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.

Baking Great Bread at Home

Crispy crust, soft inside — French flour and a quiet poppy seed crunch

Intermediate

Poppy Seed SourdoughLoaf

by Henry Hunter

Crispy crust, soft crumb, quiet poppy crunch.

Try the Yeasted Version

Fermentation

3 hr autolyse + 4.5 hr bulk + 3.5 hr cold retard

Bake Time

50 minutes

Yield

1 boule, roughly 870g baked weight

Browse All Recipes Print Version View One-SheetNEW

Poppy Seed Sourdough Loaf - finished bread

Henry Hunter, professional baker and recipe author

Perfection is not required

"Perfection is not required. Progress is."

— Henry Hunter

By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.

Authentic Flavor

Bread baking educator and founder of Crust & Crumb Academy. Author of seven books including Sourdough for the Rest of Us.

Equipment Needed

Ingredients

Scale Recipe:

Dough

Bread flour

382.5g

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.

wholemeal flour

67.5g

Stone-ground wholemeal if you have it. The 15% gives the crumb its color, flavor depth, and a small fermentation boost.

cold purified water

360g

Cold water slows enzyme activity during the long autolyse. Use filtered or spring water if your tap is heavily chlorinated.

active sourdough starter

90g

Use it at peak — doubled, domed, with a clean sweet smell. If it has fallen, refresh and wait.

fine sea salt

Added after autolyse, not at the start. Salt slows fermentation and tightens the gluten too early.

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.

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.

Autolyse

3 hours

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

Watch Course Glossary

Progress

0/3

Click each step to mark complete

Combine the flours

Combine the bread flour and wholemeal flour in your mixing bowl. Whisk briefly to disperse the wholemeal evenly.

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.

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.

Pro Tip

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

Hydration and Strength, for Free

During autolyse the flour fully hydrates and the gluten starts organizing on its own — no kneading, no folding. At 80% hydration that head start is the difference between a dough you fight and a dough you guide. Holding salt and starter back keeps fermentation paused so all the work goes into structure.

The Takeaway

Long autolyse buys you handleability at high hydration.

Mix & Coils

Add Starter and Salt, Then Coil Folds

About 2 hours, 4 fold sessions

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

Progress

0/6

Click each step to mark complete

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.

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.

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.

Second coil fold (+30 min)

Same motion as the first. Dough will already feel stronger and smoother.

Third coil fold (+30 min)

The dough should be holding shape between folds and showing small surface bubbles.

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.

Pro Tip

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

Bulk Ferment

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.

Course Glossary

Progress

0/5

Click each step to mark complete

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.

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.

Bench rest 20–30 minutes

Bench rest uncovered. The dough will relax and spread slightly. That's expected at this hydration.

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.

Into the banneton

Heavily flour your or linen-lined bowl. Place the shaped dough seam-side up.

Pro 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 Retard

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.

Progress

0/2

Click each step to mark complete

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.

Start the preheat

While the dough is in the fridge for the last hour, start preheating your oven.

Pro Tip

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

Shaping

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.

Watch Glossary

Watch the Technique

Option 1

0/0

Click each step to mark complete

Bake

Preheat and Bake

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

Bake Time: 50 minutesOven: 482°F / 250°CInternal Temp: 205–210°F / 96–99°C

Step by Step

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.

Score

Pull the dough from the fridge. Tip it onto a piece of parchment paper. Score one clean off-center slash with your , about 1/4 inch deep, at roughly a 30-degree angle. One clean cut, full commitment.

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.

Bake covered — 30 minutes

Bake covered at 250°C / 482°F for 30 minutes.

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.

Cool 1 hour minimum

Transfer to a wire rack. Resist cutting for at least 1 hour. The crumb is still setting.

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.

Baking Methods

Covered then uncovered, two-temperature bake.

Equipment: Dutch oven or Challenger Bread Pan

Covered

Bake covered at 250°C / 482°F for 30 minutes.

Uncovered

Drop to 200°C / 392°F and bake 20 minutes more, until deep golden and 96–99°C / 205–210°F internal.

Nutrition Facts

Per 1 slice (approx. 60g) • 14 servings per recipe

Calories145

Carbohydrates28g

Protein5g

Fat1g

Fiber2g

Sodium240mg

* Values are estimates based on standard ingredients; actual values vary by brands and portion size.

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.

Refrigerated

Not recommended. Refrigeration accelerates staling.

Frozen

Slice fully, double-wrap in plastic and foil, freeze up to 3 months. Toast directly from frozen.

Refresh

Toast slices directly from frozen, or warm a whole loaf at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes.

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

Your Feedback

Rate This Recipe

Loading ratings...

Troubleshooting

Baker's Notes

Common questions and solutions for perfect results

Join the Channel — Two ways to bake closer with me. The Starter $2.99/mo or The Apprentice Baker $9.99/mo at youtube.com/@henryhunterjr/join

If you're serious about scoring, you need the right blade in your hand. Wire Monkey makes handcrafted bread lames from black walnut — built to last, balanced in the hand, and sharp enough to glide through cold dough cleanly every single time. No dragging, no hesitation marks. Just a clean cut.

Wire Monkey handcrafted wood scoring lames — handmade in Connecticut from real wood

Sourdough Starter Guide — Simple, practical, proven. Build it. Feed it. Keep it alive. Your foundation for great bread.

More recipes from our pantry that pair well with this bake.

Buckwheat Sourdough Bread

First Sourdough Loaf

Foolproof Whole Wheat Seeded Sourdough

Join thousands of home bakers receiving weekly recipes, tips, and techniques to elevate your bread game.

No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.

Poppy Seed SourdoughLoaf

Authentic Flavor

Equipment Needed

Ingredients

Dough

Autolyse

Combine the flours

Add the water

Rest 3 hours

Why a Long Autolyse

Hydration and Strength, for Free

Add Starter and Salt, Then Coil Folds

Add starter and salt

Rest 30 minutes

First coil fold + poppy seeds

Second coil fold (+30 min)

Third coil fold (+30 min)

Half coil fold — set 3.5 (+30 min)

Bulk Fermentation

Let it finish

Pre-shape

Bench rest 20–30 minutes

Final shape

Into the banneton

Cold Retardation

Into the cold

Start the preheat

Pre-Shape, Bench Rest, and Final Shape

Watch the Technique

Option 1

Preheat and Bake

Step by Step

Preheat 1 hour

Score

Load the pan

Bake covered — 30 minutes

Bake uncovered — 20 minutes

Cool 1 hour minimum

Baking Methods

Covered

Uncovered

Nutrition Facts

Storage

Room Temperature

Refrigerated

Frozen

Refresh

Rate This Recipe

Baker's Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

What if I have T55 French flour on hand?

Wire Monkey Handcrafted Bread Lames

Sourdough Starter Guide

You Might Also Enjoy

Buckwheat Sourdough Bread

First Sourdough Loaf

Foolproof Whole Wheat Seeded Sourdough

Get More Recipes in Your Inbox

More from Baking Great Bread at Home

Crust & Crumb Academy

Sourdough Starter Companion

Fermentation Compass

BakingGreatBread.com

Baking Great Bread Blog

Recipe Converter

Crust & Crumb App

Facebook Community

Sourdough for the Rest of Us