A couple of weeks ago I got over my fear of making bread, thanks to a brown bread recipe courtesy of the Hairy Bikers website. It involves making a sponge with half the quantity of yeast than you would normally use and leaving it overnight to ferment. The main ingredients are added the following morning, the dough kneaded, shaped, then left to rise for a couple of hours before baking. I loved this idea and it was really simple to do, BUT, I fancied a loaf with more texture and more flavor. So I came up with this recipe.

Mixed seed bread

Sponge
300g Strong white bread flour
150g Strong wholemeal flour
50g Rye flour
1 tsp yeast
400ml warm water

Put all of these ingredients into a bowl and mix until fully combined. Then, put cling film over the top of the bowl and leave in a draft free place for 6 hours of preferably overnight.
I leave it out on the work surface in the kitchen overnight and it is perfect by morning.

Bread
250g Strong Wholemeal flour
250g Granary bread flour
2 tsps Salt
25g Butter
1 tsp brown sugar (I prefer light muscovado sugar but you can use any brown sugar that you have around the kitchen)
55g porridge oats
55g mixed seeds (I buy a bag of pre mixed seeds from Waitrose)
2 tbsp malt extract
100ml milk
100ml warm water

Add all of the ingredients directly on top of the sponge mixture (above) and mix briefly to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 20-25mins (until the dough is soft).
I split the dough into 3 balls and place on 2 baking trays, I make 3 slits across each ball, cover LIGHTLY in cling film and put into a warm, draft free place for 2 hours, until they have doubled in size.
Glaze each ball in beaten egg and a small handful of porridge oats then bake at 220 degrees centigrade for 25-30 mins (check the loaves after 25 mins by tapping their bases; if they sound hollow they are done)

Review of my attempts

This bread has turned out well every time I have made it. It is a slightly dense, very tasty bread that has my family coming back for seconds and if today is anything to go by, thirds and fourths as well.

multi seed bread