Quick Artisan Style Multi Grain Sourdough Bread

By Gregg

I love sourdough bread but don't want to take 2 days to make it. I'm a same day baker. The bread is amazing.

Ingredients

• SOAKER:
• 1 cup multi grain cereal (for best flavor), or old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• DOUGH:
• 1 cup ripe (fed) sourdough starter
• 3/4 cup to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water*
• 3 1/2 cups Bread Flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon powder barley malt for better rising (not needed if you don't have it)
• *Sourdough starter can vary quite a bit in consistency. Use enough water to make a soft dough and tacky to the touch.
• TOPPING:
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whole flax seeds, artisan bread topping, or seeds of your choice

Preparation

Step 1

To make the soaker:
Put the multi grain cereal or oats in a heatproof bowl (I use mixing bowl for mixer), and pour the boiling water over them, stirring to combine ( depending on cereal or oats, water all soaked in and cereal is mushy adjust water accordingly). Let cool to lukewarm before using.

To make the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, or the bucket of a bread machine, combine the fed sourdough starter and 3/4 cup of the water, mixing until smooth.

Add the remaining dough ingredients (combine all dry ingredients and mix before adding) plus the soaker, and mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft dough, adding additional water as needed (should be tacky and if using dough hook and pulling free from bowl).

Cover the dough in the bowl, and let it rise until it's almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and gently fold it over a few times to deflate it (push out in a rectangle and fold in 1/3s and then pull corners up to center make a ball pulling and pinching in center).

Shape the dough into a large round. Grease a Dutch oven or baking crock, and place the dough into it (I put dough parchment in dutch oven).

Cover the crock, and let the loaf rise until it's very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Just before baking, brush or spray the loaf with water, and sprinkle with seeds. Use a lame or a very sharp knife to make several slashes across the top of the loaf, in the shape of a pound sign or just have fun with your own design.

Place the covered crock into a cold oven, set to 450°F, and turn on the oven. Bake the bread for 35 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking until the bread is deep golden brown, about 10 additional minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out of the crock onto a rack to cool.