The Ultimate Seeded Rye & Grain Loaf

This is the loaf that took years to get right — and now it’s the one we bake every single week, or every 2 weeks – we only have one slice each for lunch. Dense, dark, and deeply flavoured, it’s built on a rye sourdough base, packed with seeds and whole grains, and given all the time it needs to develop into something genuinely extraordinary. If you’ve been baking our original Seeded Rye Sourdough, think of this as its more evolved, more flavourful big sibling. It makes two loaves — because one is never enough.

Yield: Two 22 x 13cm loaves (approximately 950g per tin)

Before you begin: This recipe uses two other Food4Us staples as ingredients. The One Jar That Does Everything – 8-Grain Power Mix (recipe coming soon) is best cooked while your Phase 1 dough is doing its long bulk ferment — perfect timing. The Seeded Kefir Soak – Our Everyday Breakfast (recipe coming soon) lives in our fridge permanently, so we always have some ready to go. If it’s your first time, make it the night before you start the bread.

Phase 1: The Build & Bulk Ferment

Ingredients

  • 100g rye sourdough starter (unfed/active)
  • 50g kefir
  • 50g stoneground rye flour
  • 750g lukewarm water
  • 40g blackstrap molasses
  • 40g honey
  • 10g salt
  • 10g coffee and chicory
  • 200g stoneground rye flour (second addition)
  • 200g stoneground white flour
  • 200g strong white bread flour

Method

  1. Combine the sourdough starter with the kefir and the 50g rye flour in the starter jar, stir so they are all well mixed and set aside while the rest of the ingredients are combined.
  2. Combine the rest of the Phase 1 ingredients in a large bowl, water, salt, honey, molasses, honey, coffee and chicory, rye flour, stoneground flour, and bakers flour. Now add the starter and mix vigorously for 5 minutes until a heavy, sticky paste forms.
  3. The Bowl Rest: Cover and leave at room temperature (around 22°C) for 8–10 hours. You’re looking for the dough to rise to the top of the bowl and develop a bubbly, aerated surface. Don’t let it go so long that it starts to sink back down — that’s your sign you’ve gone too far.
  4. While this is rising is the time to cook your 8-Grain Power Mix if you haven’t already — so it’ll be cooled and ready well before you need it for Phase 2.

Phase 2: The Inclusions & The Tin

Ingredients

I usually get all this together when doing phase 1 and just leave it in 2 containers in the fridge –  it save more fuss on day 2. Keep the seeds separate so they stay a bit crunchy.

  • 250g pre-cooked 8-Grain Power Mix (freekeh, barley, millet, quinoa, lentils and more — recipe coming soon)
  • 150g Seeded Kefir Soak (chia, coconut, hemp, dates, sultanas soaked in kefir — recipe coming soon)
  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 50g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 50g linseeds (flaxseeds)

Method

  1. The Starter Save: Before you add anything else, remove approximately 50g (about 3 tablespoons) of the fermented Phase 1 dough and transfer it to a jar. Store it in the fridge — this becomes your starter for the next bake.
  2. Add all the seeds, cooked grains and the kefir soak to the bowl. Stir well for 5 minutes until everything is evenly distributed.
  3. The Spoon Test: Stand a spoon upright in the mixture. It should hold for a few seconds before slowly toppling. If it flops immediately, the dough is too wet — add 50g extra flour and mix again.
  4. Divide the dough equally between two well-oiled 22 x 13cm tins (approximately 950g per tin). Smooth the tops flat with a wet metal spoon.

Phase 3: The Cold Retard & Final Rise

Method

  1. The Fridge: Cover both tins and place them in the fridge for 8–12 hours (overnight works perfectly). This slow cold rest develops the flavour and firms up the dough structure.
  2. The Morning Rise: Remove the tins from the fridge and leave them at room temperature (around 24°C) for 2–3 hours. You’re waiting for the dough to rise to about 1cm below the rim of the tin. Look for tiny pin-prick bubbles on the surface — that’s your green light.

Phase 4: The Bake

Method

  1. V-ZUG combi steam oven: Set to Professional Baking mode (Rustic/Flour-dusted). Place the tins in a cold oven, then set to 180°C. The initial steam injection will give the loaves a good oven spring.
  2. Standard oven alternative: Preheat to 180°C fan-forced. Place a small roasting tray of boiling water on the bottom rack before loading the bread — this replicates the steam effect. Remove the water tray after 20 minutes.
  3. After about 40 minutes add a temperature probe to one loaf – make sure it doesn’t touch the base, and set it to 97°C.
  4. Bake until the internal temperature of each loaf reaches 97°C — approximately 75–80 minutes. Use a probe thermometer; don’t chase 98°C, as the extra time will only toughen the crust and you may have reached the stall.
  5. The Finish: Remove the loaves from their tins immediately. Wrap each one tightly in a damp tea towel.
  6. The Cure: Leave for a full 24 hours before slicing. This is not optional — the starch needs time to fully set and the crust needs time to soften. It’s worth every minute of the wait.

Notes

Toasting slices: Slices toast beautifully in an air fryer at 180°C for 6 minutes. Genuinely better than fresh.

Molasses vs treacle: Blackstrap molasses gives a more robust, slightly bitter depth that balances the honey beautifully. Treacle will work in a pinch but the flavour is noticeably rounder and less complex.

The 97°C rule: Pull the loaves at 97°C internal temperature. The dough will often stall just below this mark — resist the urge to push to 98°C, as you’ll end up with a tougher crust for no gain.

Making kefir: Both this loaf and the Seeded Kefir Soak rely on kefir. If you’re not already making your own, it’s easier than you think — we’ll have a full how-to guide on the site soon.

Storage: Once cooled slice thinly and store in the freezer, store slices you intend to eat in the next few days in a plastic airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freezes exceptionally well — slice before freezing for easy grab-and-toast portions.