No-Knead Three-Seed Bread
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Last weekend I shared an oatmeal-maple bread recipe from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs. For reasons I explain in the post, this recipe has tripped people up over the years, and I’d long wanted to address the issues and, for practicality purposes, re-write it for a single loaf pan.
This week I have a similar agenda for another troubled Bread Toast Crumbs recipe, the three-seed bread, which as you can gather, calls for three seeds: sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower. The recipe instructs you to toast the sesame seeds and then has you add the toasted seeds to the flour mixture with no mention of what to do with the pumpkin or sunflower seeds. This mistake, understandably, has left people wondering if the other seeds are supposed to be toasted as well.
Yes, they are, but the truth is that I don’t toast any of the seeds anymore, and the good news is that it doesn’t matter. Toasted or not, the seeds impart the same amount of nuttiness (seediness?) to the loaf while lending a heartiness as well.
Just as the pan for the oatmeal-maple loaf is coated with oats, here the pan is coated with seeds, the same mix that goes into the bread. This coating step is unnecessary, but the exterior seeds do make the loaf look very pretty while also providing an added textural crunch to the crust.
Warning: the seeds do not stay as glued to the loaf as I would like, and you may find your countertop blanketed with them. If I discover a better way to make the seeds stick, I’ll report back, but in the meantime, you can save those toasty seeds and throw them into a salad or toss them over roasted vegetables.
Like the oatmeal-maple loaf, this one makes excellent toast, but it’s also light enough to be used for sandwiches. I love it for this chickpea “tuna” salad and this favorite egg salad. Hope you do, too.
How to Make Three Seed Bread, Step by Step
First, gather your ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, olive oil, and three seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Then whisk to combine.
Add the water followed by the olive oil.
And stir with a spatula until you have a sticky dough ball.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours or until doubled in volume.
After it doubles…
… slick the surface with a tablespoon of olive oil, then release it from the sides of the bowl. I do this with my hand.
Flip the dough so that the oil side is down, then roll into a coil or loaf shape.
Butter a standard loaf pan (8.5×4.5 or 9×5 inches). Optional: coat with the same seed mix that is in the dough.
Place the dough in the pan and sprinkle with more seeds, if you wish.
Let rise again until doubled or nearly doubled.
This is an 8.5×4.5-inch pan.
I like it because it makes a slightly taller loaf than a 9×5-inch pan.
Bake for 45 minutes at 375ºF.
Warning: The seeds make a bit of a mess because not all of them stay adhered to the dough, but aren’t they fun?
Let the bread cool for 30 to 60 minutes before slicing.
This bread is excellent for both toast and sandwiches.
No-Knead Three-Seed Bread
- Total Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Adapted from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs.
Changes from the original recipe include:
- The vessel: This one is baked in a single loaf pan as opposed to two 1-quart Pyrex bowls. You can use an 8.5×4.5-inch pan or a 9×5-inch pan. I prefer the 8.5×4.5-inch pan for this one because it creates a slightly taller loaf.
- Quantity of flour: I increased the flour by 1/4 cup just to make a slightly loftier loaf in the loaf pan. I have not adjusted the amount of water to compensate for the extra flour, and I do not think the small amount of added flour adversely affects the texture of the bread.
- Toasting the seeds: I don’t do it! Doesn’t seem necessary.
- Oil: I’ve reduced it. I now use just 1 tablespoon of oil in the dough itself and an additional tablespoon for coating the loaf after the first rise.
Yeast:
- Yeast: SAF Instant Yeast is my preference. I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to “proof” it — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.
- To use active-dry yeast: In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling, then proceed.
Final note: As noted in the post above, the seeds do not stay as glued to the loaf as I would like. If I come up with a better way to make the seeds stay adhered, I’ll report back, but in the meantime, you can save those toasty seeds and throw them into a salad or toss them over roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
- 3.25 cups (416 g) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons (5 grams) kosher salt
- 1.5 teaspoons (7 grams) sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons (5 grams) instant yeast
- ¼ cup (40 g) sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup (40 g) pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup (35 g) sesame seeds
- 1.5 cups (340 grams) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Softened unsalted butter, for greasing
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup seeds, optional, for coating the pan: I mix another 1/4 cup each of sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add the seeds and whisk to combine. Add the water, followed by 1 tablespoon of the oil. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. You may have to knead briefly with your hands to get it to form a dough ball.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or a cloth bowl cover or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 2 to 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8.5- x 4.5-inch (or 9×5-inch) loaf pan generously with softened butter. Pour the remaining 3/4 cup seeds into the loaf pan, if using, and turn the pan so that the seeds coat the pan on all sides. Pour out the remaining seeds and set aside.
- When the dough has doubled, drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over the top and use your hand to rub the oil over the surface to coat. Use your hand again to release the dough from the sides of the bowl, then flip the ball over so that the oil side is down. Roll the dough into a coil or into a loaf shape, then transfer to your prepared pan seam side down. Pour the reserved seeds over the top — you may not need all of them — then spread with your hand or shake the pan to distribute them.
- Let the dough rise on the countertop (preferably in a warm, draft-free spot) for 45 minutes to an hour or until the dough has risen significantly in the pan — it should be doming above the rim of the pan by about one inch. See photos for reference.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is evenly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, bread flour, olive oil, instant yeast
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65 Comments on “No-Knead Three-Seed Bread”
I made the 3-seed bread. It didn’t rise as high as I would have liked, or maybe I didn’t let it rise in the bread pan long enough? But the flavor is fabulous. My husband, who has a sandwich every day as well as toast with jam for a snack (one reason I now bake all our bread using the best ingredients) LOVED this bread. I wasn’t expecting that.
I’m going to keep practicing so that I get that nice tall loaf that will be better suited for sandwiches.
Thanks Ali – your recipes are always keepers!
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Hi! With the 3-seed bread you made, what size pan were you using? A few more questions: bread flour or all purpose flour? what type of yeast? How long was the first rise?
Thanks for your kind words 🙂 🙂 🙂 Great to hear your husband approved!
Hello! Can I use my sourdough starter instead of yeast? If so, how much and do I make a levain the night before? I love your recipes and the picture/video guidance! Thank you!
Hi and thanks 🙂 I would use an active bubbly starter and use 100 grams of it. Use 50 grams less each of the flour and water, so use 366 grams flour and 290 grams water.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make it!
Me again! Have made it a few times now and it was wonderful! How about using whole wheat flour? Any changes?
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Great to hear! I would try subbing in 1 cup of whole wheat flour for the white flour first; then adjust with more or less after that depending on your results.
I’ve become addicted to overnight doughs. Can that be done with this 3-seeded one? If yes, how would you manage the timing? Thanks, Ali. We have the flax quinoa bread toasted almost every day thanks to you.
Yes! I would reduce the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon and use cold water. Definitely cover the bowl with plastic wrap or use a lid — it will dry out otherwise. Let rise at room temperature. I’m wondering if you should omit the sugar as well to ensure the dough doesn’t overferment. In the morning, simply proceed with the recipe.
How have you been doing your overnight doughs? with sugar or without? how much yeast?
Do you think that this recipe would work in a bread machine? Would any adjustments be needed?
I would imagine! I’ve never used a bread machine, so I don’t know how to advise regarding adjustments.
Will this recipe work with other than instant yeast, and would any adjustments change the quantity of yeast or the other ingredients? Thanks for so many delicious recipes.
Yes! I will add instructions to the notes for using active-dry yeast, but in short: sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water, let it stand for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy; then proceed with the recipe. No need to make any other adjustments!
Hi Ali!
I love so many of you delicious recipes and look forward to your emails with something new, creative and delicious!
Your 3 seed bread recipe sounds delicious! I actually already do a variation of your Mother’s Peasant Bread recipe with the seeds.
I substitute about 1/3 of the flour with rye, spelt, whole wheat or a combination of them and mix in some hemp seeds. I then add the sunflower, sesame, pumpkin and hemp seeds to the buttered Pyrex bowl. When the dough is baked, they bake in beautifully to the crust!
I need to try adding them into them into the dough as well. My husband loves this bread for sandwiches and also toasted with jam!
Thank you again for sharing your passion and gift of cooking and baking, your family is very, very luckily indeed!❤️
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Thank you, Stacey!! I love the sound of your seed variation with a litle whole wheat/rye/spelt in the mix, and I have a bag of hemp seeds I bought for smoothies but I have yet to make a dent into… will try adding them to my next loaf. Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this and thank you for your kind words 🙂
I’m so glad you are doing this conversion. I’ve made almost all the breads from your book with the 2 bowls method which is easy and always successful but there are times I want a loaf shape. I’ve been trying to do that sometimes successfully and often not, but now that I see your ingredient shifts and the final oil and coil into loaf pan–that was successful. I’d love to see you do the rye bread. It’s the liquids that I’m not sure about.
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Great to hear, Christine! And great idea about the rye bread. I will do that one next. Everyone needs a good rye bread in their repertoire. Thanks for writing 🙂
I also make all your breads, all the time. I wasn’t succeeding with the bowls: hard to butter sufficiently and the centers were often underbaked even when the exterior seemed fully baked. I tried converting to loaf-size, but didn’t always succeed. Then I switched to using 6-inch cake pans for your original recipes — and for me that’s perfect every time. The flatter disc shape bakes more evenly than the sphere that results in the bowls. And the size remains better for this household than a full loaf.
I think it’s great that you’re providing the loaf-size tweaks. You might also let people know that round 6-inch cake pans work really well for the original recipes.
This is so good to know, Amy! I’ll try that next time. I love my 6-inch cake pans so much (mostly for this cake), and I love being able to give people another reason to buy them. Will give the method a try soon. Thanks for sharing!
I made this today using bread flour. It turned out perfect! Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
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Yay! Great to hear, Noelle 🙂 Thanks for writing.
Beautiful! Any secrets for the perfect slices in your photo here?
I think a good bread knife makes all the difference! Here are two I love: Tojiro Bread Knife and Opinel Bread Knife
I love seedy bread but prefer sourdough. Do you have a recipe for seedy sourdough bread? Preferably sandwich loaf style?
I love your sourdough focaccia and pizza recipes. Thanks.
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Hi Glenda! I don’t, but I think the easiest thing to do would be to add 1/4 cup each sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds to this sourdough sandwich bread recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil as well. I might consider reducing the water in that recipe a touch, too: maybe by 25 grams.
Question about the pumpkin seeds. I can only find roasted salted pumpkin seeds ( I live in a small town) Should I reduce the amout of salt in the recipe?
Thank you.
Hi PattiAnn! Maybe just a touch though I truly don’t think the salted pumpkin seeds will make the dough too salty. Hold back 1/4 teaspoon just to be safe.
We’ll I messed up. I used active yeast instead of instant yeast without dissolving and rehydrating it first. The loaf was very dense and yeasty tasting so I threw it away. I will try again.
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Turned out well…thank you. So easy too.
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Great to hear, Krish! Thanks for writing 🙂
I have had great luck with all of your recipes-thank you! Question: Can I use a muffin tin for the no knead three seed bread, as you can for the peasant bread recipe? Would there be any ingredient changes that would need to be made? Thanks again, Lisa Katz
Yes! Go for it, no changes necessary 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi! I never received the information on yeast that you offered. I received the first email but none after that. If it is possible could it be resent? Thank you
I’ll send them manually Karol!
This looks good. Is it similar to Dakota Bread? The King Arthur.videos show rolling the dough on a wet towel and then rolling the dough on what ever seeds or grain is to go on the top. would egg wash help hold the seeds on battery? I really like your recipes.
Jim
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Hi Jim! Someone else just emailed me about Dakota bread, so I think it must be similar. I like your egg wash idea and think it would probably help the seeds stick. I think this dough is too wet to roll on a wet towel, but I do think it could be brushed with water (at least on the top surface), which also might help the seeds stick. I do that in another recipe, in fact, and will try that next time around here.
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
DELICIOUS! Love it open face with egg salad on top! I followed the Web recipe vs. the cook book version, used King Arthur bread flour and ended up with a beautiful loaf. Once again, all of your recipes leave me feeling so good about feeding my grand babies. What a relief to know EXACTLY what they are consuming. I have recommended your cook book and instagram page to SO many of my friends. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Nanelle
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Awwww so nice to read this, Nanelle 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words.
I made this with shredded cheddar cheese instead of seeds. It is really a hit with my family. It didn’t rise a much as I had wanted but that’s probably me not knowing how to judge the proof time correctly. Your recipes really work for me. Thank you!
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Great to hear, Kate! Cheese sounds delicious 🙂
Might you have any suggestions for proportions/measurements if using a 9×5 bread tin and still wanting that high loaf you get in the 8×4 pan (which are remarkably hard to find here)?
Be vastly appreciated if so. Love your bread. Am making this one today.
Hi, I’m likely too late here. What did you decide to do? If you are using a scale, you could try something like this (a 20% increase):
500 grams unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
6 grams kosher salt
8 grams sugar
6 grams instant yeast
48 g sunflower seeds
48 g pumpkin seeds
42 g sesame seeds
408 g lukewarm water
17 g extra-virgin olive oil
Making this now. Dough has risen beautifully over the rim (I may have been a little heavy handed with the water, but bubbles are not bad). Am extremely excited: there may have been an exclamation of joy when I went to check on it. Huzzah! Thank you!
Now, I just need a caraway seed rye deli bread … *hint hint*
Great to hear! And I just posted a caraway-rye bread recipe: How to Make Homemade Rye Bread
I made this bread yesterday, almost exactly as written and it is truly great. Browned up nicely and perfect crumb. The only problem is that there are seeds EVERWHERE. If I make it again, I would not try to seed it on the outside and maybe more in the bread itself.
The seeds do get everywhere … save them! Throw them in a salad. But I do understand not wanting to coat the bread in seeds and using more seeds in the dough itself.
I was looking at this recipe in the cookbook this morning — Perfect timing for clarification on whether the seeds all needed roasting! Thanks
Hooray!
Love your bread recipes – from oatmeal loaves to cinnamon rolls – and make something from your book every weekend but am wondering (as someone for whom 8×4 loaf pans are elusive): how might we adjust the ingredients to get the same height you do in a 9×5 pan?
I use black sesame seeds for this loaf: yum!
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Oh! Just saw you already answered someone. Now, to find my darn scale.
So nice to read this, Kirstin! And glad you found your answer 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali, I’m about to make this (I do sourdough but need an instant gratification + sandwich loaf, you feel me?). I love the seeds-all-over look. For keeping them stuck in, thinking I’ll gently roll the shaped loaf in the seed mix before plopping into the pan, maybe a fine mist of water 1st … wondering if you’ve tried that? I’ll report back.
I feel you! I think your plan sounds great — as you may have read in other comments… the seeds get everywhere in the method as it stands now. I think a fine mist of water + a gentle roll in seeds will work and will reduce the seed mess. Good luck!
Ali, what a corker of a recipe! It feels like cheating to make bread this good so simply and quickly (same day !?). Well-developed flavor; used a mix of white ww and spelt for 100g of the flour. The mist/roll method may be the ticket. Seeds totally embedded on bottom & sides, and mostly on top (my spritzing was super conservative, and my rolling very gentle – people should know the rolling should be done quite gently if they try this). Thanks so much for sharing this brilliant recipe.
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So nice to read this, Laurie! Thanks so much for taking the time to report back. I will try your method next time I make this. Thank you again for sharing your notes and the mix of flours you used as well, which sound lovely. I love spelt flour and don’t use it nearly enough.
My new favorite! Absolutely delicious and, as always, so quick and easy. I did sub about 100 grams of Camas Country Mill stone milled bread flour along with a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. I can’t wait to make another loaf of this beautiful bread!
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Wonderful to hear, Karen! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your substitution notes — love the addition of some stone milled flour 🙂
This bread is amazing!
So tasty and chewy.
And very easy to put together.
Thanks so much!😊
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Great to hear, Loretta! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I am looking at the recipe in your book (which I LOVE). The book calls for 4 C all-purpose flour. You state on your website recipe that you have increased the flour 1/4 C. yet the ingredients are 3.25 C Bread Flour.
What is the correct amount to use?
Many thanks
Hi Ann! Sorry for the confusion. This recipe is for a single loaf pan, so if you were to use the peasant bread proportions for a single loaf pan, it’s 3 cups of flour. I added 1/4 cup to the typically called for 3 cups of flour for the loaf pan recipes (or 6 cups of flour for 2 loaf pans, as it’s written in the book).
As delicious as this bread was, I was unable to get a second rise so it was no taller than the top of my loaf pan. I will have to try again.
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Hi! What size loaf pan are you using?
Loved the bread, but will omit the seeds on the outside the next time I make it. Need your help in knowing why my crust wouldn’t brown. Could it be the amount of water, or that I that I omitted (my error) the oil in the dough. Since after 45 minutes my loaf was still pale, I tried to encourage browning by baking longer, and brushed with olive oil. My crust still didn’t look like yours. BTW, I’ve made your focaccia bread (even decorated with veggies), the roasted ratatouille, gigante beans, and baked feta/cherry tomatoes with spaghetti squash. All of these recipes were simply magnificent. I’ll be making them again, and again. Thank you!
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So nice to read all of this, Janet! Thank you 🙂
Regarding the browing, omitting the oil shouldn’t be the cause. Two questions: You’re not using bleached flour correct? And you included the sugar? It’s possible your oven just runs cooler. You can try increasing the temperature next time around by 25ºF.