Homemade Sunflower Seed Bread

Four words. Homemade. Sunflower. Seed. Bread. Now this was a huge accomplishment for me as it was my very first time baking bread! I have made dinner rolls before, but never a whole loaf of bread. Even though I was kind of nervous about it, it actually turned out pretty amazing. So, come jump on the bandwagon with me 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 of bread topped with sunflower seeds. The crust came out with just the right crunchiness. 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 baker right here!

What is in Homemade Sunflower Seed Bread?

To bake homemade sunflower seed bread, you will need to gather some pantry staples together. Here is what you will need:

• active dry yeast
• warm water
• sugar
• salt
• sunflower oil
• all-purpose flour
• wholemeal spelt flour
• sunflower seeds

How to Make Homemade Bread

Here's what do you need to do to get started at making your very own homemade bread today!

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, sunflower oil, all-purpose flour, and wholemeal spelt flour, and form into a dough.
2. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
3. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a cloth and let it rise in until doubled, about 30 minutes.
4. Knead sunflower seeds into the dough, and transfer into a 5x9-inch loaf pan. Cover and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.
5. Drizzle the top of the dough with extra sunflower oil and sunflower seeds. Bake for 60 mins, until well risen and golden.

Tips for Baking Bread with Yeast

What terrified me most about baking bread was yeast – I don't know why I had this misconception in my head that yeast was going to be so difficult to work with. Thankfully, I was very wrong. Yeast is not that scary at all, it's just another ingredient.

The main to things to keep in mind when working with yeast is:

1. make sure you're using good, high-quality yeast.
2. store dry active yeast in a cool, dark place - If yeast is stored in a warm place, the temperature could kill the yeast even before the expiration date. Dissolving yeast in hot water will do this too, so make sure you use warm water.
3. allow dough to rise in a warm place - 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 or 24-26ºC). Alternatively, you can even 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 ever so proud of yourself. 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. You can do this!

More Bread Recipes

Since this post, I have definitely honed my bread-baking skills. Check out some of my favourite recipes below, or browse all my bread recipes.

• Small Batch No-Knead Bread
• Quick and Easy Pita Bread
• Easy Homemade Everything Bagels
• Dinner Rolls with Green Onions
• Easy Small Batch Ciabatta Rolls
• Homemade No Knead French Baguettes

Recipe

Homemade Sunflower Seed Bread

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★★★★★

4.9 from 7 reviews

• Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Learn how to make a delicious, golden brown loaf of homemade sunflower seed bread today! It is soft and fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour + some more for dusting
• ¾ cup wholemeal spelt flour
• ½ cup sunflower seeds

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Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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 and airy bread).
3. 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.
4. Add sunflower seeds to the dough (reserving 1 tablespoon for the crust) and knead it in.
5. Push the dough firmly into a 5x9-inch loaf pan, pushing out the air. Cover and let it rise again, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF.
6. Drizzle the top of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil and remaining tablespoon of sunflower seeds. Bake for 60 mins, until well risen and golden.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes (+ 1 hour wait time)
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Bread
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: how to bake bread, sunflower bread, sandwich bread, bread, toast bread, seeded bread, loaf bread