Four words. Homemade. Sunflower. Seed. Bread. Now this was a huge accomplishment for me as it was my very first time making bread! I have made dinner rolls before, but never a whole loaf of bread. Even though I was super nervous about it, it actually turned out pretty darn perfect! So, I think it's time you jump on the bandwagon and learn how to make bread at home with me! Plus, guess what? NO BREADMAKER REQUIRED!
It's so much more fun to make your own bread at home. Especially when you end up with a delicious, golden brown loaf topped with sunflower seeds. The crust came out with just the right crispness. The texture on the inside is delightful, soft and fluffy. The aroma that wafted through the kitchen as it bakes, also didn't hurt. Not one bit. It's what I like to call pure joy. I seriously cannot get over how it turned out. Proud home cook right here!
Yeast
What terrified me most about baking bread was yeast – I have this misconception in my head that it's going to be so difficult to work with, well no. I was wrong. It turns out that it just isn't that scary at all.
The main to things to keep in mind when working with yeast is:
- make sure you're using good yeast, and
- be careful with the temperature.
If yeast is stored in a warm area (either at your home or in a warehouse), the temperature could kill the yeast, even before the expiration date. Dissolving yeast in hot water will do it too, so watch out for that! It's best to use warm water.
On the flip side, when setting your dough to rise, make sure the room is not too cold. The low temperature will prevent the dough from rising as well. Ideally, you want the temperature to be slightly above room temperature (at least 75-80ºF (24-26ºC)). Alternatively, you can rise your dough in a preheated oven set at 100-120ºF (around 40-45ºC).
So go ahead and take the plunge and try to bake your own loaf of homemade sunflower seed bread. You will be pleasantly surprised! And remember, there are not too many things better than the smell and taste of freshly baked bread enjoyed in the comfort of your own home!
Homemade Sunflower Seed Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour wait time
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 50 minute
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
Delicious, golden brown loaf of homemade sunflower seed bread is soft and fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. There are not too many things better than the smell and taste of freshly baked bread enjoyed in the comfort of your own home!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water (not hot!)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
- 1 cup plain, all-purpose flour + some more for dusting
- 3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, all-purpose flour, and wholemeal spelt flour. Bring it all together to make a soft dough – you can use your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, dusting with flour as needed. Knead for around 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic (be patient and use the full 10 minutes as this will pay off with light, airy bread!).
- Once kneaded, place dough in a bowl, cover with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Ideally, you want the temperature to be slightly above room temperature (at least 75-80ºF (24-26ºC)).
- Add sunflower seeds (reserving 1 tablespoon for crust) to the dough and knead it in.
- Push the dough firmly into a 5x9-inch loaf pan, pushing out air. Cover and let it rise again, about 30 minutes.
- Drizzle the top with the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil and remaining tablespoon of sunflower seeds. Bake for 60 mins, until well risen and golden.
- Category: Bread
First time I made this the loaves collapsed, about 2" high. Salt is required for dough to form a good cohesive structure. You have to add the salt just after the sugar so it can work during the first rising of the dough. Just made another loaf this way and it's perfect . The recipe says to stir in the salt and sunflower seeds after the dough ball has risen. That can't be done because you can't stir a dough ball. So knead the sunflower seeds into the risen dough ball. It works really well.
★★★★
Sorry for the typo!! You are absolutely right, the salt should have been added with the sugar. I have updated the recipe. Thank you for catching that!!