HIGH FIBER SEEDED SOURDOUGH

I am starting to appreciate hearty breads that keep me feeling full for longer periods of time but are not too dense.  Try making avocado toast with this nutritious high fiber seeded bread.  It's so delicious and filling! Whole wheat flour behaves so much differently that regular white bread flour. Whole wheat flours require higher hydration and gluten development is a lot slower.   So, here is the crumb from this high fiber seeded sourdough recipe!  The key to having this bread be less dense than usual is in the long cold proofing process!  This is definitely a slow-grow process, but the results are well worth it.

Tips for making high fiber seeded sourdough

Time.

In order for the sourdough lactobacilli to penetrate the outer shell of the wheat germ, it requires time.  This process breaks down the flour and maximizes the bread's nutrition.  I have found that a longer autolyse process, and an hour of warm fermentation before putting it into the fridge for a 36 hour cold proof helps make this high fiber bread less dense and moist.  (The chia seeds also help!) It also results in a fabulous ear for those who care about their sourdough aesthetics! 

If your kitchen is very cold, I recommend you bulk and warm ferment your dough in the oven with just the oven light on. This provides enough heat to get the sourdough cultures to do its work without you having to buy a proofing oven.  You will be surprised that this whole grain dough will almost double in size and you'll get a better rise!

High Fiber.

This particular high fiber seeded sourdough bread has 7g of fiber per slice.  The high fiber comes from the addition of whole wheat flour, spelt flour and bulghur wheat.

Whole wheat flour.

In my experience, working with whole wheat dough is pretty sticky throughout the dough making process. Avoid adding any flour during bulk fermentation.  Rather, just use wet hands to make your stretch and folds until the shaping.

Spelt flour.

Spelt flour is known as an ancient whole grain flour.  It is the entire head of the wheat head, including the outer layer or bran that is ground which is where the B vitamins, fatty acids, protein, minerals and fiber are.

Bulghur wheat.

Bulghur wheat is cracked whole-grain kernels of wheat.  It is usually used in Mediterranean dishes and is very nutritious. 

The bulghur wheat comes in various coarse sizes.  I prefer the medium grind as it provides just enough mouth feel without being too large.  This too requires time to rehydrate. Bulghur wheat is also used for tabouleh which is a delicious salad.

Autolyse.

Because whole wheat flour requires high hydration, it is important to allow the flour to fully absorb the water with at least a 60 minute autolyse.  

Inclusions. (Seeds)

When adding inclusions to your dough, some seeds require a long, overnight soaking while others require a shorter soaking.  This high fiber seeded sourdough has chia seed which, in my opinion, gives the moistness to the whole wheat bread as the chia seed retains moisture.  I've experimented with various hydration ratios with chia seeds and found that a 1:3 chia seed to water ratio works well in bread.  As a result, chia seeds require a long soaking.  It is preferable to soak them overnight. The seed mix should be so thick that a teaspoon can stand on end!  If you forget to soak your chia seeds overnight, you can hydrate them with boiling water, and allow the seeds to soak for at least an hour until all the water has been absorbed and the mixture is at room temperature before adding it to the dough.

I like adding these inclusions before bulk fermentation. The seeds will then have time to disperse throughout the dough during of the course of the various stretch and folds.

Cold proofing

After the stretch and folds and the shaping, allow the dough to rest in a covered banneton for an hour at room temperature to allow it to rise a little.  Then place it in the refrigerator for 36 hours!  Yes, it's a long cold proof time, I know! Remove the dough from the refrigerator just before scoring and placing it in the preheated dutch oven for baking.