Seeded multigrain loaf
Vegetarian
A soft tin loaf of white and wholemeal flour studded with soaked sunflower, pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds, with a seed-crusted top.
Seeded multigrain loaf is a British bread, ready in about 4 hours 5 minutes and made with bread flour and sunflower seeds. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 3 h
- Total
- 4 h 5 min
- Serves
- 16
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 149
Method
Step 1
Toast the sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan if you like, then soak all the soaker seeds in 60 ml water for at least 30 minutes so they don't steal water from the dough.
- 5 min
Step 2
Mix the flours, yeast, salt, honey (opens in a new tab), oil and 300 ml water. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic and it passes the windowpane test, then knead in the soaked seeds until evenly spread.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 3
Cover and rise 1 hour until doubled.
Step 4
Shape into a tight log, brush with water, roll in the extra seeds and place seam-down in a greased 900 g (2 lb) tin. Proof 45–60 minutes until 2 cm above the rim. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C (fan 200 °C).
Step 5
Bake 15 minutes, then reduce to 200 °C (fan 180 °C) for 20–25 minutes. The turned-out loaf should sound hollow and read 93–96 °C inside.
- 40 min
- 200°C · fan 180 °C after 15 minutes at 220 °C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainA modern bakery and home style found across northern Europe rather than a dish from one place.Also popular in United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Australia
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Fermented
- Taste
- nutty, mild, savoury
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWithout the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style - Good for
- Everyday · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Bread flour · Sunflower seeds · Whole-wheat flour · Pumpkin seeds · Flaxseed · Sesame seeds
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Reduction · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour, whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour, whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
149 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 56 g · recipe makes 16
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 58%
- Fat 28%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 149 kcal | 265 kcal |
| Protein | 5.2 g | 9.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 21.9 g | 38.9 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 19.8 g | 35.1 g |
| Sugars | 0.2 g | 0.4 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.1 g | 3.8 g |
| Fat | 4.8 g | 8.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.6 g | 1.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg | 391 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 96 mg
- Calcium
- 26 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 43 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 85 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: honey.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Soaking the seeds keeps the loaf moist for days.
Common mistakes
- Adding dry seeds to the dough, which makes it tight and the crumb dry.
Serve with
- Sandwiches, avocado toast, or with cheese and soup.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days wrapped; freeze sliced.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 25 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 30 min
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 50 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 40 min at 220 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 1 h
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 4 h 25 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | Flour | 350 g | 77.8% |
| Whole-wheat flour | Flour | 100 g | 22.2% |
| Water | Water | 360 g | 80% |
| Olive oil | Fat | 15 g | 3.3% |
| Salt | Salt | 9 g | 2% |
| Instant yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.6% |
- Total flour
- 450 g
- Hydration
- 80%
- With milk, eggs…
- 80%
- Wholegrain
- 22.2%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
- Salt 2% — normal for bread.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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