Flaxseed Sourdough Bread

Who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked crusty bread wafting through the kitchen? This Flaxseed Sourdough Bread takes it up a notch with its irresistible nutty flavour and hearty texture. It's the kind of loaf that feels equally at home paired with a slather of butter or as the base for your fanciest avocado toast.

Jump to:

• What is Flaxseed Meal?
• How Does Flaxseed Affect Sourdough?
• Ingredient Notes
• What Mix-Ins Go Well With Flaxseed Sourdough?
• Step-By-Step Method
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage
• More Sourdough Bread Recipes
• Flaxseed Sourdough Bread

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What is Flaxseed Meal?

Flaxseed meal is ground flaxseeds, a nutritious powerhouse that's been used for centuries, dating back to ancient Egypt. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and plant-based protein, it's a versatile ingredient often added to breads, smoothies, porridge and baked goods for a boost of nutrients. 

How Does Flaxseed Affect Sourdough?

Flaxseed adds more than just nutrition to your sourdough-its unique properties can affect several aspects of the baking process.

• Hydration. Flaxseed absorbs more water than regular flour, so when adding flaxseed meal to your dough you will need to add more water than usual. The finer the flaxseed the more water you'll need to add. 
• Bulk Fermentation Times: You might find that your dough takes a little longer to rise, so be prepared for slightly longer bulk fermentation times. Allow for an extra 1-2 hours for the rising process. 
• Gluten-Content and Dough Behaviour: Flaxseed doesn't contribute to gluten development, but the amount of flax seeds in this recipe isn't significant enough to affect the dough structure much. However, you should expect a slightly less open crumb. 
• Flavour: Flaxseed introduces a subtle earthy and nutty flavour to the bread, giving it a warm, slightly richer taste that pairs wonderfully with your traditional sourdough tang.

TOP TIP: Don't panic if your dough starts off wet and sticky-the flaxseed will absorb more water as you fold and as bulk fermentation progresses. Over time, the dough will transform into a much more manageable consistency. If you're worried about adding too much water, try soaking the flaxseed with a portion of the water overnight. This way, you'll have better control over the dough's hydration when mixing, making the process smoother and less stressful.

Ingredient Notes

• strong white flour: also known as bread flour, with at least 12.5% protein content. You may also substitute approximately 50g of white flour with whole wheat flour or spelt flour. 
• ground flaxseed: also known as flaxseed meal or flax meal. The finer ground flax seeds, the more water the dough will absorb, so you may need to adjust the hydration levels. If you have whole flaxseed, use a coffee grinder to blitz them into flax seed meal. 
• salt. 
• water: we use lukewarm water to speed up the fermentation process in our cold kitchen. 
• active sourdough starter: at 100% hydration. 

What Mix-Ins Go Well With Flaxseed Sourdough?

Flaxseed sourdough is already packed with flavour, but you can take it to the next level by adding your favourite mix-ins! Poppy seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds all make fantastic additions, giving this artisan bread even more texture and a delicious nutty crunch.

Try our Sunflower Seed Sourdough Bread with some added flaxseed! Or go for Sesame Seed Sourdough Bread!

Note that adding softer seeds, like poppy or chia seeds, means you will need to increase hydration of the sourdough. 

Step-By-Step Method

DAY 1

Step 1: Feeding Sourdough Starter

First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot (ideally, (21-27°C)), semi-covered for 4 hours. Your starter should at least double in volume in this time. If it doesn't, it may need a couple of good feeds before it's fit for purpose.

Step 2: Mixing The Dough

Once the sourdough starter is active and bubbly (and at least doubled in volume), mix the dough. Mix strong white flour, ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal) and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Pour lukewarm water into the dry ingredients. Then add the active starter.

Run the mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes, until your dough is smooth and elastic. It does not need to pass the windowpane test just yet (the gluten will continue developing when we fold the dough).

Step 3: Folding and Bulk Fermentation

Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (21-27°C) for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, with cold wet hands, perform the first set of coil folds (you may use the stretch and fold method if that's what you're used to). Simply lift the bread dough with both hands from the sides and tuck it under to form a coil (video below). Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and coil again. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes again.

You should repeat the process every 30 minutes until you have done 4-6 sets of coil folds. Your dough will spread less with every set of folds, and by the end of it, you will have a much less sticky, very soft and elastic dough that has blisters on top of the dough.

For more information on how to coil fold and when to know when you've done enough folding, head to our dedicated article about Sourdough Coil Folds.

Once all the folds have been completed, cover the dough and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 3-4 hours to finish bulk fermentation (flaxeed sourdough takes a little longer to ferment). Your dough should bulk up by about 75% (if it doubles in volume though, don't worry, you will simply get a little less oven spring).

If you are using a see-through glass bowl for bulk fermenting, you should see a lot of activity and bubbles forming at the base and sides of the bowl.

Step 4: Shaping and Cold Retardation

At the end of bulk fermentation, using a bowl scraper, scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Try and make sure that the smooth top of the dough (the side that is not intact with the bowl) is placed on the floured work surface. Then swiftly fold the four corners of the dough into the centre.

Flip the dough seam-side down and use your hands to cup and rotate it, pulling it slightly against the surface to form a smooth, tight ball.

Place the dough ball into a well-floured banneton basket (or any proofing basket alternatives). We recommend using rice flour for dusting your proofing baskets. The smooth side of the sourdough ball should be at the bottom, with the seam at the top.

Pinch the seam together with your fingers, if the dough starts spreading in the bowl to make sure the dough is tight. Sprinkle with some flour, and cover the dough with a clean fabric napkin or small lightweight tea towel.

Place the proofing basket in a large plastic bag - it will protect the dough from drying out. Then place the whole thing in the fridge for its final rise (a.k.a. second rise) in the fridge for 12-36 hours.

DAY 2

Step 5: Preheating Dutch Oven

The next day, place the Dutch Oven in the oven, and preheat it to 240°C (typically, it is the highest temperature home ovens will go to) with the Dutch oven in it. It needs to be piping hot!

Step 6: Scoring Sourdough

Once the oven is hot, take the dough out of the fridge and out of the bag.

Invert the dough gently onto a large piece of parchment paper. If your dough was properly bulk fermented and shaped correctly, it should not spread much once inverted.

Dust the surface of the dough with flour. Using a bread lame or a razor blade, score the dough deeply (approximately 1cm deep) at a 30- 45º angle or a straight line down the middle as shown below.

One single deep slash is all that's needed for that sought-after sourdough "ear".

Step 7: Baking 

Take the hot Dutch Oven out of the oven, take the lid off, and lift the sourdough into it, holding the edges of the parchment paper. Be mindful of how you lift the paper. Sometimes, the scored slash can begin to close up during this process.

To prevent this, lift the parchment from the sides that won't push the two edges of the scored dough back together. Or try baking sourdough in an inverted Dutch Oven!

Place the lid back on the Dutch Oven and place the bread into the hot oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C, take the lid off, and return the sourdough to the oven for another 25 minutes to form a crispy crust. 

Step 8: Cooling

Once baked, take the Dutch Oven out of the oven. Lift the bread out by holding the corners of the parchment paper. Place the bread onto a wire rack, and slide the parchment paper from underneath the loaf.

Leave the flaxseed sourdough bread to cool down to room temperature before slicing.

Serving Suggestions

Flaxseed bread is as versatile as it is delicious! Slice it up for sandwiches, toast it for a crunchy base to your favourite spreads, or serve it alongside soups and salads for a wholesome addition to any meal.

Its hearty texture and nutty flavour also make it perfect for dipping into olive oil or topping with smashed avocado (or breakfast guacamole) and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Storage

You can store your flaxseed sourdough bread at room temperature for up to 3 days by wrapping it in a clean tea towel, placing it in a bread box, or popping it into an airtight container or ziplock bag.

For longer-term storage, freezing is your best bet-this loaf freezes like a dream! Check out the articles below for tips on freezing and reheating sourdough.

• Best Ways to Store Sourdough Bread
• How To Freeze Sourdough Bread?

More Sourdough Bread Recipes

Visit our ever-growing sourdough recipe section to learn everything from baking sourdough in a loaf pan to making enriched sourdough with soft crust. From classic sourdoughs to flavoured loaves with an array of mix-ins, you are sure to find something exciting to bake next!