No Knead Seeded Morning Bread (Overnight)

By stancec44

This particular recipe is full of whole grain spelt flour (it tastes comparable to whole wheat flour) and seeds for a hearty texture and soft, slightly chewy crumb. We enjoy thick slices warmed and slathered with fresh ricotta and a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

A few high altitude bread tricks are in play here:

The water/liquid was slightly increased to account for drier flour and other ingredients
The yeast was slightly decreased to slow down the rapid rise that most yeast breads are susceptible to at altitude
The dough is given two hours at room temperature to kick off the rise. However, if this recipe’s dough were left out overnight at room temperature, it’d likely over-proof and spill out of its bowl. We solve this by putting it in the refrigerator to slow everything down so it’s where we need it to be come bake time. The rise contributes a great deal to each loaf- including flavor- so slowing things down can be very good- and tasty!

Ingredients

• Note: this is for Colorado altitude. See adjustments for lower altitude
• 3 3/4 cups water - (3000' foot adjustment: DO NOT use this much water. Maybe 3 1/4 cups. Dough was very unmanageable 1st run through)
• 3/4 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 6 cups (780 g) white spelt flour or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from highaltitudebakes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Note: Try making in heavy loaf pans, as Bruce likes that shape better for sandwiches/toasting. Also, I undercooked it the first time (in cast iron dutch oven), as I cooked for a bit less than the recipe calls for.


Place water, maple syrup, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine
Add the flour, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds and mix until a sticky dough forms. It will be very loose and gooey.

Place the dough in a clean bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours

After 2 hours, move the dough to your refrigerator and let rise 8 hours or overnight

Preheat your oven to 425 F

Heat a large heavy-based cast iron pot and lid in the oven for 30 minutes or until very hot
Meanwhile, fold the sides of the dough towards the center of the bowl so it forms a ball shape

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and dust with flour
Slide the dough into the hot pan, and dust the top lightly with flour, if desired
Using kitchen scissors, cut the top of the loaf with four "x" marks
Cover with the lid and bake for 40-45 minutes
Reduce the over temperature to 400 F and remove the lid
Bake, uncovered, for a further 20-30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped and has a good dark golden brown color
Carefully tip the hot bread from the pan onto a cooling rack and serve warm