Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2012

Wow, it took me two days but well worth it! It's probably my own starter but I had to give it lots of time to rise, plus we live on the northcoast so I had to set it by the wood stove to get it to rise. I used toasted, salted pumpkin seeds instead of raw sunflower seeds and it added the missing salt. My family ate it all week and left the store bought bread alone. The next weeks batch, I experimented adding an extra tablespoon of honey, an extra 1/2 tablespoon of molasses, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, and a cup of chopped dried fruit; a mixture of raisins, dried cherries, cranberries and dates to total 2 cups of fruit and nuts. Rather then using loaf pans I put the dough in grapefruit sized balls for the final rise and ended up with 5 beautiful 'breakfast fruit and nut' round loaves that go into the toaster perfectly. Can't wait for the next combination to this great base recipe.

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Reviewer:

vina

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2011

Great recipe. I did add a little salt.

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Reviewer:

Jen Pen

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Oct. 10, 2010

Great bread but I agree with some other reviewers that it needs some salt.

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Reviewer:

lilaggie82604

Reviewed: May 29, 2010

I can't rate this recipe with a good conscience because I have to think it was my fault it was very dense and not at all fluffy as some said it was. The dough was so stiff after I added the first 2 c. flour that I couldn't add but one more cup instead of the 3 called for. Rising was very slow and never made it above the pan rim. I have left my email address if anyone has any help for me on what I might have done wrong or could have done. Please see my profile for the address. Thanks.

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Reviewer:

healthycooker

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: May 17, 2010

5 stars, This was the first sourdough bread that turned out for me. I made it like the recipe says except added 4 t. salt and used all honey instead of the molasses and it turned out great. I have made it a second time now and I love it. The taste is wonderful.

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Reviewer:

Dee Dot

Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2010

This was one of the best breads I have made. I will definitely use this recipe again. It turned out moist and chewy with a light crisp crust. I added pumpkin seeds on top. Everyone loved it. Sliced thin it was great for sandwiches.

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Reviewer:

stacyd37

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Living In: Freeland, Washington, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2010

This bread was really good! I do miss the salt and will ad a little next time I make it. also will grind the flax seed. Everything else was fine. It takes a little longer to rise than regular yeast bread but it's worth it! I have not made bread with just sourdough before but it worked out great!

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Reviewer:

omakathy

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2008

I am relatively new to sourdough (3 months or so). I made this bread with my own "homegrown" sourdough made from white flour and pineapple juice. It worked! - it just took time and patience. I've been baking some sort of sourdough bread weekly since then. I love a heavy bread that is full of whole grains and this is one of those. At first I made the bread as written but have tried variations (added oatmeal, used only molasses vs. half honey etc.). My sourdough works best when well fed - I usually keep it in the refrigerator during the week and take it our Thursday night or Friday morning for Saturday baking. My base (the amount kept for later baking) is a small amount (1/4 cup or so) to allow for multiple feedings of flour and water just before baking spaced about 6 to 8 hours apart. Well fed starter makes the difference for me as to whether my bread will rise without using commercial yeast. Before putting back into the refrigerator I feed the small amount reserved from baking (1/4 cup) with an equal amount of flour and a very small amount of water to make a very thick batter - this helps the starter to keep in the cold until taken back out a day or so before baking.

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Reviewer:

GMac

Reviewed: Aug. 15, 2008

I have wanted to make cracked wheat sourdough for ages but i thought it would be complicated, but to my surprise it was so easy and such a good taste. I had no problem with the rise as i added some vitamin c powder, and no yeast, i dont think you should use yeast if your sourdough is active and mine is very active. I did add some salt about a teaspoon,other than that i followed the recipe will make it again most definitely

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Reviewer:

oldbean

Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2008

Delicious loaf but with some flavor component elusively missing. After making a few loaves it dawned on me: it needs salt. It's also not as "sour" as some sourdoughs I make. I halve the recipe and bake one very large free form loaf on a baking stone. I give the loaf one long slash and skip the egg wash. I spray the loaf with water several times during baking to encourage a bit of a crisp crust, but this is not a loaf that gets very crisp. I haven't used the flax seeds since that's not an ingredient I use much. I also use butter instead of margarine. I also do the whole recipe start to finish in one bowl in the Kitchen Aid and knead for 5-6 minutes on medium-low speed. My husband adores this bread so am looking forward to his reaction to our next loaf with a little salt in it. This is definitely one of the staple breads in our house now. It doesn't get much easier to make than this.

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