Ingredients

Sponge

1-2 table spoons of sourdough

50 g white flour

50 g wheatgerm and bran

100 ml water

Dough

400 g strong white flour

50 g cut malted rye grains

100 g seed blend (e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, golden linseed and sesame seeds)

10 g salt

about 320 ml of water

Method

Mix the ingredients for the sponge and let it rest for a least 8-12 hours. Including the wheatgerm and bran in the sponge allows them to absorb water such that the bread will stay fresh for longer.

Mix the sponge with the remaining ingredients; adjust the water for a fairly wet dough. Machine-knead for about 10 minutes. Set aside at let it rise for 8-10 hours (e.g over-night) in a cool place for bulk fermentation.

Firm up the dough by stretching and folding 3 times on a table-top greased with sunflower oil. Then shape the loaf.

Grease the inside of the loaf pan with sunflower oil. Do this even using a non-stick load pan as the oil helps the crust to form.

Place the loaf in a one-pound loaf pan. Moist the top of the loaf and sprinkle with mixed seeds. Let it rest 3-4 hours for proofing.

Bake for 50 minutes at 180 degree Celcius. Remove immediately from the pan and let it cool at least one hour before slicing.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Dr. Arbab for constructive comments and suggestion on this publication.