty of beautiful pores make it a delight to eat.
Finally, I was baking bread again. I must say, I think I improved my baking skills. Having said that, all my bread recipes, that I’ve made in the past are great, but this one is even better. Wink.
Moreover, the amazing things about this bread are the “loud” crispy crust, beautiful pores which make it extremely tender and the slightly sour note. Heaven! But this is just my personal opinion.
Also, there are three things or steps which shouldn’t be skipped. Firstly, an active sourdough starter. In order to achieve an active sourdough starter, feed your starter in the morning, using 40 g of starter discards, 60 g of flour and 60 g of water. To get an active starter it will take around 4-12 hours. It all depends on the room temperature. Mine took 8 hours to be bubbly and fluffy. And, I also wrapped a kitchen towel around the glass, to keep it a bit warm.
Secondly, the stretch and fold step. This dough has to go through this process six times every 30 minutes and then left to rest and proof overnight or around 9-12 hours. As a result, you’ll get gorgeous bread with a loose dough structure and large pores.
Thirdly, when baking, make sure the dough has the space to spread its way up. To achieve that, I suggest using a dutch oven pot, a clay-baking form or a springform will work as well.
I love freshly baked bread. I don’t know why, but the first slice is always the best. Wink. And, I always eat it with butter. Yes, just butter. Bread and butter are a simple yet gorgeous combination. Not only does it pair with this bread but it goes with any other bread as well. Mmm, delicious.
Bread is a wonderful opportunity to use your favourite herbs, seeds and nuts. For instance, these are some of my favourite bread recipes: Mediterranean sun-dried tomato bread, colourful turmeric sourdough bread and paleo seed and nuts bread.
In this recipe, I used pumpkin seeds and a small number of hazelnuts. They are both delicious and full of nutrients. But, I am focusing on pumpkin seeds or pepitas. They are associated with plenty of health benefits (reduce inflammation and blood sugar, improve heart health and may protect against some cancers). So small yet they are the best natural source of magnesium. More, they are packed with nutrients, such as zink, healthy fats and antioxidants. And, they are really easy to add to your diet.
This pumpkin seed sourdough bread freezes wonderfully, too. Next time you fancy it, pop it in the oven and enjoy it just like the day it was baked. Wink.
Ingredients for a loaf of pumpkin seed sourdough bread:
- 160 g active sourdough starter (40 g starter discard, 60 g flour, 60 g water)
- 420g strong flour
- 340g water
- 30ml of olive oil
- 12g salt
- 100-150g pumpkin seeds or pepitas (without the outer husk)
- 50g whole hazelnuts
To begin, feed your sourdough starter. Mix 40g of sourdough starter discards with 60g flour and 60g water. Keep stirring with a spoon until well combined. Then, lay a lid on top of the glass (don’t close it tight) and keep it in a draft-free place until it doubled its size.
Once the sourdough starter starts showing some activity, combine the flour and water in a larger bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until shaggy and sticky. Then, cover it with some cling foil and leave to hydrate for at least 40 minutes (I left mine for 2h until the starter was ready).
Furthermore, add the salt, olive oil and the bubbly starter to the dough (the one in the larger bowl) and combine them all together, either with a hand mixer or with your hands. Once all is well incorporated, leave the sticky dough (covered) to rest for 30 minutes.
At this point, do the first coil stretch and fold (directly in the bowl). Lift the dough up with both of your hands and let it coil over itself. Repeat this on all four sides, cover with foil and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Then, add all pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts and repeat the coil stretch and fold step. In total there are six sets of stretch and fold, which results in 3 hours of time.
When you finish the last step, cover the dough and let it rest for one more hour before transferring it to the fridge. Then, place the bowl in the fridge and leave it there overnight.
The next day, when you are ready to bake, tip the dough on a lightly floured working surface. Dust your hands and fold the sides (left and right) of the dough into the middle like a leaflet. As the dough is a bit wet, help yourself with a dough scraper. Roll it down into a log and place it on a generously floured kitchen towel (I also placed one wooden spoon on each side to support and keep the dough from spreading too much).
Sprinkle the dough with some flour and cover with foil or a kitchen towel and leave it to rest for one more hour. Once the dough is puffy, preheat the oven to 230º C, including the cast iron pot with a lid.
Carefully, take the pot out of the oven, quickly tip the dough on parchment paper and transfer everything into the pot. Before covering with a lid, sprinkle the dough with some water, then cover and put it back in the oven. Bake on the middle rack for about 40 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes until crispy gold-brown.
Finally, remove the pot from the oven and let it cool a bit until you remove the cob. Also, let the bread cool completely before slicing it. As a result, you’ll get the most delicious and tender bread ever. Serve the pumpkin seed sourdough bread with some cheese, prosciutto or simply with some good quality olive oil and coarsely sea salt. Yummy.
Enjoy!
