Wholemeal Sourdough Bread With Fennel
This wholemeal sourdough bread with fennel is one of my recent baking accidents.
Why? I’ve used baking powder instead of yeast …
The bread was already in the oven when I realised my mistake, and I wasn’t quite sure how the bread would turn out.
I have to say, I’m positively surprised. Of course, the texture is quite dense; the typical sourdough air bubbles are missing. But nevertheless, it tastes really nice, also thanks to the fennel seeds.
You can try my version or use one sachet of instant yeast instead of the baking powder.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients
100g rye flour
150g wholemeal flour
200g strong white flour
50g oats
1 tbsp fennel seeds
200g fresh sourdough starter
1 tsp baking powder
15g salt
~350ml lukewarm water
Method
In a big bowl, mix the flours, oats, salt, fennel seeds, baking powder and sourdough together.
The amount of water you need depends on the flour you’re using and the thickness of your starter.
Start off with about 2/3 and mix it roughly into the dry ingredients. Then add in as much as needed to get a soft dough.
Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes using an electric mixer (about 15 minutes if you do it by hand) until the dough is stretchy and smooth.
Cover the bowl with cling film or a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1h.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
Tip the dough out onto a dusted surface and push it down to knock the air out.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it on a baking sheet. Let it rise for another 30 minutes.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it on the base.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.