Adapted from the brilliant TARTINE BREAD by Chad Robertson
(makes 2 loaves)
700g strong white flour
200g wholemeal flour
100g dark or light rye flour
200g lively leaven
650g luke warm water
200g sunflower seeds
125g linseeds
20g salt
Toast 125g (roughly 1 cup) sunflower seeds in a baking dish in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes, shaking the dish every five minutes to make sure they are evenly coloured. Meanwhile, place the linseeds in a bowl and add 430g (or two cups) boiling water. Leave both sets of seeds to cool (the linseeds turn jelly-like).
Mix all the bread ingredients apart from the salt and seeds together in a large bowl. Autolyse for an hour, then add the salt, cooled sunflower seeds and linseeds (scrape out the lot!) and up to 20g more water to help the salt merge with the dough. Go carefully with the extra water as the linseeds add lots of extra moisture.
Fold and turn at half hour intervals for the next 3-4 hours. Take out of the bowl when the dough is aerated and looking ready, then shape into two loaves. Rest on the kitchen counter for 20-30 mins – make sure you lightly flour the top of the dough piece and cover them with a clean tea towel. Flip them over, shape and put into floured baskets. Prove overnight in the fridge.
The next morning, place a large casserole pan in the oven and turn the heat to 260 degrees (if you can fit two large casseroles in your oven, you can bake them at the same time and give one away!). Once the oven is at temperature, turn out your dough (straight from the fridge) and score the top. Remove the casserole and carefully transfer your turned out dough to the hot dish (use a reusable baking sheet and oven gloves to do this), replace the lid, turn down the oven to 240 degrees and cook for 30 mins. Then remove the lid (careful of the steam), turn down the heat to 230 degrees and cook for another 7-10 mins. Cool on a baking rack.