My starter desperately needed to be used. I started by making some biscuits, but it was still looking pretty sluggish, so I picked out this soda bread recipe as well. I haven't actually had a chance to taste the bread yet, but it looks nice, so I'm pretty much just going by that at this point. I can always come back and update later if I have any more thoughts after trying it.

Photo goes here.

Seeded Sourdough Soda Bread

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

• 275g soft (plain/standard/pastry) whole wheat flour
• 150g all-purpose flour
• 100g mixed seeds¹
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 225g sourdough starter, 100% hydration (ripe or discard is fine for this)
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 3/4 c. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 205°C (400°F) and grease a baking sheet.
2. Combine the flours, seeds, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
3. Add the starter, butter, honey, and milk and stir to combine.
4. Knead it for a few strokes on a lightly floured surface. (It won't develop the same strech or suppleness as a yeasted dough; that's fine.)
5. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each one into a ball. (Again, you won't be able to get a smooth sheet of gluten like with yeasted dough. That's expected.
6. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Cut a deep cross/X into the top of each ball.
8. Bake at 205°C (400°F) for 30 minutes.

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¹ I used a mix of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and millet. Whole flax seeds would also work well if you have them, but I only had ground. Flaked grains would also be nice: wheat, rye, oat, kamut, etc. I might also be worth experimenting with whole wheat berries or cracked grains: wheat, rye, bulgur, etc., but they may require some soaking before being added to the dough and that could mess with the hydration, so I'd not willing to recommend them without some cautions. Give it a go if you're feeling adventerous though! ^Back