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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Toasted Oat and Seed Sourdough Batard

A deeply browned, crackly crust gives way to a moist, chewy crumb packed with toasty oats and crunchy pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds.

Toasted Oat and Seed Sourdough Batard

Ingredients

  • 3 cups420 gBread flour
  • ½ cup50 gWhole wheat flour
  • 1 cup90 gOld-fashioned rolled oatsdivided: 70 g for the soaker, 20 g for the crust
  • 1¾ cups420 gWaterdivided: 330 g for the dough, 90 g boiling for the soaker
  • 3½ oz100 gActive sourdough starter (100% hydration)fed and at its peak
  • 1¾ tsp10 gSalt
  • ⅓ cup40 gPumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 3 tbsp25 gSesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp20 gGround flaxseed

Steps

  1. Day 1, 9 a.m.: give your sourdough starter its usual feeding (equal weights of fresh feed and water, kept separate from this recipe) and leave it at about 75°F (24°C); it should peak, doubled and bubbly, in 4 to 6 hours.
  2. Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and 70 g of the oats (the first portion) in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and fragrant. Tip into a bowl, stir in the flaxseed, pour over the 90 g of boiling water (the soaker portion), cover and let this soaker cool and absorb the water, about 1 hour.
  3. When the starter peaks (about 2 p.m.), mix the bread flour and the whole wheat flour with the 330 g of water (the dough portion) until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
  4. Add the sourdough starter and the salt to the dough, squeezing and folding until fully combined, about 3 minutes. Counting all the water, the dough is about 89% hydration (70% before the soaker) and 2% salt.
  5. Rest 30 minutes, then add the cooled oat and seed soaker, pinching and folding until evenly spread through the dough.
  6. Bulk rise at about 75°F (24°C) for 4 to 5 hours. During the first 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch-and-folds 30 minutes apart, then leave it undisturbed until risen by about 50%, domed and jiggly with bubbles on the sides.
  7. Turn the dough onto an unfloured counter, pre-shape into a loose round and rest 20 minutes. Shape into a tight batard, mist the top with water and roll it in the remaining 20 g of oats.
  8. Place seam side up in an oval basket lined with a clean cloth, cover and cold-proof in the fridge for 12 to 16 hours overnight.
  9. Day 2: put a Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes.
  10. Turn the batard onto parchment, score one long slash, and lower it into the hot Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat to 450°F (230°C) and bake 20 minutes.
  11. Uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until the crust is deep mahogany and the center reads 205–210°F (96–99°C).
  12. Cool the loaf on a rack for at least 2 hours before cutting into 12 slices.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Gluten, Sesame.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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