Poppy Seed Sourdough Loaf

Ingredients

Dough

• 382.5g (approximately 3 cups) Bread flour — Bread flour is the workhorse French bread flour. About 11% protein. If you can't find bread flour, a strong all-purpose around 11–12% protein is the closest match.
• 67.5g (approximately 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) wholemeal flour — Stone-ground wholemeal if you have it. The 15% gives the crumb its color, flavor depth, and a small fermentation boost.
• 360g (approximately 1 1/2 cups) cold purified water — Cold water slows enzyme activity during the long autolyse. Use filtered or spring water if your tap is heavily chlorinated.
• 90g (approximately 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) active sourdough starter — Use it at peak — doubled, domed, with a clean sweet smell. If it has fallen, refresh and wait.
• 9g (1 1/2 tsp) fine sea salt — Added after autolyse, not at the start. Salt slows fermentation and tightens the gluten too early.
• 8g (1 tbsp) whole poppy seeds — Folded into the dough during the first coil fold. Don't use ground or pre-soaked. The whole seed is the texture.

Total flour: 450g

Hydration: 80%

Pro tip: Bread flour is the workhorse here. If you can't find it, use a strong all-purpose around 11–12% protein. Bread flour will tighten the crumb.

Equipment

• Digital Kitchen Scale
• Dutch Oven or Challenger Bread Pan
• Bench Scraper
• Dough Whisk
• Lame or Razor Blade
• Banneton or Linen-Lined Bowl
• Mixing Bowl
• Probe Thermometer

Method

Autolyse (3 hours)

Mix the flours and cold water, then walk away. This is where gluten starts to organize itself with no help from you.

1. Combine the flours. Combine the bread flour and wholemeal flour in your mixing bowl. Whisk briefly to disperse the wholemeal evenly.
2. Add the water. Add the cold water. Mix by hand or with a dough whisk until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and rough. That's correct.
3. Rest 3 hours. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic. Rest for 3 hours at room temperature. The mass will smooth out as the flour fully hydrates and the gluten starts forming on its own. No starter, no salt yet.

Tip: A long autolyse like this one is why an 80% hydration dough handles cleanly later. Don't shortcut it.

Add Starter and Salt, Then Coil Folds (About 2 hours, 4 fold sessions)

Now you build strength. Coil folds keep the dough connected without degassing it.

1. Add starter and salt. Pour the active starter and the salt onto the autolysed dough. Wet your hand and pinch and fold the dough through itself for 2–3 minutes until the starter and salt are fully incorporated. The dough will tighten as it comes together.
2. Rest 30 minutes. Cover and rest 30 minutes. This is the start of bulk fermentation. Note your dough temperature now. Aim for 30–31°C / 86–88°F.
3. First coil fold + poppy seeds. Wet your hands. Sprinkle the poppy seeds across the top of the dough, then lift the dough from the middle, let the bottom unfurl, and tuck it under. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until the dough is a tight package. The coil will laminate the seeds through the dough evenly.
4. Second coil fold (+30 min). Same motion as the first. Dough will already feel stronger and smoother.
5. Third coil fold (+30 min). The dough should be holding shape between folds and showing small surface bubbles.
6. Half coil fold — set 3.5 (+30 min). Two coils only — front to back, then side to side. Stop folding. From here the dough rests undisturbed for the rest of bulk.

Tip: Three and a half sets is the right call at this hydration. Four full sets would overwork a 20% wholemeal dough.

Bulk Fermentation (4.5 hours total at 30–31°C / 86–88°F)

The coil folds count as part of bulk. After your last fold, let the dough finish rising undisturbed.

1. Let it finish. Total bulk time from when starter went in is 4.5 hours. The dough should rise about 50–75%, show a domed top, jiggle when you nudge the bowl, and have visible bubbles along the sides and top.
2. Pre-shape. Lightly flour your work surface. Tip the dough out gently. Pre-shape into a loose round using a bench scraper, no flour on the dough surface yet.
3. Bench rest 20–30 minutes. Bench rest uncovered. The dough will relax and spread slightly. That's expected at this hydration.
4. Final shape. Flour the dough surface lightly. Flip it over so the smooth side is down. Letter-fold from the top, then bottom, then the two sides. Roll it toward you to seal the seam underneath. You're aiming for a tight ball with a smooth top.
5. Into the banneton. Heavily flour your banneton or linen-lined bowl. Place the shaped dough seam-side up.

Tip: Heavy flour on the cloth. Heavier than you think. A 3.5-hour cold retard at 0°C will pull moisture to the surface and a lightly floured cloth will glue itself to your loaf.

Cold Retardation (3.5 hours at 0°C / 32°F)

A short, cold retard. This isn't an overnight cold proof — it's a tightening pause to firm up the dough for clean scoring.

1. Into the cold. Cover the banneton with a plastic bag or shower cap. Place in the coldest part of your fridge, ideally near 0°C / 32°F. If your fridge runs warmer, that's fine — adjust slightly shorter on retard time.
2. Start the preheat. While the dough is in the fridge for the last hour, start preheating your oven.

Tip: Same-day bake. We're not building flavor with a long cold retard. We're firming the surface for the score.

Preheat and Bake (1 hour preheat, 50 minutes bake)

A long preheat is non-negotiable. Cold Dutch oven = no spring.

1. Preheat 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 250°C / 482°F with your Dutch oven or Challenger Pan inside. Full hour. Don't shortcut this.
2. Score. Pull the dough from the fridge. Tip it onto a piece of parchment paper. Score one clean off-center slash with your lame, about 1/4 inch deep, at roughly a 30-degree angle. One clean cut, full commitment.
3. Load the pan. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Lift the dough by the parchment edges and lower it into the pan. Cover.
4. Bake covered — 30 minutes. Bake covered at 250°C / 482°F for 30 minutes.
5. Bake uncovered — 20 minutes. Remove the lid. Reduce the oven to 200°C / 392°F. Bake another 20 minutes, until the crust is deep golden, the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, and the internal temperature reads 96–99°C / 205–210°F.
6. Cool 1 hour minimum. Transfer to a wire rack. Resist cutting for at least 1 hour. The crumb is still setting.

Tip: If you cut it hot, the crumb will look gummy even when it's done. That's not the bake — that's physics. Wait it out.

Pre-Shape, Bench Rest, and Final Shape

Build surface tension in two passes. The pre-shape sets the round, the bench rest relaxes the gluten, the final shape locks in oven spring.

1. Pre-shape. Lightly flour the work surface. Tip the dough out gently. Pre-shape into a loose round with a bench scraper. Do not flour the dough surface yet.
2. Bench rest. Rest uncovered 20–30 minutes. The dough will spread slightly. Expected at 80% hydration.
3. Final shape. Flour the top lightly, flip smooth-side down. Letter-fold top, bottom, then sides. Roll toward you to seal the seam. Place seam-up in a heavily floured banneton.

Two-Temperature Dutch Oven Bake

Covered hot for spring, uncovered cooler for color and crust.

Oven: 250°C / 482°F. Internal temperature when done: 96–99°C°C / 205–210°F°F.

Dutch Oven (recommended)

Covered then uncovered, two-temperature bake.

Equipment: Dutch oven or Challenger Bread Pan

1. Covered. Bake covered at 250°C / 482°F for 30 minutes.
2. Uncovered. Drop to 200°C / 392°F and bake 20 minutes more, until deep golden and 96–99°C / 205–210°F internal.

Storage

• Room temperature: Cut-side down on a board for 2–3 days. Skip the plastic bag if you want the crust to stay crispy.
• Frozen: Slice fully, double-wrap in plastic and foil, freeze up to 3 months. Toast directly from frozen.

Refrigeration stales bread faster than the counter. Skip the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip the wholemeal and use 100% bread flour?

You can, and the loaf will still be good. You'll lose a little color, a little flavor depth, and a small bit of fermentation activity. The 15% wholemeal is doing real work in this recipe — it's why a 4.5-hour bulk at 30°C lands where it does. If you go all-white, watch the dough more carefully and expect it to need slightly longer.

My kitchen is cooler than 30°C. How do I adjust?

Most kitchens are cooler than 30°C, especially in winter. The honest answer is to extend bulk fermentation and judge by feel rather than the clock. Look for a 50–75% volume rise, a domed top, visible side bubbles, and a jiggle when you nudge the bowl. A folding proofer set to 80°F / 27°C is the cleanest way to get consistent results year-round.

Why is the cold retard only 3.5 hours? I usually do overnight.

This is a same-day bake by design. The 3.5-hour cold retard isn't building flavor — it's firming the surface so you can score it cleanly. If you want an overnight cold ferment instead, shorten the bulk to about 3.5 hours, then move it to the fridge for 8–14 hours. You'll get a deeper, more complex flavor and a slightly different crumb. Both work.

Can I use a stand mixer instead of mixing by hand?

You can, but the recipe doesn't need it. The 3-hour autolyse and 3.5 sets of coil folds build all the strength this dough needs. A stand mixer can over-develop a dough at this hydration and give you a tighter crumb than you want. If you do mix by machine, keep it short — 2 minutes on low after the starter and salt go in, and skip one coil fold.

Why are the poppy seeds folded in instead of mixed in at the start?

Two reasons. One, mixing them in during autolyse means they sit in water for three hours and start to soften, which kills the texture. Two, folding them in during the first coil laminates them in layers through the dough rather than scattering them randomly. You get more even distribution and a better mouthfeel slice to slice.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes. All-purpose flour works beautifully in this recipe, especially for the softer crumb that suits a poppy seed loaf. King Arthur AP runs around 11.7% protein, which is almost identical to French T55. Pillsbury and Gold Medal AP are slightly lower at around 10.5%. If you use AP, consider reducing your water by 5 to 10 grams since AP absorbs slightly less than bread flour.

What if I have T55 French flour on hand?

Use it. T55 is essentially a French all-purpose flour at around 11% protein. The recipe works with bread flour, AP, or T55. We swapped to bread flour as the primary call so the recipe is accessible to home bakers using flour they already have on the shelf.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice (approx. 60g)): 145 calories, 28g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 1g fat, 2g fiber, 240mg sodium. Makes 14 servings.